Best FPS Games On Xbox Game Pass

First-person shooters have long been one of the industry’s most popular genres, and little has changed concerning that over the years. It’s easy to see why — stepping into a first-person perspective and blasting your way to a good time is a classic recipe for success.

Luckily for subscribers, the Xbox Game Pass library is full to bursting with exciting FPS titles that take the genre to new places. From tactical shooter experiences to rather epic slow-motion puzzle shoot-outs, Xbox Game Pass has you covered. Read on if you want to discover your next favorite FPS game.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide

Fatshark brought the signature cooperative horde-slaying formula it perfected with Vermintide into the 41st millennium with Darktide — and after nearly a year’s delay, it has managed to make its way to consoles. But considering the game’s teething problems upon launch on PC, it was well worth the wait.

Darktide puts you into the boots of one of four warriors drafted into the service of an Imperial Inquisitor attempting to uproot a particularly nasty band of cultists and traitors that have made a mess of Hive City Tertium. Choose between a mighty, tank-like Ogryn, a fanatical, melee-intensive Zealot, a sharpshooting Veteran trooper, or a Psyker wielding the dangerous, mystical energies of the warp, and after a bit of prologue, get right down to business taking on missions alongside three friends to slay horde after horde of Nurgle-worshipping cultists, plague zombies, and a host of deviously-designed special enemies.

The combat itself is best-in-class, with a wide selection of unlockable and upgradeable weapons available to each character — whether you get your kicks toasting traitors with a flamethrower, smashing through armored behemoths with a power-assisted maul, or slice-and-dicing heretics with a motorized chainsword, Darktide’s got a niche you’ll fall in love with time-and-time again.

Quake II

A single Quake game was never going to be enough for us. And now thanks to the surprise remastered release of Quake II, we’re just beginning to whet our appetite for phenomenal boomer shooters on Xbox Game Pass. And when we say phenomenal, we mean it in the literal sense of being a phenomenon. Though people widely cite Doom (1993) and the original Quake as being the forefathers of first-person shooters, Quake II did a lot to solidify the foundation for this juggernaut of a genre. And this remaster makes it so you can experience it in the best format possible.

Dive into a local multiplayer match with some friends or play through the co-op campaign, sprinting into the labyrinthine tunnels and colossal arenas of the Strogg city. It’s amazing how high Quake II’s fun factor remains after all these years, and you’re definitely missing out on a diamond of an FPS experience if you don’t give it a try at least once.

Atomic Heart

No list of the best first-person shooters on Xbox Game Pass would be complete without Atomic Heart. No way! Crispy critters! While its terrible (yet hilarious) dialogue and predictable story are undeniable, Atomic Heart is an engrossing FPS game that caters to the kind of single-player experience many enjoyed while playing BioShock. Atomic Heart in no way reaches the same heights as Rapture in terms of environment, gunplay, or narrative, but enough components are there to make it worth your while.

Plus, there’s something immensely enjoyable about how awful the protagonist is. Seriously, he’s like the worst human being. But in between him spouting off nonsensical sentences and being rude as heck, there are some thrilling combat situations, with an emphasis on dodging attacks that you don’t always see in a first-person shooter title. Atomic Heart is not a masterpiece, but it’s a lot of fun. Just try to turn your brain off for a bit. Crispy critters.

GoldenEye 007

GoldenEye 007 is undoubtedly one of the most aged FPS games you could play these days, but it’s an odd sort of delight to experience one of the landmark titles in the genre on a newer console. Now on Game Pass, GoldenEye lets you spy the wonders (and tribulations) of what it meant to be an FPS game back then. Graphically, the game is nowhere near the visual wonder of some other titles on this list.

Related

Best Spy Espionage Games, According To Metacritic

Espionage has become one of the most popular and notable video game genres over the past few decades. These are Metacritic’s highest rated.

But controls-wise, this plays way better on an Xbox Series X|S than it ever did on the Nintendo 64. If you have the time to spare for a little jaunt down memory lane, James Bond’s most classic video game is an ancient shining star in the Game Pass library.

High On Life

High on Life stands out from the other FPS offerings on Xbox Game Pass in more ways than one. Not only does it mix some platforming in with its more shooty-shooty features, but its humor is off the charts. Every weapon you hold in your hand, from melee-oriented sword-things to doughy guns with faces, speaks to you throughout your adventure. The zaniness of High on Life cannot be understated.

If you have a low tolerance for crude jokes, High on Life is definitely going to test your limits. But if you enjoy immersing yourself in classic Rick-and-Morty-esque laughs, this game was made for you. Not every first-person shooter game has to involve deathmatch; some just need to take you on a hilarious space-faring journey with a talking gun.

