With Battlefield V, Call of Duty: Black Ops IV, and Insurgency: Sandstorm making the list, it’s time for us to brush the dust off our knees, polish our boots, and oil our weapons of choice as we prepare for these 10 upcoming first-person shooter games coming in 2018 and 2019.
First person shooters are a delight. We love them, we can’t get enough of them, and the more realistic they are, the better they get. That’s the thing we love about these titles. We almost feel as if we could wake up, get a fresh breath of napalm scented air, and head out onto the front lines of the battle that ensues in order to get our digital killstreaks going.
However, not all of us know exactly what games to watch out for and what exactly they are. Sometimes the best of them just happen to slip under our radars until we see a stream, a sale, or something of the sort catch our eyes.
In order to keep that from happening, we got you covered, we’ve dusted off your favorite bulletproof vest, polished your boots, and even oiled your guns so that you can get back in the action when these upcoming titles launch.
11. Witchfire | The Astronauts
Have you ever wondered what the team behind the world renowned title The Vanishing of Ethan Carter had been up to all this time? Well, I have and it certainly seems that curiousity is paying off. As part of their upcoming projects, The Astronauts have finally shown off their upcoming dark fantasy first person shooter that some would say is easily an upcoming successor to id Software’s Heretic series that’s been off in limbo for the past 20 years.
Now, their seemingly PC exclusive title will be setting itself apart from other shooters with its unique use of a dark fantasy setting. Luckily for us, the team behind this game isn’t exactly new to the first person shooter genre thanks to the experience of the creative leads behind titles such as Painkiller and Bulletstorm being on the team.
This will, however, be one of the must unique titles on the market as the game will use photogrammetry tech that was used in The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. This tech will allow for one of the most visually stunning games thanks to its natural look. The only thing that sucks? We’ve got a long wait ahead of us before we get our hands on Witchfire.
10. Metro Exodus | 4A Games
The end of the world is already one of the craziest things we can imagine. Whether its nuclear fallout, mutant invasions, or a bunch of Nazi’s that need punched in the face, it almost seems that Fallout would have everything covered in this approach. As part of the “end of the world” theme, Russia seems to have it the worst in the Metro franchise by 4A Games. Their latest adventure is the bravest yet, which takes us away from the linear gameplay of Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light.
Now, we certainly seem to see things going on a larger scale and this means that we’re going to see a lot more of the post-apocalyptic world that series creator Dmitry Glukhovsky had imagined. This time around, it’s bigger, it’s meaner, and there’s a whole lot more for players to explore as they take on the role of series protagonist Artyom as he sets off on a journey with the Spartan Rangers across the continent.
09. World War 3 | The Farm 51
when it comes to realistic shooters and offering players the most they can get out of it, that’s where World War 3 comes into play. Combining realistic elements ranging from strong team play, real locations, full body awareness, and a versatile customization system, fans will have a lot to look forward to later this year.
Toss in the fact that this game is about to be as real as it can be thanks to the cooperation of military R&D centers and consultants helping The Farm 51 with World War 3. The game will show off real in-game consequences of every battle that happens in the context of a global war campaign through the use of a strategic war map. The only thing we don’t know about the game is when we can expect it to launch into Early Access later this year.
08. GTFO | 10 Chambers Collective
Horde shooters are still all the craze in recent days. With titles such as Space Hulk: Deathwing, Warhammer: Vermintide 2, and Earthfall, it’s hard to ignore these style of games. Luckily for us, when it comes to cooperative games, 10 Chambers Collective’s team are no strangers to what it takes in order to create a solid coop title. Being comprised of mostly former Payday and Payday 2 developers, 10 Chambers Collective has a lot of experience under their belts with what they know gamers will want in the scheme of things.
From everything we’ve seen and learned post-E3, GTFO isn’t your next-in-line zombie game. Instead, you’re facing down against something scarier, deadlier, and more determined than a bunch of flesh-eating zombies. These creatures are fast, deadly, and attack in overwhelming numbers. To be short, they’re like a cross between the zombies from World War Z and the Clickers from The Last of Us. The only downside about this game? We’ve not seen a lot about it since its announcement at The Game Awards 2017.
But at the moment, we don’t have a release window nor do we know if it’ll release on this gen consoles or wait a few years and launch on the next-gen Xbox One and PlayStation consoles.
07. HYPERGUN | Nvyve Studios
While we aren’t busy exploring the devastated floating city of Eden, we certainly are trying to prepare for another alien invasion, one that has led to Earth being absolutely ravaged by alien forces. Now, the fate of the human species will now depend on DevTech Labs and their super secretive program called – you guessed it – HYPERGUN. This highly advanced simulation is designed to help create the ultimate weapon to help humanity fight back against their alien invaders.
