20 of the Best First-Person Shooters on Xbox 360

It seems unreal that this November marks 20 years (!) since the launch of the Xbox 360. The first 7th-generation console, the Xbox 360 would slowly but surely build on the success of the original Xbox to help Microsoft gain a considerable footing in the games industry. Bolstered by the popularity of Halo 2 and the Xbox Live service, the Xbox 360 arrived at arguably the perfect time and with an already great library of titles from the original Xbox, courtesy of the system's backward compatibility. But what the original Xbox had that the Xbox 360 didn't was a Halo game at launch, which the Xbox 360 compensated for with one of the most impressive PC to console ports of all time: Call of Duty 2. Right from the get-go, the Xbox 360 was a console that was practically defined by its first-person shooter library, just like its 6th-gen predecessor.

After years of consoles playing "catch-up" to PC in terms of their first-person shooters, the Xbox 360 (and, really, the 7th console generation as a whole) marked a true turning point in which consoles could finally have parity with PC gaming in terms of most popular releases in the genre. With few exceptions, most of the great first-person shooters released between 2005 and 2014 launched simultaneously on PC and console, with some of them even arriving first on the Xbox 360 before receiving ports to Windows — a far cry from the release strategy of FPS titles in previous generations. At the same time, the first-person shooter genre was continuing to evolve, with some of the most significant FPS games post-Doom and Half-Life making their debut on Microsoft's Xbox 360.

• Release Date — February 21, 2012
• Developer — Starbreeze Studios
• Publisher — Electronic Arts
• Review Aggregate Score — 74%
• User Score — 73%

Starbreeze Studios made a name for itself as the developer of one of the Xbox's greatest first-person shooters, Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, so its place as a prominent FPS developer during the Xbox 360 era should come as no surprise. One of the studio's titles on the console is the highly underrated Syndicate, which is a reimagining of the classic turn-based tactics game of the same name that puts players in the shoes of a group of technologically advanced cyborgs hired by massive conglomerates to commit corporate espionage. Along with its excellent single-player campaign (which incorporated some unique movement and combat abilities and featured some great visuals), Syndicate also has a fun multiplayer mode that, sadly, is now completely inaccessible in the wake of the game's widespread de-listing.

• Release Date — July 11, 2006
• Developer — Human Head Studios, Venom Games
• Publisher — 2K Studios
• Review Aggregate Score — 79%
• User Score — 75%

Not to be confused with Arkane Studios' excellent immersive sim of the same name, 2006's Prey is a unique first-person shooter set almost entirely on a massive alien spaceship where players take on the role of Cherokee Nation native Tommy in a classic "fish out of water" adventure. While Prey's shooting is surprisingly good (owing to Human Head Studios' developers having plenty of experience working on shooters at Raven Software), it's the game's mind-bending physics and portal gun that set it apart as a wholly unique shooter experience on the Xbox 360. Years before Valve would come along and blow players' minds with Portal, Prey introduced the ability to create portals at a whim that could land the player in any number of stomach-churning, gravity-defying scenarios.

• Release Date — February 22, 2011
• Developer — People Can Fly, Epic Games
• Publisher — Electronic Arts
• Review Aggregate Score — 84%
• User Score — 76%

Looking at Bulletstorm's pedigree, it comes as no surprise that the game is as good as it is. With Unreal's Cliff Bleszinski at the helm and the team at People Can Fly backing him up, Bulletstorm is as over-the-top and violent as you might imagine, and its balance between a more straightforward first-person shooter campaign and arcade-style, high score-chasing action feels right at home to anyone who cut their teeth playing hours of team deathmatch in Unreal Tournament. The signature mechanic of Bulletstorm, using a grapple to pull enemies toward you only to then kick or shoot them away in hilariously violent fashion, creates plenty of opportunities for some creative gameplay. Bulletstorm would end up going slightly overlooked on its initial release, but it's since become a cult classic that's easily playable thanks to the Full Clip Edition remaster.

• Release Date — March 22, 2011
• Developer — Crytek
• Publisher — Electronic Arts
• Review Aggregate Score — 84%
• User Score — 76%

The CPU and GPU-melting Crysis was a game that, for a while, seemed like it could never arrive on consoles. But the ability for home consoles to inch ever closer to the power of the era's contemporary gaming PCs allowed for both the original Crysis and its sequel, Crysis 2, to arrive on the Xbox 360 in a state not too far off from their PC counterparts. To this day, Crysis 2 is a technical marvel on the Xbox 360 that looks and runs better than it has any right to, and that visual fidelity is backed up by an excellent single-player FPS campaign that trades the first game's tropical jungle for an urban one. And just like the first Crysis, Crysis 2's setting allows for plenty of freedom and creativity in how players can approach each combat encounter or objective.

