9 Best FPS Games to Play in 2026 (Halo, Battlefield 3, CS:GO, DOOM & More)
Original illustration by GameVexo.
Looking for the best FPS games to actually play right now? We tested, replayed, and fact-checked the current status of nine shooters — from Halo Reach to Battlefield 6 — so you know exactly which ones are worth your time (and money) in 2026.
First-person shooters age differently than other genres. Some, like Halo 3 and DOOM (2016), are just as fun today as the day they launched. Others, like Battlefield 3 and Warface, have real server and access issues you need to know about before you install anything. Below, we cover both the timeless classics and 2026’s newest release, with an honest look at what still works and what doesn’t.
We picked these nine games using four simple criteria: how fun the core gameplay still is today, whether the servers or matchmaking actually work in 2026, how easy the game is to get into (price, platforms, install size), and how each one fits into the wider FPS landscape right now. We also checked our list of the best PS4 multiplayer games to make sure our platform notes below are accurate for console players too.
Halo: Reach
Sci-Fi FPS · Campaign & MultiplayerHalo Reach is the prequel to the original trilogy, telling the story of the doomed planet Reach and the Spartan team that tried to save it. It’s the darkest, most emotional Halo campaign, and it’s still one of the best places to start a Halo: The Master Chief Collection binge on PC.
✓ Why We Love It
- The best-written, most emotional campaign in the franchise
- Armor Abilities (sprint, jetpack, active camo) freshened up classic Halo combat
- Firefight co-op is still a great way to play with friends
✕ Keep In Mind
- You need the full Master Chief Collection bundle to access it on PC
- Matchmaking population is smaller than in 2010, especially on weekdays
Halo Reach was added to Halo: The Master Chief Collection on PC in 2019, and it’s aged remarkably well — the campaign in particular is worth playing even if you’ve never touched a Halo game before. It’s a genuinely sad story about soldiers who know they’re going to lose, and that tone still hits hard in 2026.
Halo 3
Sci-Fi FPS · Campaign & Multiplayer“Finish the Fight” delivered on its promise. Halo 3 closed out the original trilogy with a huge, satisfying campaign, and its multiplayer sandbox — plus the Forge map editor — set the template that shooters are still copying today.
✓ Why We Love It
- Widely considered the best-balanced Halo multiplayer sandbox
- Legendary campaign finale, especially in split-screen co-op
- Forge and custom games still have an active community on MCC
✕ Keep In Mind
- Base visuals show their age outside of MCC’s light remaster touches
- Old-school netcode quirks still show up occasionally
Since joining Halo: The Master Chief Collection in 2020, Halo 3 runs at 60fps with modern control options on both Xbox and PC. If you only play one classic Halo game in 2026, most longtime fans will point you here first — it’s the game a lot of readers grew up with, right alongside their favorite PS4 multiplayer titles a generation later.
Halo 4
Sci-Fi FPS · Campaign & MultiplayerHalo 4 was 343 Industries’ first mainline Halo game, and it took a big swing on story — this is the most personal chapter of Master Chief and Cortana’s relationship. It also looked stunning for its time, with a sharp Forerunner art style that still looks good today.
✓ Why We Love It
- The most emotional, character-driven Chief campaign in the series
- Best-looking Halo game of its console generation
- Included in Halo: The Master Chief Collection at no extra cost
✕ Keep In Mind
- Loadouts and Ordnance drops split the community when they launched
- Spartan Ops episodic co-op mode’s servers are no longer live
If you played Halo 3 as a kid and want to see what happened to Master Chief next, Halo 4 is the natural next stop, and it’s included in the same Master Chief Collection bundle as Reach and Halo 3 — one purchase covers all three.
Halo 5: Guardians
Sci-Fi FPS · Campaign & MultiplayerHalo 5 splits its story between Master Chief’s Blue Team and Spartan Locke’s Fireteam Osiris, and while the campaign divided fans, the multiplayer is arguably the fastest, most skill-based Arena combat the series has ever had, backed by a 24-player Warzone mode.
✓ Why We Love It
- Sharpest, most competitive Arena multiplayer in the franchise
- Warzone’s 24-player battles are still a blast with a full squad
- Received years of free post-launch content and maps
✕ Keep In Mind
- Still Xbox-exclusive in 2026 — it never came to PC or Halo: The Master Chief Collection
- The campaign leans heavily on Fireteam Osiris rather than Master Chief
- The REQ card unlock system feels dated next to newer shooters
Halo 5 remains the odd one out: it’s the only mainline Halo title that never got a PC release, and rumors of a Steam port have been repeatedly debunked. If you own an Xbox, it’s still worth playing purely for the multiplayer — but PC-only readers will need a console or Xbox Game Pass access to try it.
Halo Infinite
Sci-Fi FPS · Open Campaign & F2P MultiplayerHalo Infinite brought Master Chief back to a semi-open Zeta Halo, with a free-to-play multiplayer suite that supports cross-play between Xbox and PC. It’s had a bumpy content roadmap since launch, but the core combat still feels great.
✓ Why We Love It
- Completely free multiplayer with full cross-play support
- First mainline Halo campaign with an open, explorable structure
- Core gunplay and movement still feel among the best in the series
✕ Keep In Mind
- Content updates slowed noticeably after the first couple of years
- The population has thinned as attention shifted to newer shooters like Battlefield 6
- A known Xbox Live sign-in bug can still trip up PC players (see below)
Halo Infinite is the easiest way to try modern Halo multiplayer for free, and it plays nicely with a solid keyboard and mouse combo if you’re jumping in on PC.
