First-person shooters are one of the quintessential multiplayer gaming genres, and have been for decades. When John Romero and John Carmack first figured out how to get LAN multiplayer running on the original Doom, deathmatching became an inexorable part of gaming culture, and has remained so ever since.
For as much as FPSes go for multiplayer focus these days, there have been plenty of shooters that still remember to offer a meaty single player campaign for you to enjoy.
Some might argue a single player campaign is nothing but an afterthought, but even if you’re only shooting at NPCs, they can still be lots of fun, not to mention full of memorable story beats and gameplay escalations.
An FPS isn’t just an opportunity to kill your friends without consequence, it’s a genre that really gets up in your face and forces you to think fast. Out of all the FPSes with single player campaigns I’ve played, these are the ones I’ve enjoyed the most.
10 BioShock
The King Of FPS Stories
BioShock
It’s no secret that the original BioShock took a few cues in its style and gameplay from the likes of System Shock 2. The reason BioShock is on this list and System Shock 2 isn’t, despite the latter being a very good single player game, is that System Shock 2 is more of an immersive sim, whereas BioShock fits a little more neatly into the traditional FPS niche.
While not quite a full-blown horror game, BioShock did a great job of building up a tense, claustrophobic atmosphere. You certainly weren’t defenseless, but it did often feel like something could get the drop on you at any moment.
It’s an atmosphere that can be difficult to cultivate in a high-impact genre like shooters, and BioShock did a great job both building it while keeping its gunplay fun and engaging.
Of course, I have to mention BioShock’s classic story, with its legendary endgame twist still considered a narrative triumph to this day. Games are a lot more subversive and meta these days, but back in 2007? Nobody saw that one coming.
9 Doom (2016)
Rip And Tear And So Forth
DOOM
- Released
- May 13, 2016
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- id Software
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda Softworks
- Engine
- id tech 6, id tech 5
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Franchise
- DOOM
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- How Long To Beat
- 12 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- No
- File Size Xbox Series
- 60 GB (November 2023)
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
The Doom series had a bit of an awkward adolescence, with the transition to 3D in the form of Doom 3 turning out somewhat middling results. The franchise was in limbo for over a decade after that game came out, but thankfully, things finally got back on track with the release of the Doom soft reboot in 2016.
That was when the game remembered the golden rule: “rip and tear, until it is done.” Just about every element of Doom 2016’s design is designed to facilitate and promote as much rapid-fire action and demon-death as realistically possible.
You move fast, you fight fast, you squeeze health and ammo from imp heads like juice from an orange, and the Slayer doesn’t care to comment on any of it. It’s a game that is built to be fun in every single way a shooter can be, and it succeeds with flying colors.
I think what Doom 2016 gets right than Doom 3 kind of missed the mark on is portraying the Slayer as what he was always meant to be: an unstoppable force of nature in the body of a man. As it turns out, playing as an unstoppable force of nature is really, really awesome.
8 Painkiller
See That Arsenal Shine
Painkiller
- Released
- April 12, 2004
- Developer(s)
- People Can Fly
- Publisher(s)
- DreamCatcher Interactive
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox (Original)
- Genre(s)
- FPS
Following the release of the original Quake in the late 90s, arena shooters quickly popped off as the dominant format for a good few years afterward. One of my favorite games to come out of this era was 2004’s Painkiller. While this game gets most of its legacy from deathmatching, the single-player campaign shouldn’t be written off.
As far as what I enjoy about the campaign, I’ll tell you for free that it isn’t the story. Painkiller doesn’t have much in the way of a story beyond “dead man kills demons.” Rather, what I like about this campaign is that it gives you the chance to really feel the game’s arsenal.
The guns are the most distinctive thing about Painkiller, from the Stakegun launching out giant wooden posts to everyone’s favorite dispenser of shurikens and lightning, the Electrodriver.
Yeah, you get to try this stuff in multiplayer, but it’s only in the campaign where you have access to everything at once, to use at your leisure against the legions of Hell. Remarkably, pinning a giant demon guy to the wall with a massive wooden stake never stops being funny.