Their only option? Develop a weapon that uses combined weapon components across countless simulations. Can you guess who gets to test it? You of course. It’s a dead give away as you take on the role of Dewey Owens, an intern at DevTech Labs who has grown tired of the alien invaders. Now, all you need to do is to explore all 150 weapon modules and collect them all as you blast your way through simulations filled with aliens later this year.
06. Fear the Wolves | Vostok
Whether you you’ve played the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series or not, you probably know about the games. There’s no doubt you’ve taken the dive, given them a once over and either played or passed on them. Regardless of where you stand, you already know that this team is great at messing with the heads of gamers, they’re great – if not amazing at doing so. But what about when it comes to the Battle Royale genre that is in full gear at the moment?
That’s where Vostok comes into play. These guys aren’t just your average Battle Royale designers. Instead, they are giving the genre their very own take ranging from the addition of dangers lurking about such as deadly wolves, mutated abominations, and other players. Luckily for us, the wait for this game is almost over and it’ll no doubt be one to write home about later this year when it launches on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
05. Call of Duty: Black Ops IV | Treyarch
If you’re a Call of Duty naysayer like myself, this past beta weekend had a lot to show you. This isn’t just your cookie cutter Call of Duty. Rather, this is a whole different game. It’s one that is showing that the series can indeed evolve based on player feedback. Luckily for us, this multiplayer focused title has evolved more than one would expect. It’s bigger, it’s meaner, and it’s a game that focuses on team work and cooperative play even in its most competitive modes.
Long gone are the days of us locking in as three or four or even full teams of a single character. Instead, it’s a single operator per player and what’s even better? We’re going Battle Royale with the Blackout mode and even four dedicated zombie modes. The details, unfortunately, are extremely limited when it comes to the Blackout mode, but we’re sure to learn more this September when it officially goes into its beta.
04: Battlefield V | DICE
Whether you are looking forward to two of the biggest hitting titles in the shooter genre or not, Battlefield V should definitely be on your radar. It’s one that doesn’t seem to be holding back any of its historical punches or intricate designs. Instead, it looks like DICE is going one step further this time around.
The war stories look like they’re not going to just be action packed experiences, but ones with meaningful tales to tell, characters to see, and even a reason for us to dive head deep into its lore. The only downside to this entire game? It’s getting a Battle Royale mode just like it’s competitor title.
03. Insurgency: Sandstorm | New World
Since the announcement of Insurgency: Sandstorm, a lot has been going on behind the scenes. We’ve seen upgraded graphics, upgraded gameplay elements, and even the FPS action preparing to make its way to PC later this year with a console version slated for early 2019.
But the real draw to Insurgency: Sandstorm is its level of authenticity, it’s level of realism, and one that seeks to change how we look at realistic military shooters. The only difference here is noticable: it looks real, it acts real, and New World isn’t drawing back a single punch. Rather, they’re going full speed ahead with a realistic shooter, one where bullet drop matters, communication is key, and that sniper scope? It’ll get you killed if you aren’t careful. Right now is just the waiting game period.
02. DOOM Eternal | id Software
Since its reveal during E3 2018, id Software has been the talk of the town with the reveal of their sequel to the 2016 critically acclaimed franchise reboot. But now, here we are, headed down the road of a sequel that already promises to be bigger, badder, and way meaner than before. This means demons new and old, bigger guns, and even more of Hell’s forces to kick the ever living crap out of.
The only downside? We won’t know a lot about the game until later this week when id Software fully pulls the veil back from the game itself. This way we’ll get our first look at the games story, gameplay elements and the improvements that have been made to the upcoming sequel.
01. Cyberpunk 2077 | CD Projekt Red
With Cyberpunk 2077 on its way in 2019, we already have an amazing future to look forward to and with the seal of approval from by tabletop series creator Mike Pondsmith himself. With the game being as massive as it sounds, as highly customized as CD Projekt Red has already said it to be, we can only assume that Cyberpunk 2077 is going to be a massive undertaking in its very own right.
In the Cyberpunk 2077 we already know your choices will matter, you’ll have a lot to work with, and ultimately, you’ll be doing everything you can to shape the world around you for better or for worse. While we know the game will be an amazingly detailed aventure, we just don’t know when in 2019 we’ll get to see the game.
The Conclusion
This year and next are already seeing some powerful hitters entering the line-up. While I’m sure there are plenty more that will go under the radar, this list is already looking to be a definitive one, one with plenty going to manage swooping under the radar later this year into next. Luckily, there’s still time to list them off and there’s still plenty of time for us to give the other games a second look when they release or are announced.
Did I miss a game you would have placed on the list? Let us know in the comments below.
About the Writer(s):
Dustin is our native console gamer, PlayStation and Nintendo reviewer who has an appetite for anything that crosses the boarders from across the big pond. His interest in JRPG’s, Anime, Handheld Gaming, and Pizza is insatiable. His elitist attitude gives him direction, want, and a need for the hardest difficulties in games, which is fun to watch, and hilarity at its finest. You can find him over on Twitter or Facebook.