• Release Date — March 2, 2010
• Developer — DICE
• Publisher — Electronic Arts
• Review Aggregate Score — 88%
• User Score — 83%

Truth be told, I struggled with whether to include the original Battlefield: Bad Company, its sequel, or Battlefield 3 as the best game in the franchise worthy of inclusion on this list. But while Battlefield 3 might have the better multiplayer mode, it's hard to think of a single game in the Battlefield series with a better single-player campaign than Battlefield: Bad Company 2. That its multiplayer is almost just as good as Battlefield 3's cements it as the best Battlefield game on the Xbox 360 and one of the console's best shooters.

Basically a playable version of an action-packed war movie with plenty of comic relief, Battlefield: Bad Company 2's single-player campaign is the stuff of legends, and its ability to pack in some of the best setpiece moments in the series along with its surprisingly great squad AI makes it a must-have in the Xbox 360's library that still holds up today.

• Release Date — March 18, 2008
• Developer — Ubisoft Montreal
• Publisher — Ubisoft
• Review Aggregate Score — 82%
• User Score — 79%

While the original Rainbow Six: Vegas might have been the first true "next step" for the Rainbow Six franchise following Rainbow Six 3's noteworthy departures, Rainbow Six: Vegas 2 feels like the first true "modern" Rainbow Six game, which is a real shame considering it's the last title in the franchise to feature both multiplayer modes and a full single-player campaign. The mission-based campaign and competitive multiplayer of Vegas 2 are both great, offering up some of the best precision tactical shooting and tense, cover-based firefights on the Xbox 360. But the true star of the show is the co-op Terrorist Hunt mode, which ranks as one of the best co-op-specific experiences of any first-person shooter on the Xbox 360.

• Release Date — June 25, 2007
• Developer — Starbreeze Studios
• Publisher — 2K
• Review Aggregate Score — 82%
• User Score — 79%

Along with both Syndicate and the good-but-not-great sequel to Escape From Butcher Bay, Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, Starbreeze Studios' other definitive first-person shooter on the Xbox 360 is the cult classic The Darkness. Taking inspiration from the Top Cow/Image comic series of the same name by Marc Silvestri, The Darkness puts players in the shoes of recently deceased mafia hitman Jackie Estacado, who is brought back to life as part of a demonic mission for revenge and given sinister powers from that titular otherworldly force. Along with some excellent shooting mechanics (including one of the better dual-wield systems of any FPS of the era), The Darkness allows players to do some truly insane things in combat thanks to the powers of the Darkness itself, which is only made better by the entity being voiced by Faith No More's Mike Patton.

• Release Date — October 31, 2006
• Developer — Monolith Productions, Day 1 Studios
• Publisher — Vivendi Universal Games
• Review Aggregate Score — 85%
• User Score — 77%

For years, first-person shooters would be lucky if their enemy AI could even come close to holding a candle to the tactics and behaviors on display in Monolith's F.E.A.R. Part first-person shooter and part psychological horror game, F.E.A.R. mixes standard firearms with telekinetic and psychic abilities, and its enemy AI is incredibly realistic and lethal. Foes will react accordingly to player movements, group up, and use positioning to flank the player, and even go as far as to toss back grenades or use suppressing fire to apply pressure. Along with its impressive AI and unique horror atmosphere, F.E.A.R. also includes a number of novel mechanics like semi-destructible environments and one of the first uses of "bullet time" post-Max Payne, making it a sort of "jack of all trades" among first-person shooters.

• Release Date — November 22, 2005
• Developer — Infinity Ward
• Publisher — Activision
• Review Aggregate Score — 89%
• User Score — 82%

Even though the Xbox 360 didn't have a new Halo at launch, what it did have was almost as good and just as pivotal, with the console's early killer app being the almost 1:1 port of the recently released Call of Duty 2. The original Call of Duty from 2003 had been a major success on PC, with a sequel releasing just two years later and launching almost simultaneously to coincide with the arrival of the Xbox 360 and the beginning of the 7th console generation. And without a Halo title to compete against, Call of Duty 2 was the one "must-have" game in the system's launch library, both for its excellent single-player campaign and its genre-defining multiplayer.

While World at War could have also gone on this list for its single-player mode and its debut of the innovative Zombies mode, Call of Duty 2 gets a spot instead for how important it was in giving the Xbox 360 a strong foothold.

