First-person shooters are among the most popular video game genres out there and there’s been quite an array of brilliant development teams out there that have helped make some of the greatest iterations a reality. The FPS genre isn’t as niche as one may think, with some taking place in olden times vs. modern times, and some being single-player-centric while others focus on multiplayer action.
Regardless of the setting and basis of the game, FPS games reach wide audiences. Many of the Top 100 FPS games listed on Metacritic have been developed by the same development team, with some even creating multiple highly successful FPS franchises.
10 Epic Games
Epic Games is most well-known for Fortnite, its game store, and the Unreal Engine at this point, but the studio has been around for a long time and some of its early works made it among the best first-person shooters scored on Metacritic. Specifically, two iterations of the Unreal Tournament series made the list. The first game was listed twice on the list, one for the PC version (92) and one for the Dreamcast version (90). Unreal Tournament 2004, however, is listed higher than the original with a score of 93.
9 Monolith Productions
Included in some of the best FPS games on Metacritic are some smaller developers that aren’t as well known today but had some big hits well over a decade ago. Washington-based developer Monolith Productions designed two instant classics with The Operative: No One Lives Forever (91) and No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.’s Way (91). The game, set in the 1960s, has players take on the role of spy Cate Archer as she looks to keep world peace. The company also had a highly popular multiplayer mode in one of their later games, F.E.A.R. The mode received a score of 90.
8 id Software
Although they are low on this list, there is no doubt the impact id Software has on the first-person shooter genre. Namely, Wolfenstein 3D is considered to be the first FPS ever made. Then, the company made Doom, which further solidified the love people had for the genre.
Unfortunately, neither of these games were listed high on Metacritic’s list. Another series by them, Quake, was given more recognition. The two games on the Top 100 list include Quake (94), the 1996 FPS game to be id’s first to be made completely in 3D, and Quake III Arena (93), the third game in the series.
7 Irrational Games
Some of the developers who made the greatest FPS games are either no longer around or have rebranded multiple times. Irrational Games is one of them as the developer was temporarily called 2K Boston from 2007 to 2009. The company rebranded again in 2017 to Ghost Story Games, a name under which they haven’t published yet. Irrational Games is known for developing the immensely popular Bioshock (96) and Bioshock Infinite (94), both of which were published by 2K Games. In fact, the games are listed at a total of six times on Metacritic’s top 100 FPS games list.
6 Retro Studios
A subsidiary of Nintendo, Retro Studios was founded with the initial intent to create new IPs. However, after Shigeru Miyamoto visited the studio and was not happy with the games being worked on, Nintendo decided to give the studio a new project for an existing IP using the one thing Miyamoto liked from the studio: its engine. Thus, Metroid Prime was born and the game is now the second-highest ranked FPS game of all-time (97). Metroid Prime 2 (92) and Metroid Prime 3 (90) are also ranked in the top 100 FPS games on Metacritic.
5 Bethesda
If there’s one company that has mastered the western open-world RPG, it’s Bethesda. Although these games aren’t considered first-person shooters primarily, Metacritic slides them into the category likely because of the combat mechanics within its games. With that said, the studio has five games on the top 100 FPS list from two series. One of the series featured is Elder Scrolls, with Skyrim (96), Oblivion (94), and Morrowind (89) featured multiple times on the list. The Fallout series is also included, featuring both the third game (93) and the original (89).
4 Rare
If there is one developer that has made an absurd amount of games in its time of existence, it’s Rare. The British studio is known for many popular titles over the years from Donkey Kong to Banjo Kazooie to, most recently, Sea of Thieves.
But Rare is known for being one of the great innovators in the FPS genre with two games that are considered among the best ever made. Goldeneye 007 (95) is one of the best shooters ever made and normalized the genre on game consoles. Another Rare game, Perfect Dark, took many of Goldeneye’s best elements and became the highest-ranked FPS game on Metacritic (97).
3 Infinity Ward
Founded as a division for video game conglomerate Activision, Infinity Ward has been the primary developer of the massive FPS series Call Of Duty. What started out as a series based around World War II, the franchise has blossomed to feature other historical events and even dive into science fiction. Infinity Ward has developed 10 of the franchise’s games, with other developers branching off with spin-offs. Games featured on the Top 100 FPS list on Metacritic include Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (94), Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (94), Call of Duty (91), and Call of Duty 2 (89).
2 Bungie
Although they no longer own the intellectual property, Bungie is known as the creators of Halo and created the franchise’s first five games before giving the IP completely to Microsoft. Halo: Combat Evolved initially started as a real-time strategy game before becoming a first-person shooter. After becoming a launch title for the Xbox, it became one of the greatest games ever made (97). Other Halo games by Bungie that are considered among the best are Halo 2 (95), Halo 3 (94), and Halo: Reach (91). Reach was the last Halo game developed by Bungie.
1 Valve
Although their focus has been on their online store Steam, Valve is still considered one of the greatest developers out there because of the long list of games that became massive successes. It all started with Half-Life (96) and a total of nine different franchises appear on the Top 100 list of great first-person shooters by the company. Their highest ranking game is another game in the Half-Life franchise, Half-Life 2, which also has a score of 96. There is also Portal 2 (95), Team Fortress 2 (92), and Left 4 Dead 2 (89) to name a few. Surprisingly, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (83) is not included on this list despite its popularity in the eSports scene.
NEXT: 10 First-Person Shooters That Are Better Than You Remember, Ranked (According to Metacritic)
