Extraction shooters with better gunplay than Arc Raiders

The genre of extraction shooters has gone from a relatively narrow space in the gaming world to become a very popular phenomenon, mainly due to the success ARC Raiders. The game brought so many new players into a world they may never have considered before, with a lot of praise focused on the gameplay and especially the gunplay. For many long-time fans, extraction delivers one of the best and most comprehensive experiences, with each bullet being heavy and each weapon having something new for players to use and enjoy during the raid. That said, the genre still has plenty of other standout games that manage to improve the shooting side of things just a little bit better and give players an even more satisfying gaming experience than the revolutionary masterpiece Embark.

These games achieve this through interesting mechanics and polished gunfights that ensure players are in complete control of their weapons at all times without ever feeling too much like a traditional shooter. There's a fine line to be struck between planning and action, as too much intensity can turn the game into an arcade mess, while a heavy focus on strategy pushes it further into the realm of tactical shooters.

Hunt: Showdown

Wild West horrors

Details:

• Satisfying and heavy weapons

• Slower, more deliberate combat

Hunt: Showdown delivers some of the most rewarding and satisfying gunfights in the extraction shooter space. Each weapon is heavy, slow, and deadly, forcing players to treat each shot as a full commitment rather than just blindly spraying ammo until their enemies are dead. Also, because of how long some reloads are and how punishing the recoil is, missing a single shot can cost you an otherwise winnable fight, creating a lot of scenarios where positioning and timing become far more important than raw aim.

Which is really uplifting Hunting it's how deeply audio design is tied to gunfights. In a similar way as ARC Raidersshots bounce across the map, revealing player positions and turning small encounters into server-wide battles. At first, players may think they can get a few shots off some nearby enemies, but they quickly realize that those bullets become cues for action, and if they're not ready for it, they can easily be taken down by another group trying to get out alive. The reason the concept is executed better here is because of how the horror elements are put into the game. Battles don't play out like arcade duels across a modern landscape, and instead become tense struggles for survival in a dark and grim world that's pitted against the player from the get-go.

Escape from Tarkov

A pioneer of the entire genre

Details:

• Extreme mechanical depth in weapons and world

• Realistic recoil and aiming

Escape from Tarkov remains the gold standard for realistic gunplay in the extraction shooter genre. Every firearm is modeled with obsessive detail, from recoil patterns and ergonomics to ammunition types and weapon durability, meaning players aren't just running around with a random firearm, they're holding a professionally crafted weapon that feels about as powerful as it actually is. Firefights are deadly and brutally unforgiving, often ending in seconds if the player's attitude or awareness slips, forcing them to think carefully about when to engage and what kinds of escape routes they have if things go south.

Where Tarkov it really pushes them forward with a level of depth in many of the mechanics that are often quite basic elsewhere in the genre. Recoil control becomes a much more active system for players to learn and master, ammo selection becomes a huge difference in these close encounters, and no matter how well equipped one may be, there is still a chance that anyone will gain the upper hand and win the fight through skill and aggression alone.

Arena Breakout: Infinite

Accurate shooting from the moment the game starts

Details:

• Responsive handling and gun feel

• A tactical approach for more engaging combat

Arena Breakout: Infinite it's clearly heavily inspired by earlier games that really innovated the genre, but manages to refine those mechanics into a smoother, more accessible experience without sacrificing depth. Weapons feel responsive and grounded, with aiming schemes that reward controlled bursts and disciplined shooting rather than spray-and-pray tactics that can often make gunfights feel a bit more sloppy than thought-out battles. It also results in far fewer run-and-gun moments that can actually retain far more tension, making the extraction genre far more compelling for players who are tired of traditional in COD style shooters.

The game stands out for its clarity even during shootouts, something like that ARC Raiders sometimes struggle with, especially in much busier encounters. The feedback from each weapon is also significantly more pleasing, giving players a visually clear yet satisfying response to every well-placed bullet they manage to land. It might not have the same level of realism as something similar Tarkovbut it still manages to strike an effective balance between authenticity and playability, making both ranged and close-up combat always rewarding and engaging.

Witch fire

Bringing your darkest fantasies to life

Details:

• Different weapon styles and roles that complement each other

• Fast-paced action despite solo play

Witch fire it may not follow the traditional formula for extraction shooters, but its gunplay ranks among the best in the genre thanks to how instantly satisfying and mechanically sharp it feels. Being single-player only might turn off a lot of fans right away, but once it gets going, the lack of real players isn't a factor given how engaging the enemies are and how much fun the actual game is. There's no slowness or exaggerated animation to contend with, as the game prioritizes control and dynamism, allowing players to stay fully engaged in combat rather than struggling with systems that would otherwise detract from the experience.

Unlike slower, more methodical extraction shooters, Witch fire favors rhythm and tempo. Players will find themselves constantly moving forward, chaining shots, abilities, and moves into a fluid set of inputs that all serve a different purpose within each expedition. This shift in focus to aggression has allowed it to carve out a unique space in an otherwise crowded genre often dominated by hyper-realism or grounded gunplay that relies far more on careful placement and timing than sustained action. In terms of purely mechanical satisfaction, overall the game provides a much sharper and more refined shooting experience than ARC Raidersas well as many other games in the extraction space, proving that even without PvP combat, it's still possible to create an engaging shooter that can keep players hooked for hours.

Delta Force

Large-scale military conflicts

Details:

• Exceptional legibility even in the dirtiest fights

• Great emphasis on controlled fire and calculated engagement

Modern Revival Delta Force leans heavily on realistic, military-focused gunplay that emphasizes tactical decision-making and control in every match. The weapon lineup isn't filled to the brim with flimsy weapons trying to take down other players; rather, the game is loaded with rewarding weapons that all come with their own learning curves and use cases, making for a much more engaging shooter than many other titles in the universe. This idea is really developed in how well the gunfight flows in each setting. It doesn't matter if players are attacking enemies at long range or slowly clearing the interior; weapons are always great to use and their strengths really shine where they should.

The game also benefits from a clean visual and sound design that keeps gunfights clean even in chaotic situations that would otherwise make enemies difficult to pick out of the action. And since the scale of certain encounters can reach pretty staggering heights, the emphasis on clarity means players never have to worry about their view being too obscured or being unable to reliably track targets mid-fight. Compared to more stylized pull-out shooters like ARC Raidersthe gunfight is designed in a much more thoughtful way, resulting in much more consistent encounters and controlled gunfights that never end in frustration even when things go wrong.