Battlefield 2042

There are still issues that persist with Battlefield 2042, but given that it’s the latest entry in the Battlefield series, it’s also the one that is receiving some of the most support right now. New maps, specialists, and vehicles have been added in the time since its release, all of which have served to make it a decent offering in the Game Pass library, courtesy of EA Play.

Despite its incredibly problematic launch, Battlefield 2042 is now a serviceable game that’s a pleasure to dip into when you need some mindless multiplayer fun. It’s in no way the cream of the crop, but it’s nothing to scoff at when you’re craving those awesome Battlefield moments that the series is known for.

Deathloop

Deathloop is not your typical first-person shooter as you can very much stealth your way through the different areas of the game. Colt Vahn, our time-loop-breaking protagonist, can sneak his way around in his attempt to kill all the Visionaries on the island of Blackreef. But where’s the fun in that? Deathloop features a variety of guns that have a blend of old-timey and modern looks to them.

Related

Deathloop: Best Slab Combos

Slabs are powerful abilities in Deathloop. Here’s which combos will benefit Colt the most.

And if shooting your way through all those Eternalists is still not loud enough for you, you can add one of the most satisfying kick mechanics in the history of gaming into the mix. It’s more measured than your average FPS game, but it’s brilliant in its execution.

Perfect Dark

Even though Perfect Dark is definitely one of the more aged inclusions in our best FPS games list, it was ahead of its time when it was first released in 2000. And aside from the dated graphics, the game still holds up fairly well today. Frequently praised for letting players have the ability to shoot guns out of the hands of the enemy, Perfect Dark contributed to the groundwork for many of our favorite mechanics that we see in modern first-person shooters.

Using guns as melee weapons, open-ended levels, and a home base section where you could train and hone your skills are just a few of the features we love in the game. With a reboot on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to get into Perfect Dark once more.

Far Cry 5

The Far Cry games are some of the most entertaining FPS games out there, especially given their open-world nature. And Far Cry 5 is one of the greats, especially given that two players can participate in some campaign co-op fun. Admittedly, your jaunt into Hope County is not the absolute best Far Cry experience, but it’s a solid outing in the series. It’s got everything you could want from a Far Cry game: larger-than-life-but-eerily-familiar antagonists, rowdy wildlife, and an open-world sandbox. And you can experience the madness side by side with a friend.

Halo 5: Guardians

343’s sophomore entry into the illustrious Halo franchise was a bit of a divisive one among established fans. But factually, what they delivered was a solid FPS that iterated on the established formula in a number of ways. Halo 5 introduced advanced movement mechanics, new and redesigned weapons, and quite potentially the biggest ensemble cast of pivotal characters the series has ever seen.

Related

Halo: 10 Characters With The Best Back Stories, Ranked

From Thomas Lasky to Edward Buck, the Halo franchise features some truly landmark characters with interesting back stories.

The campaign picks up after the events of Halo 4. As with the second Halo game, we’re given two playable protagonists in the shape of Master Chief and Spartan Locke, each complete with their own fireteam. The narrative also establishes Cortana as a series villain, to the chagrin of most of the fan base. Story aside, the enhanced movement of Halo 5 makes the multiplayer facet of things an intense affair. Boosting, sprinting, clambering, and sliding became, at least in this entry, part of the Halo experience.

Doom (1993)

No list of the best FPS games in general would be complete without including the original Doom. As can be seen further along in this list, the Doom series is home to fantastic first-person titles, and none of them would exist without this 1993 classic.

The graphics are dated and the flow of combat can feel odd (the limits of Doom’s engine when it was made means looking up was an impossibility), but the fun inherent in roaming the zany map and shooting demons is undeniable. There are worse ways to explore a genre’s roots, and Doom is most definitely the grandparent of FPS games as we know them.

Doom Eternal

Doom 2016 revitalized interest in this grandfather FPS series, but Doom Eternal entirely redefined its formula. Already known for its fast-paced action and demon-slaying antics, Eternal ramped all of that up exponentially. The “dance” of glory-killing and shotgunning foes became far more tactical, as certain demon types require specific weapons to defeat and ammo counts across the board took a nosedive.

Related

10 Most Satisfying Dash Mechanics In Video Games

Well-integrated dash mechanics heighten the thrill of playing video games. Here are some titles that have the most enjoyable dash mechanics.

There is no other FPS game in the genre that requires split-second chess moves the way that Doom Eternal does. Add to that improved story environments and tougher challenges to complete, and Eternal is one hell of a game in the Xbox Game Pass library.

Halo Infinite

Halo is back in the form of Halo Infinite, the latest installment in the iconic series. The multiplayer is bombastic and fun, and the campaign breathes fresh air into the franchise. 343’s marriage of an open-world game with that classic Halo DNA might seem like an unlikely pairing at first blush, but experiencing Infinite’s campaign firsthand is something of an eye-opener concerning Halo’s vast potential for emergent gameplay.

