Some of them did a better job than the others, though, and choosing a favorite among them was surprisingly easier than a similar choice in other categories. Are you curious to know which one caught our fancy in this very competitive corner of the gaming world? Let’s begin with the nominees and work our way up from there.

Let’s jump right in! The nominees for the best shooter of 2025 are:

1. Escape From Tarkov

There’s so much to like about this one. It does a brilliant job of making you feel like you’re a battle-hardened mercenary, while its movement systems and excellent weapon variety make it a very viable option for those of you who like playing multiplayer online. Its premise does a great job at providing context for your actions, while the visuals can make things quite immersive indeed.

As far as shooters go, Escape From Tarkov is definitely up there with the best ones of 2025.

2. Arc Raiders

Innovative, intense, and very interesting Arc Raiders’ spin on the extraction shooter formula has given its players a chance to create some truly memorable experience. Its post-apocalyptic world is one in which you can’t really trust anybody but when you find someone you can, it’s a beautiful moment with the potential for some spectacular ambushes on other Raiders.

It’s all so fast-paced and dripping with agency for its players that this gameplay loop is one that’s going to keep us diving back for more every time we get the chance.

3. Battlefield 6

Battlefield 6 had a lot riding on its shoulders after the debacle that was Battlefield 2042. The game has managed to live up to the hype, however, despite a poor response to its single player campaign. Its visuals are outstanding while the Kinesthetic movement system does wonders for its gameplay.

The Portal is so much better this time around, while its weapons, destructible environments, and a general feel of polish being a part of the experience make this one worth owning.

4. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl (PS5)

As a version of STALKER 2 that came complete with all of the game’s updates over the past year along with some great touches from GSC that made use of the DualSense’s haptics and adaptive triggers, the PS5 version of the game is the one to beat.

It’s very immersive while the improved and patched A-Life system and the newly added improvements to stealth make exploring The Zone on your PS5 an experience in which you’re always at risk even as you hunt down your enemies with skill and precision. The story is great and the world is one in which there is a lot of potential for unscripted chaos.

5. DOOM: The Dark Ages

The Slayer returned for a third instalment that channels everything that makes the first-person shooter genre so exhilarating. However, id Software’s switched-up gameplay loop coupled with a setting that explored the early days of the Slayer’s battles against enemy forces made this one a brutal romp through incredibly rendered environments.

Of course, those environments were peppered with deadly enemies and cool weapons for the Slayer to take on, and the entire experience is a blast from start to finish. You can’t go wrong with a DOOM: The Dark Ages title if you’re in the market for a new shooter.

6. Sniper Elite: Resistance

Rebellion’s return to the Sniper Elite franchise has been a largely entertaining trip, and watching Harry Hawker take on the Wunderwaffe was a delight. Of course, the gameplay mechanics were a huge part of that happiness, with a lot of freedom being given to players in determining their approach to a target.

The X-ray kill cam, and a lot of solid optional content makes this a great choice for those of you who like to shoot from a distance.

7. The Outer Worlds 2

This follow up to its 2019 predecessor is an RPG that’s going to have you grinning to yourself on many occasions even as you power through some intense battles and navigate a complex world with nuanced interactions between its factions and your character. The Outer Worlds 2 is full of memorable moments that’s balanced out by a story with some serious stakes..

With a lot of potential for build creation and excellent replay value, this is a game that can suck up a massive chunk of your life if you decide to take it on.

8. Escape From Duckov

Team Soda’s unique spin on an extraction shooter balances adorable characters with nail-biting action in this one. The top-down presentation works well to give weight to its mechanics while the visuals and story lend it a pace that’s quite satisfying.

As a single-player extraction shooter, Escape from Duckov stands out from the crowd, with a gameplay loop that seems deceptively simple until a firefight breaks out. It’s definitely worth a shot (pun intended).

9. Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition

Although the main campaign was a little too short for our liking, this tension-filled trek through a Xenomorph-infested facility was quite thrilling. The Xenos are brutal and relentless, coming at you from every possible angle while you’re left scrambling to find a good position and launch your counterattack.

The story on offer is quite riveting too, and it can be very rewarding to hunt down all of the lore drops you find in the well-rendered world. If only the next chapter of the story could get here faster.

10. Metroid Prime 4: Beyond

Metroid Prime 4: Beyond has been a great game, making us burn the midnight oil more often than usual thanks to how addictive its gameplay loop can be. Its combat mechanics are top shelf while your psychic powers can be the road to some very creative ways to cause mayhem.

This one is a great addition to the Switch 2 lineup, and ticks all the right boxes that make up a solid shooter.

11. Metal Eden

If you’re a fan of shooters that require you to move fast and shoot faster, look no further than Metal Eden. With a lot of excellent mobility options at your disposal in the field, along with great weapons and a very well-implemented bullet time mechanic, Aska is capable of taking on the android antagonists who stand between her and the Cores.

Its gameplay and level design are somewhat let down by a lack of balancing and weapon progression systems but it’s still an excellent shooter nonetheless.

12. Borderlands 4

The Vault Hunters have returned, and with style. This is an action RPG that doesn’t take itself too seriously unless it’s an aspect of the experience that really counts. As such, its story and gameplay are excellent, while the franchise’s unique art style continues to hold its own among current-gen productions.

With an open world that hides a lot of fun things to do, and the franchise’s signature style guiding you along, you’re going to want to keep an eye on the clock as you play this one unless you’re planning to lose track of time.

13. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Master Crafted Edition

Sneakybox’s remaster of Demetrian Titus’ 2011 adventure continues to be a brilliant Warhammer 40k game. While it can be a little over-the-top in certain moments of its story, the combination of melee and ranged combat works very well with the weapon variety on offer and the narrative framing of the Ultramarines.

This is a quintessential Warhammer experience and is one that’s worth diving into even after all these years.

14. Ready or Not (PS5/Xbox Series X | S)

We’re going to tell you that this one came quite close to being the victor of this 2025’s best shooter. Its gameplay loop is filled with a sort of tension that comes from a presentation that’s done exceedingly well. It’s straightforward and easy to grasp while its moment to moment unpredictability make it a challenge to master.

Even the best of players might find themselves in the midst of a chaotic shootout, a single mistake costing them a lot of careful planning and tactical infiltration. Ready or Not is a masterpiece but it might not be everybody’s cup of tea thanks to its sensitive content.

15. Gears of War: Reloaded

Markus Fenix’s PS5 debut was all sorts of awesome. With a visual overhaul of the original experience working well with a story that continues to be as exciting as was back in the day, Gears of War continues to be a franchise that does the shooter genre justice.

From the nostalgia factor alone, to the mechanics and weapons you can wield, Gears of War: Reloaded is a great shooter, and its multiplayer scene continues to thrive thanks to the franchise’s immense popularity.

Well, we’ve put our cards on the table. And now comes the challenge of selecting a winner. While it hasn’t been easy and competition has been intense.

The winner of the best shooter of 2025 is…

Arc Raiders

This is a title that’s so unique and full of potential for community-driven chaos that it simply races ahead of its competition, bringing a very unique experience to the extraction-shooter space while its gameplay loop lends itself very well to unpredictability and tension between its world’s inhabitants. Lose yourself in this one, and you’re going to find that your fellow Raiders are your best friends and worst enemies all at once.

It’s been awesome trying out all of 2025’s greatest shooters. Here’s to many more excellent ones in 2026!

With only a few days left before its launches, however, it’s incredible that another extraction shooter without much marketing should suddenly rise to prominence. I’m talking about Team Soda’s innocuous and not at all snarkily titled Escape From Duckov. Released on PC via Steam on October 16th, it sold over 500,000 copies at the time of writing this piece (Update: Over a million now). Not only that but its concurrent player counts have been steadily rising, recently hitting a peak of 182,509 at this time.

It also currently has an “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating with 95 percent of its 6,683 user reviews giving it the thumbs-up. But those looking at its cartoony style and top-down approach may wonder if it isn’t just another attempt to parody a more popular title while inserting ducks into the mix – see Duckside – with mixed results. The Metacritic score would certainly have you think so. There are only five reviews but it’s currently at a 75. Not great but nothing that screams “must-play.”

Thankfully, that isn’t the case. Despite its humorous style, Escape From Duckov is very much a serious extraction shooter. And yet, you have to wonder why it’s so popular and blowing up so quickly.

Perhaps above all else is the fact that it’s a PvE extraction shooter. There are no other players on the field – no one to kill you, unfettered and take away your precious loot. Of course, that means no co-op either. It’s just you, as an ordinary duck, escaping from a prison cell with nothing but a stick and trying your darndest to survive in this bizarre world. After obtaining a pistol and eventually discover a bunker that becomes your base.

Despite the lack of, well, anything, it’s not long before you’re building a weapon shop, setting up a gym, and a workbench to craft items from all the junk scoured in the wild. The progression is rogue-lite in a sense, as you gather blueprints, unlock new skills to improve stamina recovery and other stats, becoming that much more capable of surviving out in the wild. And yes, the typical vendors provide quests, whether it’s gathering items or slaying items, which encourages exploring the five maps. All of this, however, is in service of your one purpose – escaping Duckov.

Because for all intents and purposes, this is a single-player title with a fixed ending and even if you reach it, there’s over 50 hours of content to experience.

None of this would matter if the game wasn’t fun or the mechanics solid, and thankfully, Escape From Duckov has you covered there as well. There are over 50 weapons, from the realistic – like the AK-47 and an M14 – to the imaginative such as the Cube Gun and Billy Gun which, despite its name, is actually good for electrocuting enemies. If you fancy melee weapons, there’s an eclectic selection, from butcher knives and the Karambit to a Battle Axe.

It’s a case where the more cartoony premise allows for more leeway when it comes to the weapon fantasy, but the shooting is also delightfully on point as well. The top-down perspective may not present the same level of immersion as Tarkov or even ARC Raiders, but weapons still have effective range. Utilizing cover is important for surviving, especially when you’re pushing deeper into locations. The fact that it’s not stingy when doling out ammo also allows for some experimentation, especially with all the different ammo and weapon mod types available.

This is also still a survival experience. A storm is closing in on you, dealing extensive damage if you don’t have any protection. Having to adapt to the weather is key as is managing your hunger, thirst and injuries. There may be ducks running around and gunning each other down but bullet wounds still require treatment, lest you bleed out.

Even with a PvE-only approach, Escape From Duckov can be challenging and like any other notable extraction shooter, it’s easy to lose your hard-earned loot through some bad plays. But the best part is that it’s all within your control. You can decide how challenging the game should be and play at your own pace without worrying about losing it all to other players. While that’s a core element of the genre – the constant danger and risk – Duckov offers enough in a single-player format to mimic the same minus much of the frustration.

It’s not like Team Soda suddenly came out of nowhere with this – two demos launched earlier this year, which also served as kind of pseudo-tests to refine the gameplay and progression, improving the overall experience. Keep in mind that this is a relatively small development team and that Escape From Duckov is about $16 currently (but wouldn’t be that much more expensive without its 12 percent launch discount) while offering a stunning amount of value. Is it going to cater to those who don’t enjoy the extraction shooter loop? Probably not.

But the fact that it’s arrived in such a polished state with no microtransactions and even more updates on the way is great. The fact that it’s a single-player experience when Tarkov players suffered for years without a PvE server is also notable (Battlestate Games would eventually announce one but somehow turned that into one big mess after another on top of everything else). Perhaps even more amazing is that Escape From Duckov features Steam Workshop support, allowing players to create their own weapons, quests, and even full-fledged maps.

It’s probably a sign of the extraction shooter genre as a whole that Duckov could become so successful while there’s still sufficient hype for something like ARC Raiders. Like the genre has been so starved of worthwhile offerings, wallowing in the likes of Tarkov (which is coming to Steam but must be purchased again, even if you own the game already) with little reprieve. Such is the nature of competition – sit on your laurels long enough and eventually, someone will release a worthwhile alternative to steal interest. Maybe not for the longest period – which you could chalk up as being a weakness of Duckov due to its single-player nature – but in a significant way, all the same.

Honestly, even if it’s successful by virtue of the competition or lack thereof in the PvE space, I’m hoping that Team Soda continues to expand on the title, adding new maps, weapons, mechanics, progression systems, and more. This kind of development alongside community interaction and listening to what players want while sticking to a concrete vision has resulted in some truly incredible games over the decades. Here’s hoping that it achieves even a fraction of that success, quacking all the way to the bank in the process. If Tarkov could inspire something like this, then I can’t wait to see what Escape From Duckov inspires in the indie space.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Though the name is a fairly unsubtle riff on Escape From Tarkov, the gameplay is purely PvE-focused. Players start as an ordinary duck and traverse five different maps, acquiring loot and fending off dangerous foes. Upon extracting, they can use resources to upgrade their base.

Eventually, you’ll unlock new abilities, blueprints for crafting, and much more, steadily improving your arsenal and stats. There’s even a story of sorts, as players must learn the “truth of Duckov,” such as it is. Even if the narrative doesn’t hold much appeal for some, over 50 hours of gameplay await. Team Soda promises additional updates, so stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks and months.