FPS games and third-person shooters distract players with their intense action and glorious set pieces during their single-player and multiplayer modes. They can keep you invested for hours upon hours. We have listed ten of the best FPS or third-person shooters on PlayStation Plus Premium, ranked from worst to best.
Looking for the best shooters on Xbox Game Pass instead?
10 - Resistance 3
Aliens have taken over the earth, and it is up to you to resist these invaders during the mid-20th century. Resistance 3 delivers an enthralling world to explore as you face against the Chimera. The game will take you through multiple U.S. landscapes, such as New York, Mt. Pleasant, and Haven, Oklahoma, as you try to find a cure for the Chimeran Virus and resist your enemies as much as possible.
With Insomniac's experience of crafting weapons in the Ratchet & Clank series, you'd expect some unique equipment in this game. You would be right. The Atomizer shoots out electricity, while the Cryogun freezes its foes. Overall, Resistance 3 is a great FPS that deserves to be played; unfortunately, the multiplayer features were taken down many years ago. You'll also have to stream it to your PS4 or PS5 system from the cloud.
9 - Killzone Shadow Fall
Released as a PS4 launch title, Killzone Shadow Fall still acts as a stellar first-person shooter on the platform alongside PS5. The heaviness of the combat and the bullets is illustrated throughout the game and acts as a counterplay to the likes of Call of Duty, which is whip-fast. The visuals that are rendered in the same Decima engine as Horizon: Zero Dawn still hold up with some impressive scenery and glossy cutscenes. The touch pad is also utilized heavily in the game as you direct a robot to perform different strategic options with a swipe of your finger.
The game begins to become repetitive toward the second half, but Killzone Shadow Fall still acts as a striking FPS for your PS4 and PS5 from PlayStation Plus Premium. Just keep in mind that the multiplayer is pretty much dead at this point after nearly nine years. Maybe one day we'll get a sequel in the Killzone series as PlayStation steers its direction towards live-service titles.
Read more about Killzone Shadow Fall
8 - Control: Ultimate Edition
Nominated by The Game Awards for Game of the Year in 2019, Control is a phenomenal third-person shooter that takes the wild imagination of Remedy Entertainment and brings them to new heights. Using various psychic abilities, you can push objects in the area towards your foes while shooting at them with your unique pistol that changes forms. You can even levitate or turn your foes against each other. The bosses during the game feel lackluster, but overall, the combat is thrilling to play and the controls are solid, especially on PS5.
Depending on the PS4 you have, you may have some frame rate issues, however. Featuring trippy visuals and a unique artistic direction, Control will guide you through a stunning adventure that will be hard to forget. The Ultimate Edition also comes with the DLC. "Control is one hell of a game," said Samuel Guglielmo in his 9/10 review for TechRaptor. "Each fight is a frantic mess of destruction and chaos."
Read more about Control: Ultimate Edition
- Control Review
- Control - AWE Review
- It's Going to Get Weird: A Chat with Sam Lake and Courtney Hope About Control
- Catching Up with Remedy about Control
- Control: Building Remedy's Shared World
7 - Borderlands: The Handsome Collection
The Borderlands series is an accomplished looter shooter you should immerse yourself into, thanks to PlayStation Premium Plus. It includes the first three games: Borderlands, Borderlands 2, and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel alongside each game's DLC. It's a phenomenal package that will last you hundreds of hours. This FPS features many guns at your disposal as they're randomly generated. They may have heavier ammunition, elemental effects, or unique factors that you don't expect. The Vengeful Infinity weapon doesn't run out of ammo and shoots out infinity signs.
The script is usually comedic with some great call-back jokes that will make you laugh. For example, we love Handsome Jack's pet horse Butt Stallion, who is brought up by the antagonist multiple times in the narrative. It's even featured in the latest Tiny Tina's Wonderlands.
6 - Wolfenstein: The New Order
If you want gore, extreme action, and the vibes of a traditional FPS, Wolfenstein: The New Order should be your comfort game. Taking place in an alternate world where the Nazis won World War 2, you must resist against the terror that the new regime has brought down the U.S. and other regions of the world. While there are some surprisingly thrilling cutscenes throughout the adventure, the main event is the FPS action.
You have a slew of different weapons at your disposal, which feel great to utilize. The carnage is fast-paced and will keep you on your toes. Despite this being an eight-year-old game, Wolfenstein: The New Order still showcases terrific graphics with an enthrallingly dark art style backing it. If you haven't played Wolfenstein: The New Order, what are you doing?
