The Best First-Person Shooters on PS3

By the time the PlayStation 3 was finally released in North America, Microsoft's Xbox 360 already had a strong foothold in the market as the first 7th-generation console. It also happened to have a fairly strong roster of first-person shooters that built upon the Xbox's success as a home for the FPS genre, meaning the PS3 had a lot of catching up to do as soon as it arrived. The PlayStation 2 had also been home to a slew of incredible FPS titles, and the expectation on its successor was that it would follow suit as yet another console that catered to FPS fans. Unfortunately, the PS3 wouldn't have nearly as many unique shooters as the PS2, but looking at the best first-person shooter games in the console's library shows that first- and third-party FPS offerings thrived there.

In fact, one of the PS3's launch titles would ultimately become one of the console's all-time greatest first-person shooter games and help spawn a generation-spanning franchise that came to define the console and its developer, Insomniac Games. Similarly, Guerrilla Games' Killzone franchise would finally find its footing during the PS3 era after a promising first entry on the PS2 that ultimately fell short of player expectations. Joining these two first-party franchises were PS3 ports of many excellent third-party shooters that were available on both the PS3 and Xbox 360, but whose PS3 versions had a slight edge in terms of their visuals and performance owing to their arrival after their Xbox 360 counterparts.

• Release Date — May 20, 2008
• Developer — Free Radical Design
• Publisher — Ubisoft
• Review Aggregate Score — 55% (Mixed or Average)
• User Score — 49% (Generally Unfavorable)

While it didn't fare very well with either players or critics at the time of its release, Haze is an important shooter in the PS3 library for two reasons. One, Haze is one of the few PS3-exclusive shooters on the console to come from a third-party studio. Two, that third-party studio is none other than Free Radical Design, the makers of the classic TimeSplitters games that were major hits on the PS2. Despite the game's pedigree, Haze is an ambitious FPS that ultimately bit off more than it could chew, and it would end up being the nail in the coffin for Free Radical Design.

• Release Date — October 21, 2008
• Developer — Ubisoft Montreal
• Publisher — Ubisoft
• Review Aggregate Score — 85% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 62% (Mixed or Average)

Speaking of ambitious shooters, it doesn't get much more ambitious than Ubisoft Montreal's first original game in the Far Cry series. Far Cry 2 was a bleak and distinct departure from the tropical island shenanigans of the original Far Cry and its many re-releases, taking place in the Malaria-ridden African Savannah and skewing more toward an immersive sim than a full-blown first-person shooter. While many of Far Cry 2's biggest swings didn't land for some players, it's an impressively complex shooter that looks phenomenal running on the PS3.

• Release Date — June 20, 2009
• Developer — Techland
• Publisher — Ubisoft
• Review Aggregate Score — 78% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 74% (Mixed or Average)

It's safe to say we don't get nearly enough Wild West-themed first-person shooters, and Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood is one of the best there is. This 7th-gen title released on both the PS3 and the Xbox 360, but the PS3 version has a slight edge thanks to how its impressive visuals look and run on the console. Behind the helm of Bound in Blood was none other than Techland, who would wow players with the now-classic Dead Island just two years later (which, coincidentally, is also one of the better first-person shooters of the era).

• Release Date — November 11, 2008
• Developer — Treyarch
• Publisher — Activision
• Review Aggregate Score — 85% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 78% (Generally Favorable)

After taking its first crack at the franchise with Big Red One, Treyarch returned for another original Call of Duty game set during World War II with the excellent World at War. Long considered to be one of the best games set during the conflict, World at War lays bare the horrors of World War II in its dark and challenging campaign, but it also isn't afraid to bend reality a bit with its iconic Zombies mode. World at War's Zombies mode would be so popular that it became a series staple, showcasing how important the title is in the grand scheme of Call of Duty.

• Release Date — March 22, 2011
• Developer — Crytek
• Publisher — Electronic Arts
• Review Aggregate Score — 85% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 73% (Mixed or Average)

PC players might have had to ask themselves, "Can it run Crysis?" for years before the sequel finally arrived, but console players had the benefit of getting to enjoy Crysis 2 as soon as it launched. And by all accounts, Crysis 2 is a better game thanks to its change in setting and stronger emphasis on a compelling sci-fi plot. While the first Crysis is less linear and offers players more freedom in its FPS sandbox, the "urban jungle" of Crysis 2 presents one of the better playgrounds to go wild in the series' signature Nanosuit.

• Release Date — May 14, 2013
• Developer — 4A Games
• Publisher — Deep Silver
• Review Aggregate Score — 80% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 82% (Generally Favorable)

The Metro games are, for all intents and purposes, more streamlined and accessible versions of the cult classic S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, and they're also some of the best FPS titles of the 7th generation. While the first game in the series, Metro 2033, is an excellent and claustrophobic blend of FPS, immersive sim, and survival horror gameplay, its sequel, Metro: Last Light, takes series protagonist Artyom to the surface and significantly expands and builds upon everything that made the first game great. To this day, Last Light is arguably still the high point of the Metro series.

