When it comes to first-person shooters, it feels weird to call any of them 'realistic.' After all, even the more realistic games have some unrealistic mechanics. For instance, crouching behind a wall for several seconds shouldn't be able to heal bullet wounds.

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That said, there are some shooters that are at least set in real wars, include real weapons, and try to make you feel like real soldiers. Yet, the inclusion of realism doesn't necessarily make them good. After all, there are a bunch of great unrealistic FPS titles, too. They don't attempt to make you feel like you're an actual soldier. Instead, they just try to be appealing and fun. Here are some of the most notable examples.

8 Prey

Prey

FPS Released May 5, 2017 Developer(s) Arkane Studios Platform(s) PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One Powered by Expand Collapse

Prey takes place on the space station Talos 1, which has been taken over by a deadly alien force. As scientist Morgan Yu, you must traverse the place and attempt to stop them by any means necessary. It's an intriguing story that's complemented well by its unique gameplay, which includes shooting and some stealth.

During the game, you gain access to all sorts of fancy abilities and tech. Some of them are very impressive. For example, you can morph into different objects to camouflage yourself. As for the weapons, they're a mix of standard ones like the shotgun and unusual firearms like the Quasiparticle Beam Emitter. For a game that is set in the not-too-distant future, some of your abilities and equipment don't feel realistic.

7 Superhot

Superhot

FPS Released February 25, 2016 Developer(s) SUPERHOT Team Platform(s) PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One Powered by Expand Collapse

Superhot does one fairly realistic thing that most other FPS titles don't, and that's respecting the power of bullets. Both you and your enemies die in single hits.

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Other than that, though, realism clearly wasn't a huge concern for the developers. After all, the main gameplay mechanic is that time only moves when you do. So, when you're still, the enemies and their bullets freeze. You must use this to avoid dying and plan your next move. The goal of each level is to eliminate every enemy.

6 Roboquest

Roboquest

Roguelite FPS Released November 7, 2023 Developer RyseUp Studios Platform(s) PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S Powered by Expand Collapse

Roboquest is a colorful roguelike FPS title in which you control a robot and battle other robots. Your bot seems particularly well-made because you can swiftly move around the battleground. This makes the game very fast-paced, as you speed around while blasting enemies away.

As this is a rougelite game, you go on various runs, getting stronger each time. There is also a class-based system, so you have more than one choice of super-powered bot. Hopefully, the level of speed and destructive power the machines have in this game will never be realistic, or else humanity could be in trouble.

5 Valorant

Valorant

Shooter Released June 2, 2020 Developer(s) Riot Games Platform(s) PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S Powered by Expand Collapse

Typically, tactical team shooters tend to be some of the more realistic FPS games out there. Yet, this is not the case when they include a bunch of brightly-colored agents with special abilities like in Valorant.

Some of them may have ordinary names and countries of origin, but they aren't like regular people. Jett, for instance, can use wind-based powers. This is part of what makes the game so fun, as all the characters have vastly different skills. The tactical part of this multiplayer shooter comes in how a team combines these different powers to get the better of the opposition.

4 Team Fortress 2

Team Fortress 2

Shooter Released October 10, 2007 Developer(s) Valve Platform(s) PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Linux, macOS Powered by Expand Collapse

Team Fortress 2 resembles more of a cartoon than real life due to its highly stylized presentation. As such, it's very visually appealing with its bright colors and unique character models. It's also an entertaining multiplayer PvP shooter.

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When getting into a game, you get to select between several classes, which impacts what guns and abilities you have. Once you're in the game, things get very chaotic, as the action is fast-paced, and both teams run around shooting one another. The pros use a bit of strategy and teamwork, too.

3 Shadow Warrior 2

The crude humor throughout Shadow Warrior 2 is certainly realistic, as you can hear that in many places in the world. However, the overall game is very unrealistic. This is because both you and the enemies typically move and fight faster than regular people are capable of doing. This speed means that battles are generally very exciting.

It helps that you have both guns and melee weapons to use, and there are a lot of them in the game. There are also some neat traversal mechanics, open levels, and nice visuals. So, the game has a lot going for it.

2 Borderlands 2

Borderlands 2

Shooter Released September 18, 2012 Developer(s) Gearbox Software Platform(s) PC, PS4, PS3, macOS, Linux, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS Vita, Android, Switch Powered by Expand Collapse

In Borderlands 2, you play as Vault Hunters on the dangerous world of Pandora. Your goal is to stop the comical tyrant known as Handsome Jack. While the concept of hazardous planets and tyrants isn't exactly unrealistic, the visual style of the game is. Everything is heavily stylized and looks like it's from a comic book.

Many of the game's weapons aren't like real ones, either, and the characters have special abilities that people in the real world can only dream of. That said, this is set in the future, so perhaps someday, people will be able to create decoys of themselves or turn invisible.

1 Doom

DOOM

FPS Released May 13, 2016 Developer(s) id Software Platform(s) PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One Powered by Expand Collapse

Hopefully, the story of Doom is unrealistic, as it's about demons being unleashed from Hell. They do so through a portal on Mars. Yet, they are met by the silent Doomguy, who the real world can only hope to have as its protector.

As him, you must use a variety of different weapons to blast the demons away. You move at incredible speed and have impressive resistance. So, there's no hiding in cover in this game. It's all about running around levels while shooting monsters.

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