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5 - Red Dead Redemption 2
Red Dead Redemption 2 to many is a magnum opus. It's filled with personality with well-rounded characters, engaging missions, and overall thoroughly entertaining open-world gameplay. The performances of each of the voice actors in this wild west adventure is superb, and the story is enthralling from beginning to end. It tackles subject matter not typically covered in the video game medium, which is refreshing and what you'd expect from the developer Rockstar Games. While the gunplay is not the best with restrictive controls, the game succeeds at immersing you into its Wild West world with entertaining missions and side quests. You can even come across certain characters as you explore the open world, who need your help or can aggravate you.
On the topic of the open environments, they look absolutely gorgeous and detailed to the brim. "It focuses on realism and believability more than anything else, taking its sweet time to carefully pore over every lavish detail and refusing to ever budge for the sake of convenience," Dan Hodges said in TechRaptor's Red Dead Redemption 2 review. The online posse gameplay of Red Dead Online is also enticing to many if you want to group up with your friends.
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4 - Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy by Eidos Montreal took what we love about the Marvel Cinematic Universe films and brings those expectations into a game format successfully. The game, which won our Game of the Year Award for 2021, is absolutely stellar with hilarious jokes and emotionally powerful scenes throughout. Some may be disappointed it's a single-player game, but it's a strength as you play as Starlord, the leader of the Guardians.
As you shoot enemies with your pistols, you can direct fellow teammates to combo attacks with you or cause a status ailment towards a foe. It's absolutely thrilling when you see a plan come together. Throughout the journey, you'll be challenged with puzzles as well that require all the Guardians to come together and utilize their unique abilities to proceed in the level.
Replayability is also encouraged by the decision-making elements of the game. You may experience completely different sections of the level, depending on what Starlord says and decides to act on. Marvel fans may geek out as well from the variety of comics and MCU-inspired costumes you can collect in-game. The art design behind the stunning graphics is also noteworthy. If you've played Marvel's Avengers and disliked it, please give Square Enix a second chance with Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy; it will smash your expectations like it did for me.
Read more about Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy:
- Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy review
- Guardians of the Galaxy Puts an Interesting Spin on the Sad Dad Trope
3 - DOOM
The classic FPS formula is one that will always attract new fans, no matter how old it becomes. Doom is the absolute pinnacle of that. This 2016 title upped the ante with hellish graphics, intense action, and overall badassery when it came to its gun selection. The action never stops in this id Software masterpiece as you rip and tear through your foes. It's also quite difficult, leading to you making strategic decisions in an instant.
The ability to punch foes to gain health is an essential addition to this reboot of the series as it keeps the action flowing through your veins. Something else that is worth mention is the legendary metal soundtrack by Mick Gordon; it will keep your pulse pounding as you exterminate incoming demons.
Read more about Doom
2 - The Last of Us Remastered
Naughty Dog is the master of the third-person shooter, hence why it has the top two spots for this PlayStation Plus Premium list. The Last of Us Remastered (not the upcoming The Last of Us: Part 1) is a groundbreaking title that reinvents what stories games can tell in the medium. The daughter-father-like relationship between Ellie and Joel is enthralling as they somehow survive against the odds against the Clickers and antagonist groups across the United States. It goes to places you don't expect, and the storytelling is unmatched.
This third-person shooter feels heavy as each shot truly counts in this scavenger world. Shots to the head feel powerful, and the action can get intense as you throw Molotov cocktails and other offensive items toward your foes. While this game's value may diminish after the release of The Last of Us Part 1 on PS5, this will still have value to those who can only afford a PS4 right now and have a PlayStation Plus Premium subscription.
1 - Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection
Arguably the best PlayStation franchise of all time, Uncharted, provides a lot of value on PlayStation Plus Premium. All of the games in the series are available on the service, but the best way to start the series is with The Nathan Drake Collection. It comes with the first three games remastered for the PS4. The Uncharted franchise has blockbuster action as Naughty Dog keeps upping the stakes. For example, in Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, you are on a moving train, platforming from place to place as you're trying to avoid obstacles and shooting bad guys.
Each of the games feels smooth while aiming, and dodging incoming explosives is satisfying. The script that follows the characters as they explore exotic locations is superb with hilarious one-liners and many endearing moments between the cast. Let's hope the remastered Legacy of Thieves collection releases on PlayStation Plus Premium as well.
Read more about Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection
- Uncharted 3 Anniversary Retrospective: Shackled By Its Precursor's Legacy
- TechRaptor Podcast: Uncharted Movie Impressions, Horizon Forbidden West
That concludes our list of the best PlayStation Plus Premium shooters. Are there any that we've missed? Let us know in the comments below. We've listed some of the best RPGs and hidden gems on the PlayStation Plus Premium service as well.
PlayStation Plus Premium access was provided to the writer by PlayStation Canada.
Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net
The British “Canadian” Chris Penwell has been a video game journalist since 2013 and now has a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from MacEwan University.… More about Chris