• Release Date — June 26, 2007
• Developer — Ubisoft Montreal
• Publisher — Ubisoft
• Review Aggregate Score — 86% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 73% (Mixed or Average)

There weren't too many tactical shooters on console during the 7th generation thanks to the precision that most of those games demand being better suited to mouse and keyboard than a controller, but that didn't stop Ubisoft from bringing the excellent Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas games to both the PS3 and Xbox 360. On PS3, it's the first game in the series, and not the sequel, that's the highlight, and it still holds up as one of the better single-player tactical shooters thanks to its airtight cover shooting mechanics and the excellent, and endlessly replayable, Terrorist Hunt mode.

• Release Date — March 2, 2010
• Developer — DICE
• Publisher — Electronic Arts
• Review Aggregate Score — 88% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 84% (Generally Favorable)

The Battlefield series used to be synonymous with having both some of the best multiplayer of any military shooter while also having single-player campaigns that were both action-packed and bursting with personality, and there's no better example of this compelling mix than Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Essentially the Battlefield series' version of a classic action comedy movie, Bad Company 2 delivers plenty of laughs and moments of levity right alongside its over-the-top setpiece moments, and it's perhaps the best single-player campaign in the entire franchise.

• Release Date — November 29, 2012
• Developer — Ubisoft Montreal
• Publisher — Ubisoft
• Review Aggregate Score — 90% (Universal Acclaim)
• User Score — 86% (Generally Favorable)

For all that Far Cry 2 did to advance the series, nothing could have prepared players for the impact of Far Cry 3. Since Far Cry 3's release, the series has continued to use its core gameplay loop as the foundation on which every subsequent game is built, which speaks to how innovative it was for its time, not to mention how fun. The freedom to tackle each encounter how you saw fit, using either full-out assault or a stealthy approach, tied in perfectly with the branching skill trees and RPG-lite progression that made its open world continually rewarding to explore, and there's a case to be made that the Far Cry series still hasn't surpassed the seminal entry that is Far Cry 3.

• Release Date — September 6, 2011
• Developer — Insomniac Games
• Publisher — Sony Computer Entertainment
• Review Aggregate Score — 83% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 79% (Generally Favorable)

The third and, unfortunately, final game in the Resistance series felt like a return to form at the time of its release following Resistance 2. But for all its attempts to restore goodwill from fans after Resistance 2's mixed reception, it ultimately plays things a little too safe and feels like a step backward. Still, Resistance 3 delivers more of what players love about the alternate history series, including some incredible spectacle when fighting against the Chimera and plenty of unique, unconventional weaponry to use in doing so. Even if it's the "weakest" of the three Resistance games, it's still better than most FPS games on the PS3.

• Release Date — November 9, 2010
• Developer — Treyarch
• Publisher — Activision
• Review Aggregate Score — 88% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 70% (Mixed or Average)

One of the definitive shooters of the 7th generation, right behind Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Black Ops feels like the game where Treyarch fully came into its own as a steward of the franchise. All the elements are there in Black Ops: the single-player campaign is a tour-de-force Cold War-era spy thriller that puts some blockbuster films to shame, the multiplayer features some of the more classic maps and kill streak rewards in the series, and World at War's Zombies mode makes a triumphant return as one of the main reasons to still come back to Black Ops all these years later.

• Release Date — February 22, 2011
• Developer — Guerrilla Games
• Publisher — Sony Computer Entertainment
• Review Aggregate Score — 84% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 80% (Generally Favorable)

Guerrilla Games had the unenviable position of following up its own peak with Killzone 3, with many players having incredibly high expectations thanks to how strong of a step forward Killzone 2 was for the series. For the most part, Guerrilla Games delivered, bringing players yet another incredibly strong single-player campaign that showed players a whole new (and much brighter) side of the Killzone universe while still keeping the core gameplay loop intact. And, lest we forget, Killzone 3 was one of the few games to make great use of the PlayStation Move controller and its rifle light gun attachment.

• Release Date — September 18, 2012
• Developer — Gearbox Software
• Publisher — 2K
• Review Aggregate Score — 91% (Universal Acclaim)
• User Score — 82% (Generally Favorable)

The hype surrounding the release of Borderlands 2 was palpable leading up to its release, mostly thanks to the strong showing the series had in its debut entry that suggested a sequel would be even better. Not only would Borderlands 2 meet that hype by being a significant step up from the first Borderlands, but it also stands as the series' high point well into the modern era with Borderlands 4 on the horizon. The new classes, new weapons, new maps, and improved co-op functionality made Borderlands 2 "the" looter shooter of the 7th generation, and it's just as great today as it was 13 years ago.

