The best FPS games to play right now in 2026

2026 has brought with it so many great FPS games, updates, and DLC, and it seems like every other week another one hits the market. In the first half of the year, players have seen some pretty big content drops as well as some brand new experiences, and now is the perfect time to jump in and see what all the hype is about.

The beauty of the FPS space is that despite the focus on guns and action, there are still so many different kinds of games that all provide a slightly different experience. So whether players are looking for a 100+ hour open-world masterpiece or a fast-paced extraction shooter, there's an amazing game just around the corner.

MOUSE: PI for rent

A blast from the past

Details:

• Noir style rubber hose visuals

• Satisfying gunfights and movement

MOUSE: PI is a bombastic, cartoony boom shooter that feels like a callback to just about every fiction imaginable. Playing as a cheese-loving detective, players can run and shoot their way through a variety of noir-style locations, from haunted mansions to underground labs, all lined with quality rubber hoses that make the action light and fun.

Once they're done sniping criminals, they can return to the office to play a few card games or upgrade weapons, with each job completed adding more details to the larger mystery in the world. A welcome addition to the boomer shooter space and a must play for old school cartoon fans and those looking to test their aiming skills in a whole new environment.

Ready or not

Tension on another level

Details:

• Carefully coordinated infiltrations

• A tactical co-op element that makes each map unique

Ready or not is a much more grounded counterpoint to other modern shooters, emphasizing accuracy, communication, and restraint above all else. Every encounter is built on uncertainty, as suspects can surrender or panic in the blink of an eye, forcing players to constantly stay on their toes and be ready to use whatever tools they can to successfully complete the mission.

Now with the release of the Boiling Point DLC, players have even more locations at their disposal, each with their own unique set of challenges that will require a huge amount of teamwork to overcome. It's hard to find another tactical, PvE shooter with this level of polish and with so much content right out of the gate. Players will have a hard time saying no when their friends ask them to play.

Metro Exodus

Get ready to continue

Details:

• Notification of Subway 2039

• Rough open world exploration

FPS games have always transitioned into open world space and Metro Exodus represents one of the best examples of how to combine both. The world is intentionally hostile and reflects the decaying nature of the environment and the remnants of society within it, meaning players must carefully plan their moves and approach each obstacle with as much caution as possible.

From a narrative perspective, the human element plays a vital role in moving the story forward, and no matter how dark things get, the player's actions always have some meaning behind them. This franchise is all but guaranteed to lose, but now with notice SUBWAY 2039players will want to get up to speed on the world and be ready to explore the dungeon again when it launches.

Marathon

Details:

• New content is added frequently

• Lots of new mechanics to learn

It seems like just yesterday that the term extraction shooter was first coined, but now players can try out a variety of different games in the genre. In case Marathonthe gameplay loop has been refined even further, along with a distinctive visual style that allows it to stand out from the crowd of more grounded military shooters that otherwise dominate the universe.

Bungie has already lined up a content plan for next year that includes new maps, weapons, and systems to keep the game fresh long after its initial launch. And with an extensive end-game loop already in place, there's no reason why players can't jump right in and get crushed, especially as the game is still riding a wave.

Borderlands 4

More loot, more ways to shoot

Details:

• Supplementing the story and characters

• Great looter shooter game loop

Borderlands 4 it's a return to form for the franchise, offering players a massive open world full of content, quests and of course loot. The mission structure will feel very familiar to long-time fans of the franchise, but even after beating the main campaign, there are plenty of other ways to continue the game and much better weapons to grind and uncover.

The reason players should jump in right now is because of how much more content is being added to the game in a short amount of time. The first story pack just dropped, another is on the way later this summer, and there are a few more endgame additions to tide players over. Borderlands 4 it might be the perfect way to scratch it.

No Man's Sky

Gotta catch 'em all

Details:

• New creature collector update

• Constant free additions

If there's one game that shows the power of updates and DLC, this is it No Man's Skyas after one of the worst launches in gaming history, the experience that exists now is beyond the industry. Interplanetary travel, base building, PvP and much more are possible without any additional purchases, which is something that people appreciate about the game because of the constant drop in free content and no paid DLC.

As if the game wasn't good enough, players can now battle it out on the table in the Xeno arena, a creature-collecting minigame that unlocks a whole new level of depth to the already expansive game. It's as close as it gets to an all-encompassing experience, and with many more updates on the way, there's no reason not to go on a galactic space ride today.

Road to Vostok

No other players around

Details:

• An intense single player survival loop

• Perma zone of death for more bets

Road to Vostok it turns the genre back to its most ruthless elements, sending the player into a desolate frontier zone where the player must do whatever it takes to survive. It is a single-player experience that bases its action on realism, taking into account medical systems, weapon degradation, and removing many UI elements that would normally reduce player immersion.

Now in Early Access, the game has a proven track record of active updates and feedback, and many more updates are sure to be added in the coming months so that its intensity never diminishes. It may be a long way from full launch, but the product that exists now makes it one of the most ambitious shooters in development in the genre.