• Release Date — May 1, 2013
• Developer — Ubisoft Montreal
• Publisher — Ubisoft
• Review Aggregate Score — 80%
• User Score — 81%

One of the best things about Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is how it's one of those "perfect storm" moments in gaming. Releasing hot on the heels of the critically acclaimed and fan-favorite Far Cry 3, Blood Dragon is the first game to adapt and iterate on Far Cry 3's major innovations to the series, and it does so using a setting which, at the time of its release, was incredibly prolific in pop culture - a neon-soaked, nostalgia-filled trip through a hyperbolic vision of the 1980s. Backing up the game's bonkers setting and tongue-in-cheek humor is an all-star voice cast that includes iconic 1980s action film star Michael Biehn, as well as a synth-wave soundtrack that evokes the best sci-fi of the era. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon is short, but oh so sweet, and it might just be the greatest standalone DLC for any FPS.

• Release Date — November 17, 2009
• Developer — Valve
• Publisher — Valve
• Review Aggregate Score — 89%
• User Score — 83%

The 7th console generation was one of the longest in the history of video games, beginning in earnest in 2006 following the Xbox 360's late 2005 launch and lasting until 2014. As a result, there were several series that debuted early in the Xbox 360's lifespan only to have sequels arrive later on during the same generation. One of the most important multiplayer shooters on the Xbox 360 is Valve's Left 4 Dead, and Left 4 Dead 2 takes everything great about that first game and elevates it.

The new survivors are both unique from one another and different from the crop of playable characters in the first game, the levels themselves are larger and more populated with hundreds of zombies, and the new enemy types and weaponry (including some absolutely devastating melee weapons) take an already strong gameplay loop and make it even better. Throw in a great competitive multiplayer mode along with the main co-op one, and you have one of the Xbox 360's essential first-person shooters.

• Release Date — September 18, 2012
• Developer — Gearbox Software
• Publisher — 2K
• Review Aggregate Score — 89%
• User Score — 82%

Much like Left 4 Dead 2, Borderlands 2 is basically the bigger and better version of its already great predecessor. Loosely described as "Diablo with guns", Borderlands 2 continues the original's draw of having literally billions of permutations of firearms to shoot, loot, and collect, all while upping the ante in terms of the game's visuals, environments, and classes. If the original Borderlands was a bit of a proof of concept for the "looter shooter", then Borderlands 2 is where the series truly came into its own, and it has a strong claim to still being the best title in the series even in the wake of the excellent Borderlands 3. And as far as co-op shooters go, you'd be hard-pressed to beat the seamless "drop-in/drop-out" co-op that Borderlands 2 brought to the table throughout its campaign.

• Release Date — November 29, 2012
• Developer — Ubisoft Montreal
• Publisher — Ubisoft
• Review Aggregate Score — 91%
• User Score — 86%

Both one of the best firest-person shooters on the Xbox 360 and one of its most important, Far Cry 3 helped to establish what we now know as the "modern" Far Cry formula, taking the innovations of both the first Far Cry and its sequel and running with them to turn the game into a sort of FPS/RPG hybrid. The most obvious RPG comparison to make in Far Cry 3 comes from its unique approach to character progression (complete with earning experience points and building out a branching skill tree), but it also applies to the game's narrative, which features one of the all-time great video game villains in Vaas and one heck of a jaw-dropping twist depending on the ending that players opt for. Far Cry 3 is one of the best single-player FPS games of any console it's available for, and that includes the Xbox 360.

• Release Date — September 14, 2010
• Developer — Bungie
• Publisher — Microsoft Game Studios
• Review Aggregate Score — 91%
• User Score — 84%

As the tagline for Halo: Reach says, "Every Legend Has a Beginning", and the events of Reach's single-player campaign are a fittingly tragic and legendary prequel to the entire Halo saga. As members of the Noble Six team dispatched to Reach, you are directly responsible for keeping the super-powered AI Cortana out of Covenant hands, which will ultimately prove to be Master Chief's secret weapon in thwarting the Covenant and preventing a second invasion of the Flood capable of wiping out all life in the galaxy. Even Halo die-hards who knew exactly how Reach's story would end could not have prepared themselves for the emotional gut punch of Noble Six's commendable sacrifice, and Reach's refinements to the Halo combat sandbox in both single and multiplayer allow for its gameplay to sit right alongside its narrative as a series high point.

• Release Date — November 10, 2009
• Developer — Infinity Ward
• Publisher — Activision
• Review Aggregate Score — 94%
• User Score — 79%

The Call of Duty franchise was already a considerable success before its pivotal fourth entry, but the release of Modern Warfare changed the FPS genre (and gaming as a whole) as we know it. Accordingly, a sequel would quickly follow, offering up brand-new multiplayer maps, refinements to the already rock-solid shooting, and a single-player campaign that raised the stakes over its predecessor in terms of both visual presentation, setpiece moments, and nail-biting tension. The campaign in Modern Warfare 2 is perhaps what the game is best known for, thanks to the highly controversial and infamous "No Russian" level, but it's worth pointing out that the game features some of the all-time greatest competitive multiplayer in the series as well.

• Release Date — March 26, 2013
• Developer — Irrational Games
• Publisher — 2K
• Review Aggregate Score — 93%
• User Score — 85%

The wait for BioShock Infinite may have been longer than many fans were hoping, but the final product that was delivered likely exceeded the expectations of even the most ardent fan of the original. Changing settings from the art deco underwater city of Rapture to a massive, early 20th Century-inspired patriotic paradise in the sky known as Columbia, BioShock Infinite has one of the most distinctive and eye-catching visual styles and art direction of any first-person shooter, and it backs up that incredibly presentation with some very great shooting gameplay bolstered by BioShock Infinite's answer to the original BioShock's Plasmids — Vigors. Of course, the definitive pull of Infinite is the relationship players form with Elizabeth, both in terms of the game's compelling sci-fi plot and her place in it, as well as her being one of the few mechanically competent AI companions of the era.

• Release Date — November 5, 2007
• Developer — Infinity Ward
• Publisher — Activision
• Review Aggregate Score — 94%
• User Score — 85%

Infinity Ward had struck gold twice in a row with both Call of Duty and its sequel, which inspired series creators Vince Zampella and Jason West to take the franchise into the modern era with its fourth entry while Activision and Treyarch worked on the third mainline game. The end result was the tectonic shift of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, which in both its single-player campaign and its genre-defining multiplayer helped to push the needle forward for console first-person shooters in a magnitude not seen since GoldenEye 007 on the Nintendo 64. Years later, Call of Duty 4's campaign is still perhaps the greatest single-player story mode of any military-themed first-person shooter, and its multiplayer is perhaps the single most pivotal competitive mode of any shooter on the Xbox 360.

• Release Date — September 25, 2007
• Developer — Bungie
• Publisher — Microsoft Game Studios
• Review Aggregate Score — 94%
• User Score — 87%

Like BioShock Infinite, players had to wait a bit longer than they might have wanted for Halo 3 (especially after Halo 2's cliffhanger), but that wait ultimately proved worth it. As a conclusion to Master Chief's story and the first next-gen Halo game, Halo 3 delivers on both fronts by providing a cathartic narrative and some absolutely incredible first-person shooter gameplay in both its single-player campaign and its competitive multiplayer. One of the main draws of the Halo series was always the ability to play through the entire campaign in co-op, and Halo 3's all-star story mode is perhaps the best one in the entire initial trilogy, which is great as a solo experience, but better with a friend.

• Release Date — October 10, 2007
• Developer — Valve
• Publisher — Valve
• Review Aggregate Score — 96%
• User Score — 88%

In terms of pure value proposition, you cannot beat Valve's The Orange Box. This compilation brings together the entire Half-Life 2 saga and Team Fortress 2, along with the jaw-dropping Portal, showcasing Valve's brilliance across multiple different types of first-person gameplay all in one fell swoop. Between The Orange Box and both of Valve's Left 4 Dead games, you would pretty much be spoiled with some of the greatest FPS gameplay on the Xbox 360, which says a lot about the developer's talent and these titles' importance in the greater first-person shooter landscape. Ultimately, you could make a case for The Orange Box being worth it for Half-Life 2 alone, and that it happens to include Half-Life 2: Episode I and II, Portal, and Team Fortress 2 is just the icing on the cake.

• Release Date — August 21, 2007
• Developer — 2K Boston
• Publisher — 2K
• Review Aggregate Score — 96%
• User Score — 88%

Rising from the ashes of Looking Glass Studios to create a spiritual successor to System Shock 2, Ken Levine would form 2K Boston (later, Irrational Games) to create BioShock, and its simultaneous arrival on the Xbox 360 and PC is one of the most important and pivotal releases of the 7th generation. Part first-person shooter, part survival horror game, and part immersive sim, BioShock offered players an incredibly immersive and narratively rich world in which to get lost, all while giving them practically unprecedented freedom in how they explored it, interacted with it, and ultimately gained control over it as its most powerful inhabitant.

Aside from BioShock's groundbreaking and incredibly influential gameplay, though, the title also happens to feature one of the more complex and thought-provoking narratives of any FPS, helping to push the needle forward in terms of the genre's emphasis on storytelling while also reigniting the conversation around games being considered art. Poignant, powerful, and — most of all — fun, BioShock is one of the few games released in the first two years of the Xbox 360's lifespan that felt like a "true" next-generation game, and it still does almost 20 years later.