Narratively, players get to experience the Master Chief’s most personal story to date, as his journey across Zeta Halo to defeat the remarkably credible threat of the Banished dredges up dust and echoes from his past. And now that campaign co-op has finally been added to the game, up to four people can engage in chaotic fun as they grapple their way across the ring.

Back 4 Blood

Fans of the FPS genre should be quite familiar with the Left 4 Dead games, and Back 4 Blood is a true successor to those zombie-shooting, co-op fun fests. A healthy variety of guns (and a handful of melee weapons) can be found during a run. And boy, do you need them. Hordes of the infected “Ridden” throw themselves at the team of up to four players. Surviving a run entails that everyone is up to speed with their shooting skills. Back 4 Blood is a fantastic addition to the Xbox Game Pass library, and it is a thoroughly enjoyable cooperative experience with phenomenal replay value.

Crysis

Courtesy of EA Play, subscribers of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate can experience the Crysis series in all of its glory. Though it has largely fallen out of the cultural zeitgeist, it was something of a graphical benchmark at the time of its release — the phrase “But can it run Crysis?” achieved memetic status with good reason. All in all, the first Crysis is still a first-person shooter game well worth revisiting.

The stylish nature of Crysis’ gunplay made it a fan favorite, and while some aspects of the game have aged, it is a callback to the blossoming of the genre. Plus, thanks to the next-gen hardware many now have in their homes, the question of whether or not Crysis will run on a given setup is more or less unnecessary.

Quake

Quake was as influential in the molding of the first-person shooter as its predecessor, Doom, and it’s an absolute must-play for any genre enthusiast. This remastering of the id Software classic comes with all the necessary trappings — including campaign expansions as well as full multiplayer support and matchmaking. It certainly does show its age when held up against contemporary shooters, but the fact is that throwing rockets around its timeless arenas while madly dashing for a Quad Damage powerup is every bit as fun today as it was fifteen years ago.

PAYDAY 2: Crimewave Edition

PAYDAY 2 was originally released in 2013 — and in some ways, it definitely shows its age. But the Crimewave Edition packs in a whole bundle of improvements and additions the core title has seen over the years to great effect. For the uninitiated, PAYDAY 2‘s a co-op crime simulator in which up to four players cooperate to pull off varying heists, ranging from smash-and-grab jewelry store robberies to intricate bank vault break-ins.

The approach is largely up to the crew, and the depth of planning and nuance that can go into each caper is extraordinarily gratifying. Certain missions reward certain tactics, of course. But whether you want to pull off a no-hitches stealth operation or a guns-blazing shootout, the world of crime is your (presumably stolen) golden oyster. Missions reward cash and experience, which can be used to buy better gear or sharpen your sordid skills, respectively. Once you come to grips with the options at your disposal and have roped a few friends into your scheming, PAYDAY 2‘s bound to become a weekend ritual for any dedicated group of friends.

Battlefield 1

Battlefield 1 ticks all the boxes that the franchise is well known for — large-scale multiplayer madness, nearly unheard-of levels of player agency, and destructible-yet-thoughtfully-detailed environments for the battles to unfold in. But it takes the gameplay into a setting rarely touched on by FPS titles: the trenches of World War I. It results in a truly compelling aesthetic and map selection, and the vehicle designs (especially the tanks) are strange and foreign enough to really communicate a sense of immersion into the time period.

Deep Rock Galactic

Cooperative first-person shooters are a delight to play, and Deep Rock Galactic combines jolly cooperation with procedurally generated caves. Up to four players can team up to mine precious minerals or escort heavy machinery for the Deep Rock Galactic mining corporation.

Related

Best Horror Games On Xbox Game Pass (November 2023)

The Xbox Game Pass library is full of exciting titles, but remember to check out the best and most terrifying horror games in this collection.

Working together is important if dwarven survival is to be ensured; waves of insect-like Glyphids go out of their way to swarm your team of intrepid fellow employees while you’re out on the job. While Deep Rock Galactic is not the typical first-person shooter experience seen in multiplayer action titles, it is not one to be missed.

Doom (2016)

Revitalizing the franchise that practically defined the FPS genre for all intents and purposes was a Herculean task in concept alone, but Doom’s 2016 resurgence into the spotlight was heralded with all the hellfire and shotgun blasts that were appropriate for it.

It’s a familiar concept: a lone super soldier, a demonic invasion, and a whole lot of guns. Doom 2016’s combat is extraordinarily fast-paced and extraordinarily satisfying, truly marrying the conceptual basis of an arena shooter with modern design sensibilities in a way that makes it nearly impossible to put down once your heart starts pounding.