Battlefield 3
Military FPS · Large-Scale MultiplayerBattlefield 3 is the game that made EA’s Frostbite engine famous, with destructible buildings, jets, tanks, and 64-player Conquest matches. It’s still one of the most respected vehicle-combat shooters ever made, but its official server situation has changed a lot.
✓ Why We Love It
- Still one of the best vehicle-and-infantry sandboxes in the genre
- Bullet-drop gunplay and destruction hold up remarkably well
- PC version remains technically playable in 2026
✕ Keep In Mind
- EA shut down official PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 servers in November 2024
- PC multiplayer now runs on unofficial, community-hosted servers only
- The old Battlelog web server browser is no longer available
If Battlefield 3’s mix of infantry and vehicle combat sounds appealing but you want a game with active official servers, jump straight to Battlefield 6 further down this list — it was explicitly built to bring back that 3-and-4 era feeling.
DOOM (2016)
Fast-Paced Single-Player FPSMany players call this “Doom 4” since it’s technically the fourth mainline entry, following Doom, Doom II, and Doom 3. id Software’s 2016 reboot turned the series into a relentless, push-forward combat loop built around glory kills, chainsaw fuel, and one of gaming’s best metal soundtracks.
✓ Why We Love It
- The push-forward combat loop is still one of the best in the genre
- Mick Gordon’s soundtrack and the game’s art direction remain iconic
- Runs great even on modest, budget-friendly PC hardware
✕ Keep In Mind
- The story and lore are thin and mostly skippable
- The multiplayer mode was always the weakest part of the package
- Series veterans may prefer the even faster-paced sequel, DOOM Eternal
If you love this one and want the newest chapter in the franchise, id Software’s medieval-set follow-up, DOOM: The Dark Ages, released in 2025 and is worth checking out once you’ve finished the 2016 reboot.
CS:GO / Counter-Strike 2
Tactical Competitive FPSCounter-Strike: Global Offensive was replaced by Counter-Strike 2 in 2023, carrying over inventories, ranks, and the pro scene onto Valve’s Source 2 engine. Whether you knew it as CS:GO or CS2, this is still the gold standard for tactical, round-based team shooters.
✓ Why We Love It
- Completely free to play, with one of the highest skill ceilings in gaming
- Regularly among the most-played games on Steam in 2026
- Huge, well-funded esports scene with major tournaments year-round
✕ Keep In Mind
- CS:GO itself can no longer be downloaded — new and returning players go straight to CS2
- Competitive matchmaking can feel harsh for total beginners
- PC-only, with no console or mobile version
Warface
Free-to-Play Military FPS (PvP & PvE)Warface launched in 2013 on Crytek’s CryEngine as a free class-based alternative to Call of Duty, later becoming especially popular on Nintendo Switch and in Russia and Eastern Europe. Current publisher MY.GAMES has now confirmed the game is closing for good.
✓ What It Got Right
- Solid, class-based PvP and co-op PvE hybrid for over a decade
- A genuinely good entry point for players without access to modern CoD
- Long history of free content updates, including a battle royale mode
✕ Why We’re Not Recommending It
- Officially shutting down — not worth starting for new players in 2026
- In-game purchases were disabled starting February 26, 2026
- No offline mode, so nothing will be playable once the servers close
We’re including Warface here mainly for accuracy, since it’s still a heavily searched title — but existing players should back up any progress they care about and start looking at active alternatives, including newer titles on our PS4 multiplayer games list.
Battlefield 6
Large-Scale Military FPSBattlefield 6 is the franchise’s big comeback attempt after the rocky Battlefield 2042 launch, built by four EA studios working together. It leans back into the large-scale, vehicle-heavy combat that made Battlefield 3 and 4 so beloved, and it’s currently the strongest recommendation on this whole list for players who want an active, modern shooter.
✓ Why We Love It
- The biggest, most polished Battlefield launch in years
- Team-based, objective-focused combat with genuine large-scale chaos
- Active seasonal content, including the free-to-play spin-off Battlefield REDSEC
✕ Keep In Mind
- The campaign is solid but clearly secondary to multiplayer
- Still competing hard with Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 for player attention
- Vehicle-heavy maps can overwhelm players who are new to the series
If you’re building or upgrading a PC to run a modern shooter like this smoothly, it’s worth pairing it with a comfortable keyboard and mouse combo — large-scale Battlefield matches reward quick weapon swaps and vehicle controls just as much as raw aim.
Quick Comparison
| Game | Genre | Platform | Best For | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halo 3 | Sci-fi FPS | Xbox, PC | Best all-round classic | #1 Best |
| Counter-Strike 2 | Tactical FPS | PC only | Free competitive play | #2 Value |
| Battlefield 6 | Military FPS | PC, PS5, Xbox | Newest big release | #3 New |
| Halo: Reach | Sci-fi FPS | Xbox, PC | Best campaign story | Active |
| Halo 4 | Sci-fi FPS | Xbox, PC | Chief & Cortana fans | Active |
| Halo 5: Guardians | Sci-fi FPS | Xbox only | Fast Arena multiplayer | Active, Xbox-only |
| Halo Infinite | Sci-fi FPS | Xbox, PC | Free Halo multiplayer | Active |
| Battlefield 3 | Military FPS | PC | Classic vehicle combat | Unofficial servers only |
| DOOM (2016) | Single-player FPS | PC, PS4, Xbox One | Fast solo combat | Active |
| Warface | Military FPS | PC, console, Switch | Legacy players only | Shutting down 2026 |