7 Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
More Guns, More Gadgets, More Goodies
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
- Released
- October 27, 2017
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- MachineGames
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
- Engine
- id Tech 6
- Franchise
- Wolfenstein
- PC Release Date
- October 27, 2017
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- June 29, 2018
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- How Long To Beat
- 10 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- Extra & Premium
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
The 2014 Wolfenstein reboot, The New Order, was an excellent revival of a dormant shooter franchise, with more weighty, realistic gunplay and a pretty excellent story. However, perhaps because of that extra realism, it kind of felt like it was missing something that was present in the previous games.
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus was both an evolution of the mechanics introduced in New Order and a harkening back to some of the pulpier vibes of the early series.
You still needed to aim for enemy vitals, take cover, and other semi-realistic elements, but there were also bigger, crazier guns to whip out, not to mention movement and gameplay-altering gadgets like the Ram Shackles and Battle Walkers.
I think what makes New Colossus work a little better than its predecessor is that it's not afraid to get a little weirder without compromising its overall tone and message. B.J. is in dire straits throughout the first act of the story due to his paralysis, so much so that I wasn’t expecting his head to get transplanted onto a super soldier's body.
6 Half-Life 2
Physics Don’t Fail Me Now
Both Half-Life and Half-Life 2 are legendary shooters in their own right, and for good reason. The original helped pioneer Valve’s proprietary physics engine tech, and is jam-packed with iconic setpieces besides.
However, maybe it’s just because of which one was in vogue when I was growing up, but to me, Half-Life 2 feels like a much more monumental game. For one thing, Half-Life 2 is positively huge in scope, despite still being a level-based game.
Large arenas and massive straightaways potentially full of enemies were plentiful, and the introduction of vehicles like the Scout Car and Airboat made traversing these large areas much faster and more entertaining. Despite the larger size, there were also still plenty of more intimate cinematic setpieces, like going through Dr. Kleiner’s teleporter thing.
Additionally, while there were ways to utilize physics in combat in the original game, it was the Gravity Gun in Half-Life 2 that allowed you to straight-up weaponize them. It was like the perfect emergency sidearm, never out of ammo so long as there was a random chunk of debris nearby and always fun to use.
5 Halo: Combat Evolved
Two Weapons, Giant Maps
Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
- Released
- November 15, 2011
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Violence
- Developer(s)
- 343 Industries, Saber Interactive
- Publisher(s)
- Microsoft Game Studios
- Engine
- Saber3D
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Halo
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- How Long To Beat
- 10 Hours
- Metascore
- 82
The original Halo was, in more ways than one, a major game changer for the entire FPS genre. Yes, it brought split-screen and online deathmatching to the living room couch, which was great, but it also had a level of story scale and gameplay integration that was positively massive for its time.
I still remember the first time I played the demo for Combat Evolved, where you go through the Silent Cartographer level, and I was completely blown away by the scope of this innocuous mid-game level map.
It was a full island with unique topography, multiple paths to explore, and tons of enemies to shoot down, not to mention drive a Warthog through. Almost the entire game is consistently like that; even levels set on ships or in underground complexes are positively gigantic.
Halo: 10 Best Levels Across The Series, Ranked
From epic space battles to gritty urban warfare, these are the ten best Halo levels ever, ranked by impact and plain old fun.
While the two-weapon system took a little getting used to, it was simple and streamlined, which helped keep the action at a steady clip. Plus, it encouraged you to mix up your playstyle a little and seek out certain weapons, as opposed to just pulling another massive rifle out of your pants.
4 Titanfall 2
You Dig Giant Robots, I Dig Giant Robots
- Released
- October 28, 2016
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Respawn Entertainment
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Engine
- Source
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
- Franchise
- titanfall
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- How Long To Beat
- 6 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- No
- File Size Xbox Series
- 68 GB (December 2023)
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
The original Titanfall was a strictly multiplayer affair, with no single player campaign to be found. I won’t make assumptions about why this was, or why they decided to add a single player campaign to the sequel.
All I’ll say is that, despite ostensibly being a multiplayer-focused game, it’s kind of ironic that the single player campaign has become the most memorable aspect of Titanfall 2.