• Release Date — November 5, 2007
• Developer — Infinity Ward
• Publisher — Activision
• Review Aggregate Score — 94% (Universal Acclaim)
• User Score — 83% (Generally Favorable)

Arguably one of the most important and impactful first-person shooters on the PS3 and Xbox 360, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare helped to define the modern FPS landscape in the same way that both GoldenEye 007 and Doom had before it. Both its single-player campaign and competitive multiplayer are the stuff of legend, and it says a lot about Modern Warfare that it's the only game in the entire Call of Duty series to ever get its own full-fledged remake. Both Modern Warfare 2 and 3 are also great shooters, but they simply can't compare to the greatness of the first game in the spin-off series.

• Release Date — March 26, 2013
• Developer — Irrational Games
• Publisher — 2K
• Review Aggregate Score — 94% (Universal Acclaim)
• User Score — 85% (Generally Favorable)

The original BioShock had initially been released as an exclusive title for the Xbox 360 before eventually making its way to the PS3 a year later, but both BioShock 2 and BioShock Infinite were released on day 1 as multiplatform titles. But what gives the PS3 version of BioShock Infinite a special edge is its inclusion of both Infinite and the original BioShock on the disc, giving players two of the best first-person shooters of the era in one package. Both Rapture and Columbia remain two of the best first-person shooter playgrounds, and other than Valve's The Orange Box, there's no better FPS value than BioShock Infinite on PS3.

• Release Date — October 25, 2011
• Developer — DICE
• Publisher — Electronic Arts
• Review Aggregate Score — 85% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 75% (Generally Favorable)

Fans of military shooters and competitive multiplayer are bound to have their favorites when it comes to drawing a line between either Call of Duty or Battlefield, and Battlefield 3 made that decision incredibly hard thanks to how it practically outclassed Call of Duty in nearly every regard. While the single-player campaign of Battlefield 3 isn't quite as good as most of the Call of Duty games of the era (or even Battlefield: Bad Company 2), it's Battlefield 3's multiplayer that ultimately takes the crown for being the best of the generation, complete with some of the most intense and action-packed 32-player maps that offered up something entirely different from Call of Duty.

• Release Date — November 4, 2008
• Developer — Insomniac Games
• Publisher — Sony Computer Entertainment
• Review Aggregate Score — 87% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 75% (Generally Favorable)

Similar to Battlefield 3, Resistance 2 is a game that scaled back its single-player campaign to focus on its multiplayer, and it ultimately ended up becoming one of the PS3's best first-person shooters as a result. While the single-player campaign of Resistance 2 is still good, it's not nearly as well-paced and narratively driven as its predecessor, but it honestly doesn't need to be. Resistance 2's multiplayer is good enough to have justified picking up the game, and it remains one of the only titles on the PS3 to boast up to 60 players in a single match. When it comes to PS3 shooters that do a great job of simulating the scale and chaotic conflict of warfare, few do it as well as Resistance 2.

• Release Date — November 17, 2006
• Developer — Insomniac Games
• Publisher — Sony Computer Entertainment
• Review Aggregate Score — 86% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 77% (Generally Favorable)

Both the first and the best game in the Resistance series, Resistance: Fall of Man, is a PS3 launch title every bit as essential as Call of Duty 2 was on the Xbox 360. In many ways, Resistance is actually better. Insomniac Games is no stranger to crafting off-the-wall fictional weaponry in its Ratchet and Clank games, and it took that expertise to the next level with the fictional sci-fi weaponry of Resistance, which imagines World War II-era technology blended with the advancements of the fictional race of aliens known as the Chimera. While Resistance's multiplayer mode was great for its time, it's the game's stellar single-player campaign that solidifies it as one of the PS3's best shooters.

• Release Date — December 11, 2007
• Developer — Valve
• Publisher — Valve
• Review Aggregate Score — 89% (Generally Favorable)
• User Score — 86% (Generally Favorable)

Regardless of which 7th-generation console you're discussing, it's impossible to talk about the "best games" on a platform without mentioning Valve's The Orange Box. The Orange Box isn't just one of the best shooters on the PS3, it's one of the PS3's best games, period. Not only do players get both Half-Life 2 and all its Episodic content, they get the groundbreaking Portal and one of the all-time great squad-based shooters with Team Fortress 2. Valve could have easily released each individual component in The Orange Box as a separate game, and they would all still be some of the best titles on the PS3, so that it packaged them together on a single disc marks it as the best value ever had in gaming.

• Release Date — February 27, 2009
• Developer — Guerrilla Games
• Publisher — Sony Computer Entertainment
• Review Aggregate Score — 91% (Universal Acclaim)
• User Score — 78% (Generally Favorable)

Looking back on Killzone 2 more than 15 years later makes it almost hard to believe that the game is that old, because it's still one of the best-looking first-person shooters ever made. Before Killzone 2's release, there was speculation as to whether the footage shown off was actually running on a PS3, and getting to go hands-on with the game only served to prove any doubters wrong, as Killzone 2 was a visual spectacle that showed off what the PS3 was capable of. More important than how it looked, though, was how Killzone 2 played, which was a major improvement over the first game in the series and the high point of the franchise as a whole.