10 Revolutionary Shooters That Shaped the Genre

The shooter genre comes in all shapes and sizes today, but it wasn't always like that. It's because of these revolutionary shooters that we get to experience the genre's variety today.

Shooters in 2026 are all about Battle Royales, like Fortnite and Apex Legends, as well as the current popular subgenre of Extraction Shooters, notably ARC Raiders. Back in the day, though, it was a different story. Innovation came in the form of advanced graphics, storytelling, and more.

Best of all, these classic games still hold up today, making them worth checking out, whether in their original form or a remake/remaster.

10 Wolfenstein 3D

The Grandfather of the FPS

It makes sense to start our list at the very beginning.

While Wolfenstein 3D wasn't the first FPS game ever made, it's the one that showed the world what the genre was capable of. Sprawling levels, excellent gameplay, and fast-paced action made it easy to jump in and play.

There wasn't anything convoluted or confusing about its gameplay. It just made sense: you explore each level as you would see fit, aim your gun at some Nazis, and shoot. That's a pretty simple recipe for success that would kickstart an entire genre that's still going strong decades later. It's also still one of the better Wolfenstein games you can play today.

9 DOOM

Rip and Tear

Even though Wolfenstein 3D came first, 1993's DOOM is the more influential and revolutionary shooter.

At its heart, the core gameplay experience remains the same. There is, however, one key difference: everything has been vastly improved.

The first thing you'll undoubtedly notice is that DOOM looks far, far better visually. Overhauled graphics help make a more distinct, immersive, and iconic environment. Add in more variety with its level design, an iconic roster of weapons, and a killer soundtrack, and it's easy to understand why DOOM is the definitive shooter of the '90s.

8 Quake

Another id Games Classic

It's not quite the same jump up in quality from Wolfenstein 3D to DOOM, but Quake is another massive, innovative step forward for the genre from id Software.

Instead of 2D visuals, Quake introduces true 3D visuals, a refined, incredible sense of movement and controls, and an improved sound design.

Quake also helped usher in the popularity of speedrunning, with devoted fans competing to see how quickly they could complete the game from start to finish.

7 Half-Life

Valve's FPS Masterpiece

Say what you want about its gameplay today, there's no denying the impact that Half-Life had on not just the shooter genre, but the industry as a whole.

The past few games I've talked about didn't really have much of an approach to storytelling. Sure, from Wolfenstein to DOOM to Quake, there's a growing attempt at narrative, but it all takes a back seat to the fast-paced gameplay.

With Half-Life, Valve isn't afraid to slow things down and deliver an immersive narrative that's just as important as the gameplay itself. It results in a cohesive, well-balanced experience in which the strengths of one aspect compensate for the weaknesses of the other. Going back, you'll find that a lot of what makes today's games as good as they are stems from the innovation of Half-Life.

6 System Shock 2

Before BioShock, there was System Shock 2

Naturally, the next evolution of an immersive, story-driven shooter would be the addition of some RPG elements to it.

Enter System Shock 2. By delivering a less linear, more open-ended gameplay experience, System Shock 2 adds plenty of replayability. You're able to play the game as you see it, especially with all the ways you can build your character class.

The icing on the cake is a villain as iconic and memorable as SHODAN. In a genre that's filled with great characters, SHODAN still resides at the top of the mountain. Its recent remaster is the perfect excuse to either dive back in or experience it for the first time.

5 GoldenEye 007

It's Still Great Today

Despite undoubtedly being one of the most revolutionary shooters of all time, there aren't as many games as divisive today as GoldenEye 007.

There are those who argue that its control scheme aged like milk, which I get; it's awkward playing the traditional controls. However, have you played this game on Xbox recently? It feels buttery smooth and fluid, and it's still an absolute blast to play through its campaign.

That's where the innovation and importance of GoldenEye shines through: this is a console shooter from the late '90s that still holds up well today.

4 Halo: Combat Evolved

Remake Coming Soon

As important as GoldenEye was for the console FPS scene, there is no more revolutionary shooter than Halo: Combat Evolved.

Console shooters weren't a new endeavor in 2001, but Halo is truly the first time that it delivered the total package, not just in terms of a console FPS, but it also expanded on the foundation laid by Half-Life.

Everything Half-Life innovated (its gameplay, strong narrative, characters, and level design) is expanded here, made bigger and better. The kicker, though, is the fact that this was done on a console. This was a major turning point for shooters. While PC is still the preferred way to play, console shooters are here to stay.

3 Team Fortress 2

The Ultimate Hero Shooter

The era of the hero shooter feels like it's behind us now, thanks to the aforementioned emergence of Battle Royales and Extraction Shooters. Sure, Marvel Rivals is still popular, but that feels like the exception, not the norm.

Back in the day, though, Team Fortress 2 was our jam. Heck, it's still an absolute blast to play and remains one of the most played multiplayer games on Steam.

What makes Team Fortress 2 work so well is how accessible the game is. There aren't any complicated abilities or skill sets to learn, and every role is fun, even the support roles like the Medic.

2 Gears of War

Active Reload

Did you think we forgot the third-person shooters? Don't worry, dear reader, we didn't.

Gears of War popularized cover-based shooters in the late 2000s and early 2010s, for good reason. There's something satisfying about moving from cover to cover, dealing with oncoming enemies. It's snappy, it's responsive, and best of all, it just works, helping to set the pace for a wave of cover shooters to follow.

Its online multiplayer is just as much fun today as it was back in the day, delivering visceral, Counter-Strike-esque gameplay with some bloody, over-the-top weapons.

1 Mass Effect 2

One of the Best RPGs of All Time

Mass Effect 2 is the total package of what made every other revolutionary shooter so great.

It delivers more of the satisfying cover-based shooting that Gears of War made so iconic, but overhauls its original gameplay to a more accessible, streamlined, and enjoyable squad-based control setup that places less like a clunky RPG and more like a standard action game.

That doesn't come at the cost of its narrative-driven RPG elements, though. This is still very much a story and character-first game; it just so happens to be one of the best shooters of all time. Together, it all adds up to one of the best games of all time.