While the first-person shooter genre has existed since the release of '70s titles such as Maze War and Spasim, this sub-genre truly established itself after the release of the 1993 horror FPS DOOM. Although the previous Wolfenstein 3D laid the foundation, DOOM built upon this foundation to create something that changed gaming history forever.
With the significance of DOOM and other '90s horror FPS titles, it's not surprising that horror shooters continue to be some of the best FPS examples. Out of the large selection of excellent titles, here are some of the best horror-based FPS titles according to Metacritic.
Resident Evil 7: Biohazard - 86
From one of the franchises that pioneered the survival horror genre, Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is a 2017 survival horror game and the first installment in the Resident Evil series to use a first-person perspective. After receiving a message from his presumably dead wife Mia, the protagonist, Ethan Winters, travels to a run-down plantation to find her. But, once there, he discovers that all of the inhabitants have been infected by a mold that transforms them into monsters.
After leaning more heavily on the action in the most recent installments, Resident Evil 7 tapped back into the franchise's survival horror roots while maintaining some of the over-the-top action. With an emotional, and sometimes romantic, story and a concise campaign, this entry successfully revived the franchise.
DOOM 3 - 88
After the iconic, and violent for the time, releases of the original DOOM and DOOM II, the development team at id Software struggled to create an appropriate sequel that would live up to expectations. These struggles led to the creation of the Quake series, but it also led to more than half of the original staff leaving according to Rock Paper Shotgun. Because of this, fans were worried that the DOOM series was finished.
Luckily, the series did eventually return with the 2004 survival horror DOOM 3, which is the first reboot of the franchise. Taking place at a Union Aerospace Corporation research facility on Mars in 2145, the game follows a space marine who is forced to fight zombified humans and other monsters after a teleportation test creates a portal to hell. With advanced graphics for the time, the game successfully brought the series to the modern era.
F.E.A.R. - 88
Developed by Monolith Productions, who also worked on the lauded spy game No One Lives Forever, the Condemned franchises, as well as Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, F.E.A.R. First Encounter Assault Recon is a 2005 psychological horror game and the first installment of the F.E.A.R. series. After a private military company loses control of a powerful psychic, the F.E.A.R. unit, which is a fictional supernatural task force in the United States Army, is assigned to kill the psychic.
In this task force, the player controls a rookie member known as Point Man who slowly discovers that he may be connected to the psychic and a mysterious ghost girl named Alma. Because of the game's excellent AI, detailed particle system, and slow-motion gimmick, F.E.A.R. is still considered a classic years later.
DUSK - 88
While there're many retro-inspired FPS titles, none of them are as polished or visually striking as the 2018 Lovecraftian game DUSK. Sometime after a fictional rural town in Pennsylvania called Dusk is walled off from the outside world by the government, the protagonist, an unnamed treasure hunter, hears rumors about hidden riches within the town and decides to break into it.
But, he is immediately captured by some of the townspeople who plan to kill him. After he escapes the deadly farmhouse, he fights through waves of cultists, possessed individuals, and demonic creatures as he travels deeper into the town. Eventually, he discovers that everything in the town is caused by a deity called Nyarlathotep.
Left 4 Dead 2 - 89
Released in 2009, Left 4 Dead 2 is a co-op-focused survival horror FPS that centers around four survivors who must fight through hordes of creatures known as the Infected. Since this game released shortly after the original Left 4 Dead, fans and critics were initially skeptical, but the game exceeded expectations and is still one of the most beloved zombie shooters to this day.
After a worldwide pandemic known as the "Green Flu," most humans have been transformed into aggressive zombies, and the remaining immune individuals are trying to reach government-created safety areas. The game follows four survivors named Coach, Nick, Rochelle, and Ellis as they travel to New Orleans, Louisiana. With a massive modding community and the original Left 4 Dead included in the sequel, Left 4 Dead 2 remains an incredibly fun and timeless experience.
Metro 2033 Redux - 90
After working on the survival horror FPS RPG S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, some of the developers left GSC Game World to create 4A Games. Using this previous experience, the new studio developed their first game: the 2010 survival horror game Metro 2033. The success of this title led to several sequels and an enhanced 2015 version of the original game titled Metro 2033 Redux.
Based on the Russian post-apocalyptic novel Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky, the game takes place in 2033 after a nuclear war has forced everyone to live underground. In the Metro tunnels in Moscow, players control a man named Artyom who must protect his home by battling things lurking in the tunnels.
System Shock 2 - 92
Created as a sequel to the 1994 game System Shock, System Shock 2 is a 1999 action survival horror RPG that's extremely influential for its atmosphere and game design. After the evil A.I. supercomputer SHODAN was thwarted by the protagonist of the first game, TriOptimum was ruined for almost causing the end of the human race, but the Russian oligarch Anatoly Korenchkin restored the company and built a new FTL starship called the Von Braun.
During its maiden voyage, the ship gets infected by parasitic worms that communicate as a psychic hive-mind known as "the Many." As an amnesiac soldier, the player must defeat the Many with the help of another survivor named Dr. Janice Polito.
Quake - 94
Inspired by Lovecraftian and Gothic horror, Quake is the 1996 FPS that spawned from id Software trying to make the next DOOM installment. Building upon the technology of its predecessor, Quake introduced full real-time 3D rendering and various multiplayer options. With mind-blowing graphics for the time and a unique art style, Quake became a beloved title that led to its own franchise.
As the government was working on a teleportation prototype called "Slipgate," a creature known as "Quake" connects the portals to its own realm and begins sending armies to the human world to test their skills. The unnamed protagonist, who would later be named "Ranger," is the last survivor of a counterattack and must battle his way through the armies in order to reach and defeat Quake.
BioShock - 96
Developed as a spiritual successor to the System Shock series, BioShock is a 2007 horror FPS that takes the immersive atmosphere System Shock was known for and cranks it up to 11 with its incredibly detailed environmental storytelling. Taking place in 1960, the game follows a young man named Jack who is the only surviving passenger of a plane crash. Shortly after the crash, Jack discovers the entrance to a ruined underwater city named Rapture.
As Jack navigates through the mostly destroyed city, he discovers that the city declined after the residents discovered ADAM, which is genetic material from sea slugs that give superhuman abilities. Using some of these abilities and firearms, Jack battles various enemies, tries to find a way to escape, and uncovers the truths behind the city's past.
Half-Life 2 - 96
Considered one of the best games ever made, the 2004 award-winning FPS Half-Life 2 is a historic title that changed video game history. Set about two decades after the first game, the returning silent protagonist, Gordon Freeman, is awoken by the mysterious G-Man who reveals that the events of the prior game attracted the attention of the Combine, which is a multidimensional alien empire that has now conquered Earth.
After joining the resistance movement, which is mostly led by former Black Mesa employees, Gordon begins battling against the aliens in order to liberate humanity. Half-Life 2 introduced graphics, gameplay elements, and realistic physics that were extremely ahead of their time and influenced most games that came after it.