2023 certainly won’t be remembered primarily for the shooter games released this year. No new installments in the genre’s most prized franchises were launched, with the exception of the yearly Call of Duty entry (Modern Warfare III), and even that was far from a fan-favorite. Still, even if gamers are eagerly waiting for the likes of Battlefield, DOOM, and Gears of War, this year provided plenty of enjoyment thanks to several solid shooter games.
Also in our end-of-year lists: Wccftech’s Best Fighting Games of 2023.
Atomic Heart (7.5)
After several years of hype, Mundfish finally launched its debut project, the BioShock-inspired first-person shooter Atomic Heart. Set in a dystopian Soviet Union in an alternate 1955, it follows protagonist Major Sergey “P-3” Nechayev as he attempts to thwart a robot revolution inside the super secret Facility 3826. The game is very fun to play, even if it is a bit underwhelming on the narrative payoff, as I wrote in my review:
Atomic Heart is a solid debut for a brand-new developer. Mundfish succeeded in following the example of BioShock to deliver an engaging first-person shooter that is fun to play (minus a few quirks), runs extremely well, and looks great. That said, the story is a letdown and should have been fleshed out more, just like the side content.
Trepang2 (8.5)
Vancouver-based indie team Trepang Studios delivered a surprisingly enjoyable FEAR-inspired game with Trepang2, which started as a hobby project in 2016. In his review of the game, Ule Lopez explained:
I can say that Trepang2 is a must for shooter enthusiasts looking to get spooked or just wanting a good ol’ arena shooter experience where you get to shoot people down. While the mission variety isn’t that great and the AI has its “running into literal fire” moments, it more than makes up for it with its unique sequences, tough difficulty, and wonderful tone that becomes more self-aware once you enable cheats. Trepang2 offers a lot of choices in terms of customization, gameplay, and mechanics for players.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (7.5)
Nearly seven years after announcing the partnership with Lightstorm Entertainment, Ubisoft Massive finally managed to launch its licensed Avatar game earlier this month. As most people expected, the game turned out to be heavily modeled after Far Cry, which wasn’t that exciting for our reviewer Nathan. However, he had a lot of praise for the virtual rendition of Pandora made by the developer, making it an easy recommendation for this list of shooter games.
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a remarkable achievement in many ways, bringing a cinematic world to life on a massive, technically-impressive scale like few games have done before. Unfortunately, limited, frustrating combat means the game isn’t always that fun to play once you bump into the RDA. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora’s world is worth experiencing if you’re a fan of James Cameron’s movies, but as the franchise often reminds us, sky people ruin beautiful things.
Remnant 2 (6.5)
Gunfire Games released the sequel to its hit third-person shooter/Soulslike hybrid in late July, immediately garnering a sizable audience. Nathan wasn’t a great fan of Remnant 2, but he admitted others would enjoy it a lot more:
Remnant 2 is an impressive technical and artistic accomplishment in some ways, offering an intermittedly-striking, cutting-edge procedural world that’s satisfying to unravel. Unfortunately, a forgettable story, middle-of-the-road gunplay, dull loot, and some performance issues means this fantastic world isn’t always that fun to inhabit. Some folks, particularly those with a regular co-op party, will be drawn into this dark multiverse, but others may find Remnant II only provides scattered fragments of excitement amidst the frustration.
RoboCop: Rogue City
This licensed shooter game made by Teyon (Terminator: Resistance) turned out to be quite successful. Gamers have praised its adherence to the RoboCop atmosphere and canon, rewarding publisher Nacon with the best launch performance yet. Within the first two weeks, the game had sold nearly half a million copies, accumulating 2.7 million active game sessions and receiving a 93% approval rating on Steam. Rogue City offers more than just shooting, allowing players to interrogate suspects and discover evidence; their choices directly impact the outcome of the investigations.
Honorable Mentions
Of course, more than just five worthy shooter games have been launched this year. While the five listed above were our picks, here’s another handful of titles you should definitely check out:
