First-person shooter games are always hit or miss for me, especially free ones. Sometimes you get incredible free FPS games that you and your friends can get hundreds of hours out of, and sometimes these games just pop up for a week or two and then the player base completely dies down.
So this list, in particular, was a little on the tougher side to make because I really wanted to showcase lots of games that you may have never heard of, but could have low player counts, and also feature titles that are just flat-out amazing FPS games but are more on the popular side of things.
So, I did a bit of both and compiled a variety of FPS games. So here are the top 10 best Free First-person Shooter Games that you can get right now on Steam.
10. Project Hardline
Okay and starting our list out we have Project Harline, it’s a first-person shooter that follows kind of like a search-and-destroy type of gameplay. The gunplay is actually really solid and I had a lot of fun playing it.
I do have to mention though that I wasn’t able to find any servers online, so I ended up getting Chug on and we played a 1v1 and I gotta say it was so much fun. It’s kinda of jank at times and the movement doesn’t always feel the best but it is a genuinely fun little game.
Currently, it only has 4 maps and you may need to start out making your own lobbies and having your friends join you but I would love to see this game get a bit more traction and start to have a following. I really, really, recommend checking out Project Hardline.
9. MetälBörn
MetälBörn is an interesting option on this list but I wanted to feature it because it’s kind of nostalgic in a way. Basically, the game is trying to be like the OG Doom games or something like the Serious Sam games, if you’ve ever played those.
It kind of feels like I stepped back in time to when I used to download random free games on the PlayStation 3, it’s kind of got those older graphics and gameplay styles to it. You also got the cringe one-liners from the characters and the cliche rock vibes.
I don’t know, in a way, it’s got a charm to it, like it doesn’t really care if it’s cringe or weird. It’s also super fast-paced and basically just a single-player wave game. The game’s soundtrack is really good too.
My only issue is the performance, it runs kinda bad and I have a pretty capable computer. So it’s a toss-up on whether this will run for you or not. Either way, I think it’s worth trying out.
8. Sectors Edge
Sector’s Edge is a game that’s been out for about 6 years at this point but really started picking up a few years ago. It’s one of the more polished and fast-paced FPS games on this list. The game is just solid, virtually everything on the map is destructible, and you can create structures and mine through things, not only that, but the gameplay is really good too.
There are tons of weapons to choose from and a variety of maps and game modes. It’s a pretty versatile FPS game. Unfortunately, though, the servers for the game are going to be going offline near the end of 2023. It received one last huge update but if you’re reading this article after the servers went offline or even before, the game can still be played offline with bots.
Honestly, the offline bot gameplay is still really fun. The game is super fun, the gameplay is really good and it’s just an overall good FPS game to have in your library.
7. World Boss
World Boss is severely underrated in my opinion. This game just came out as of this article’s release and it’s a ton of fun. Like I would genuinely play this with friends.
The game reminds me a lot of Fortnite in the way they present things. The menu is basically ripped straight from Fortnite but the gameplay and the general theme of the game are different.
The game is a 14-person free-for-all where you need to kill your way to the top of the leaderboards, if you keep your spot by a certain time in the round you end up becoming the “World Boss” and the whole server will end up trying to kill you.
It’s a really cool concept and I actually love the gameplay here. The guns feel good, they feel decently balanced, and you get to slide around and use your jetpack.
It’s just an all-around good fps game so honestly write this one down because this would be an excellent choice if you’re looking for something to play with friends or even alone in quick play.
6. FPS Chess
I’m not a huge chess person so FPS chess is exactly what I needed to get into it. Okay but if you’re actually someone who likes real chess this really isn’t chess. It’s kind of a meme game really but it’s fun if you want something to hop on and 1v1 your friends.
Don’t hate me but I prefer this 100 times over real chess, I guess I’m just not sophisticated enough. Basically, this is chess but whenever someone tries to take the other person's chess piece you go into a first-person mode and fight it out. Whoever dies loses their chess piece and the winner keeps their chess piece.
It’s cool though because the pieces have abilities that match their type. So if you are a horse and you take a queen, you’ll have to beat the queen with all her abilities and you have your own set.
I don’t know, I really like it and it makes chess fun for me. I know it’s not pure chess but I actually really enjoy this game and I think it would be a valuable free game to add to your Steam library.
5. Paint Warfare
Paint Warfare is insane..The footage you are seeing right now is not sped up at all it’s actually this fast-paced. It’s probably the fastest pace FPS game I’ve ever played, it’s just chaos and yet you can also get really good at the game and just be absolutely cracked.
The movement is a huge part of the game too, you have a double jump, a dash, and a grappling hook, so you can just crazy. It’s super smooth and a lot of fun, there are tons of different maps and game modes you can play. I also never had trouble finding lobbies, so there are still lots of people playing it.
It’s actually really fun especially if you like fast-paced movement gameplay. Highly recommend giving this one a try.
4. POLYGON
Polygon is a game we covered a few years ago actually and we stuck with playing it for a good while. I only recently revisited the game and it’s just as good as I remember, if not better.
It’s basically Battlefield in polygon form. It’s got really, really good gunplay and movement, and a decent amount of maps. I also had no trouble finding a lobby to join, there are usually a good number of people playing.
I mean, not much to say about it, it’s literally a free battlefield that is just reskinned, you may not get the crazy explosions and set pieces you get in battlefield but everything else is pretty much there. The value is insane with this one and I can easily see someone dumping more than a hundred hours into the game. Definitely something to check out.
3. SCP: Secret Laboratory
SCP: Secret Lab is a game that is very very special to me. I remember so many good moments from this game just staying up playing with friends, or even just interacting with people in the community. It’s hands down the best SCP game out there at the moment in my opinion.
If you don’t know what this game is or what it’s about, it’s a pretty lengthy explanation but I guess to summarize it's a horror multiplayer FPS game where there are multiple classes to play and a pretty decent-sized learning curve. We actually have a guide on our channel for how to play this game in 5 minutes or less so I recommend checking that out.
I don’t think people know of this game enough and it deserves all the love it’s gotten so far and so much more. It’s scary, hilarious sometimes, and just an all-around good time.
Download SCP: Secret Laboratory
2. Counter-Strike 2
I bet 99% of you know what Counter Strike 2 is but I just had to add it to the list. Maybe you’re like me and CS wasn’t really your thing, but I will say that Counter-Strike 2 with loads better in my opinion.
I couldn’t ever really get into Counter-Strike before but the second game just looks and feels better in general. It basically plays the same way but something about it being the second game got me excited for it and I hopped into it with some friends and I really like it.
It’s definitely very competitive so it’s going to cater to those types of people. You can obviously see how bad I am in the footage right now too. I feel I don’t need to explain what Counter-Strike is but as I said, if you haven’t tried it out yet and maybe you’ve been a bit hesitant, it really is worth the hype and I think it’ll bring in a lot of new players.
1. Treason
Ah, Treason, this game just had to be on the list and I’m happy I’m ending the list with this one. We found this gem randomly a few months ago and streamed it one night and it was just so much fun. I was not expecting to have as much fun in this game as I did and do.
Treason is basically Trouble in Terrorist Town from Gmod or Among Us with guns I guess is another way to describe it. The whole thing is packaged nicely in a 1930s-ish theme, so you got your Tommy guns and everyone is dressed in suits. It’s just such a fun game.
It has a lot more features and additions to your base TTT gameplay too, so if you’re going in expecting a vanilla version of TTT it’s not that. I actually think it does it better than the OG TTT.
The gameplay is super solid and I never had trouble finding people online. Oh, and they recently just came out with their biggest update yet which is super exciting. It means the game is still being played and still being worked on.
I think the best part about Treason is the community though. It’s so funny, you’ll find yourself in these lobbies where everyone progressively just gets more and more into character. So by the end, everyone is in full-on mafia mode and it’s just an experience you can’t get anywhere else.
This one is a must-try for sure.
Bonus: The Finals
Just throwing this bonus game in the list because, at the time of this article, The Finals isn’t been fully released quite yet, but take my word for it, this game is AMAZING! And it’s totally free which is also crazy to me considering the polish this game has.
Just from the beta and alpha releases I’ve played so far, this game is probably my favorite FPS game of the past few years at least. It just gets so many things right.
So, if you’re reading this and it’s already been released, check it out, and if you are reading this and it hasn’t been released yet, I would definitely recommend wishlisting this game and playing it once it goes live.
