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Shooters are one of the most played game genres worldwide. They are equally popular among casual and competitive players. When we generally talk about shooters, the first aspect that pops up is the competitive drive. Most players love to play shooter titles against other players because they love the thrill of competition and getting an upper hand over their enemies.
Thankfully, the most popular shooter sub-genre is competitive shooters that provide players the full package of competing against other players and quenching their adrenaline thirst. If you're an avid competitive shooter enthusiast, then buckle up, as I have gathered a list of the best competitive shooters you can play right now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
What is a Competitive Shooter?
Competitive shooter is a specific genre of shooting games that focuses on team-based, skilled combat, where players are focused on winning the match by outclassing their opponents. The main objective of competitive shooters is to get an upper hand over your opponents and win to progress through the ranks. Competitive shooters function in a teamwork environment with coordinated plays. Moreover, this genre of shooter rewards players who are fast learners, recognise sound cues, and have superior map knowledge through playtime. Here are some other features you will find in competitive shooters:
- Objective-based gameplay is a common feature of all competitive shooters. The objectives in competitive shooters range from planting a bomb and rescuing a hostage to delivering a convoy.
- PvP elements are the core feature of all competitive shooters. In this genre of games, players usually go up against other real players, making it a challenging bout of skill and coordination.
- Most competitive shooters are fast-paced, requiring players to make a decision or react in a split second.
Best Competitive Shooters You Can Play Now
- Call of Duty
- Battlefield
- Valorant
- Counter-Strike 2
- Marvel Rivals
- The Finals
- Overwatch 2
- Halo Infinite
- Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege
- Team Fortress 2
Call of Duty
- Developer: Treyarch
- Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X
- Where to buy: Steam, Xbox Game Store, PlayStation Store
If you ask someone about the shooter genre, the first name you'll most probably hear is Call of Duty. Activision's emblematic shooter title, Call of Duty, is arguably the most played shooter title of all time across all platforms. Since its initial release as a campaign-only series, Call of Duty soon evolved itself into the competitive multiplayer scene.
Call of Duty began its competitive journey through LAN parties and local tournaments and has now evolved into one of the biggest esports titles worldwide. Regarded for its fast-paced arcade shooter mechanics, Call of Duty is the pinnacle of couch gaming with the perfect touch of competitiveness. Even if you start playing the game's objective-based game mode in a casual setting, you will find a competitive feeling, which is the essence of the game's existence. Now with the dedicated Ranked Play mode, players have upped the stakes, making Call of Duty one of the most competitive shooters of the current times.
I recommend Call of Duty to all categories of players, because in my opinion it has the very forgiving learning curve with fast-paced gameplay and no ability gimmicks. Call of Duty is a straight up plug and play competitive shooter that caters itself towards casual as well as competitive players.
Battlefield
- Developer: Dice
- Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X
- Where to buy: Steam, Xbox Game Store, PlayStation Store
While Call of Duty takes a more arcade shooter approach, Battlefield hits out of the park with a more grounded, realistic approach. The combat in Battlefield focuses on large-scale conflicts, dividing players into squads.
Brought to life by Swedish developers Dice, Battlefield put itself into a different category of its own. In the competitive shooter genre, Battlefield is the only game that focuses on large scale conflicts, enforcing massive objective control missions and wider team communication. Aside from players on the ground, there is a heavy presence of tanks, boats, airplanes, and helicopters. I have always loved the massive teams of players on both sides fighting against each other by tactically positioning squads all over the map.
I recommend Battlefield to players who are more inclined towards realistic and large-scale conflicts with teams of infantry and vehicles. Battlefield is comparatively easier to get into if you have decent aim and game sense, however, with time you can easily play this game competitively against other players.
Valorant
- Developer: Riot Games
- Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series S|X
- Where to download: Epic Games, Xbox Game Store, PlayStation Store
Regarded as the Counter-Strike killer, Riot Games' Project A, or Valorant, is an ability-based shooter with shooter mechanics similar to Valve's Counter-Strike. Valorant is a hybrid mixture of strategic and competitive shooters. The game released at the start of the COVID pandemic as a free-to-play title, leading to its popularity boom all across the world, especially in North America and South Asia.
The League of Legends makers, Riot Games's first shot at creating a competitive FPS title, Riot Games, was widely successful. With a hard learning curve, mastering Valorant became a rewarding experience for players. Like most other players, I chose to take a look at the game, and it led to me putting in more than 2,000 hours in the game, climbing through the ranks and mastering different agents every other month.
I recommend Valorant to players who want to get their daily dose of adrenaline with a touch of Counter-Strike-esque gameplay and visually beautiful graphics. However, as the game's learning curve is steep, the game might be a little overwhelming for beginners, but with time, it becomes easy to grasp everything that's happening in the game.
Counter-Strike 2
Valve's Counter-Strike might be the most iconic and well-known competitive shooter out there. Since the days of Counter-Strike 1.6 to CS:GO to its revolution to the modern-day Counter-Strike 2, this shooter has passed the test of time. I have played a lot of competitive shooters in my life, but Counter-Strike is the only one that has managed to bust my chops every step of the way. If you're into learning new stuff every day and constantly getting battered by your opponents when you make a silly mistake, then Counter-Strike 2 is the ideal game for you.
Built on the Half-Life Source 2 engine, Counter-Strike is a unique game that manages to capture the perfect spirit of competitiveness. This game requires precise aiming, unparalleled map knowledge, and the drive to learn even though you get tossed around by your opponents.
I recommend this game for players who love serious competitive gaming, as Counter-Strike 2 features its own ranked system through the Premier game mode. Players can also choose to play a notch higher through the third-party Face It matchmaking system.