Titanfall 2’s single player campaign, while a bit short compared to its contemporaries, is also a remarkably jam-packed experience. Nearly every level has some manner of new weapon, gameplay element, or distinctive setpiece, which keeps the whole thing engaging throughout.
I particularly enjoyed getting to rapidly flip back and forth between the past and future in the lab level like some kind of hyperactive time ghost.
Additionally, despite its short runtime, it’s just long enough to make you care about your Titan partner, BT, and then kill him in front of you, something even some substantially longer game campaigns haven’t pulled off. It’s a rather devious bit of narrative compartmentalization.
3 Call Of Juarez: Gunslinger
Arcade-Style Western
It can be hard to make a good Wild West-themed shooter because, for as cool as old-timey guns look, actually fighting with them kind of sucks. They were weak, imprecise, and took forever to reload.
This is why I enjoy the narrative choice to have Call of Juarez: Gunslinger proceed in the form of a tall tale told to patrons in a bar, which gives it an excuse to play a little fast and loose with firearm mechanics.
Gunslinger is an arcade-style shooter, rewarding quick, precise gunplay with higher scores and more experience. There are no shields or anything, so one or two bullets is usually enough to put a regular enemy down. Your special focus mode, which allows you to swiftly aim and draw on multiple targets, serves a good incentive for consistently high performance.
As I mentioned, the game’s bar tale format provides some fun and creative setpieces. At multiple points, as the protagonist tells his story, one of the patrons will call him out for an obvious inaccuracy, and the whole world in front of you will spontaneously change to fit his fixed narrative. It’s a fun narrative element you wouldn’t expect from this kind of game.
2 Bulletstorm
Delightfully Irreverent
Bulletstorm
- Released
- February 22, 2011
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Game Experience May Change During Online Play, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol
- Developer(s)
- People Can Fly
- Publisher(s)
- Electronic Arts
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 3
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer
- Genre(s)
- First-Person Shooter
- How Long To Beat
- 8 Hours
- PS Plus Availability
- Premium
In the late 2000s and early 2010s, gaming was still firmly entrenched in the brown years, with most shooters being very serious, straight-laced affairs. During that time, there was a shooter that came out that grabbed my attention by being the exact opposite of that: ridiculous, juvenile, and full of conceptually insane weapons.
That shooter was Bulletstorm, and while it was a commercial failure, it was a success in my book. Bulletstorm’s big draw was its skillshot system, wherein killing enemies in creative, distinctive ways netted you more points for upgrades at checkpoints.
Whether it was tether-chucking a punk into a giant cactus or pinging a dude between the legs with a superheated shotgun blast, if you had an idea for a dumb special kill, odds were good the game would give you points for it.
The overall campaign is a little short, the story isn’t exactly high art, but I don’t think anyone expected Shakespeare from this. I have great memories of laughing my head off at this game with my friends, and that’s what counts. That, and preserving the noble memory of Waggleton P. Tallylicker. He will be remembered.
1 Call Of Duty: Black Ops
A New Kind Of War
- Released
- November 9, 2010
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Treyarch
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
- Engine
- iw
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer, Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
- Franchise
- Call of Duty
- Platform(s)
- PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, PC
- Genre(s)
- FPS
- How Long To Beat
- 7 Hours
Okay, full disclosure: I’m not a fan of Call of Duty. No shade on anyone who is, it’s just that the series largely doesn’t do anything for me.
However, while I’m apathetic towards both the single player campaigns and the multiplayer content of most games in the series, there is one exception: the original Call of Duty: Black Ops from back in 2010.
While Black Ops’ moment-to-moment gameplay was fairly straightforward and linear, it was tight and functional. You knew where you needed to go and who you needed to shoot, and there was a good variety of locales, characters, and weapons.
In addition to that, Black Ops had plenty of awesome gameplay setpieces, like piloting an attack chopper.
More than all that, though, Black Ops was when Call of Duty started getting a little more creative with its storylines, which helped catch my interest. It wasn’t just a big ol’ war full of dudes shooting each other, it was covert, secret operations, full of intrigue and big reveals.