Marvel Rivals
- Developer: NetEase Games
- Platforms: PC, PS5, Xbox Series S|X
- Where to download: Steam, Xbox Game Store, PlayStation Store
Marvel Rivals is currently the most played hero shooter worldwide. One of the newest entrants to the competitive shooter genre, NetEase's Marvel Rivals is an all-round fun experience for all types of players. With more than 30 original characters from Marvel media and comics, the ever-growing title features nonstop action with fast-paced combat and team-based gameplay mechanics.
Built on Unreal Engine 5, Marvel Rivals is a polished game with an impeccable gameplay experience. In my playtime of more than 300 hours, I have enjoyed every single bit of this game. Starting from Quick Match to Competitive, Marvel Rivals delivered arguably one of the most well-rounded competitive shooter experiences for me. While the competitive mode remains a little unbalanced in higher ranks, it still features one of the best-ranked modes in the world right now.
I recommend Marvel Rivals for players who love to enjoy their time gaming with a mix of competitiveness in the equation. If you're new to competitive shooters, you will get used to the game's mechanics in no time with regular gameplay sessions.
The Finals
- Developer: Embark Studios
- Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X
- Where to download: Steam, Xbox Game Store, PlayStation Store
Straight from the minds of ex-Dice developers who have worked on the classic Battlefield title, The Finals is a one-of-a-kind competitive shooter that features environmental destruction combined with fast-paced, objective-based gameplay.
The Finals is a unique competitive shooter that capitalises on its strength, which is its destructive arena that gives players the feeling of participating in a virtual tournament with endless possibilities. While The Finals is one of the newest entrants on this list, the shooter has amassed a cult following for its unique gameplay traits. It is a very beginner-friendly game with a modern UI and game mechanics.
I recommend The Finals to players who want a more relaxed competitive shooter experience, combined with fast-paced action and environment destruction.
Overwatch 2
- Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
- Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X
- Where to download: Steam, Xbox Game Store, PlayStation Store
Developed by Blizzard Entertainment, Overwatch 2 is the direct successor of the 2016 title Overwatch. The hero shooter title took the world by storm as players became hooked to the game's intuitive but challenging gameplay mechanics.
Overwatch gave rise to the hero shooter hype worldwide, so naturally, Overwatch 2 took its place and players will still hooked to the game. However, due to various bad decisions, including the delayed promise of a PvE campaign, the playerbase of Overwatch 2 began to shrink with time. Overwatch 2 allows players to pick heroes with distinct abilities and battle it out in Quick Match and Competitive modes. The game modes available in Overwatch 2 are mostly objective-based, requiring constant team communication and individual performance.
I recommend Overwatch 2 to players who want to experience a more grounded hero shooter experience. However, in the game's current stat,e learning to play Overwatch 2 might seem like a task, but once you get a grip on it, you will feel rewarded.
Halo Infinite
- Developer: 343 Industries
- Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X
- Where to download: Steam, Xbox Game Store
One of the first things people associate the Xbox with is Halo, one of the most iconic shooters of all time. Starting from the iconic Master Chief to the UNSC's SPARTAN programme, Halo is a sci-fi competitive shooter originally developed by Bungie that has won the hearts of countless shooter enthusiasts worldwide.
While Halo is mostly known for its classic storyline, the multiplayer aspect of the twin-stick shooter has been a major part of the competitive shooter scene. Since the inception of Halo's multiplayer mode, players started hosting their own LAN parties and competitions, leading to the birth of a competitive shooter scene for the sci-fi shooter. While the latest Halo Infinite title fell short of its predecessor's success, it's still a great competitive shooter title.
I recommend Halo Infinite to players who are accustomed to the twin-stick shooter titles without fancy movement and weapon ADS mechanics. The learning curve of Halo is not that steep, making it a perfect game to get into for all types of players.
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege
- Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
- Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X
- Where to buy: Steam, Xbox Game Store, PlayStation Store
Ubisoft's golden child, Rainbow Six, came into being in 1998, and as of now, there are 13 titles in the series. Based on the characters and plots written by military espionage novel author Tom Clancy, Rainbow Six Siege is the most played title of the series.
Regarded as Ubisoft's golden egg, Rainbow Six Siege is a tactical shooter with arcade FPS mechanics. Aside from the usual shooter traits, Rainbow Six Siege also features abilities that are part of the operator pool. The game puts heavy emphasis on environment destruction, map knowledge, and team communication. The game's main focus is on military combat and siege simulation situations inspired by events like the 1980 Iranian Embassy Siege.
I recommend Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege to players who are accustomed to faster-paced competitive shooters. Moreover, being good at the game requires a significant amount of practice, so do not expect to shred through other players on our first day in the game.
Team Fortress 2
If you have been into gaming long enough, then you have seen Team Fortress 2 grace your social media feeds. Team Fortress started as a mod for the classic game Quake in 1996 and became a full-fledged game in 1998. Taking the game's popularity into account, Valve created the most anticipated sequel, Team Fortress 2, in 2007.
Built on the infamous Source engine of Half-Life and Counter-Strike, Team Fortress 2 is a unique competitive shooter. It is regarded as the modern-day blueprint of hero shooters, including Overwatch and Marvel Rivals. Players can pick from nine classes with unique abilities of their own. Players can either play the regular Quick Match or Competitive mode in the game.
I recommend Team Fortress 2 for players who are interested in taking a peek at the foundational mechanics of a hero shooter. While Valve has maintained the game for almost two decades, the game is currently riddled with cheaters and bots; however, it is still a great competitive shooter.
And that concludes our list of the best competitive shooters you can play now. This article will be updated with new releases, and developers and publishers will announce such titles in the coming months and years.
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