Updated September 2026
This is the ranking of the best FPS Games, sorted by NextGameLike Score: a 0-100 metric blending Steam reviews, IGDB ratings (community and critic), Metacritic, OpenCritic and the NextGameLike community votes into a single number. Unlike opinion-based editorial lists, this order is computed from real data and applies a Bayesian shrinkage adjustment so games with few reviews can't inflate the top of the chart. Portal 2, Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: VR Mod lead the chart — the highest-rated titles in the genre according to our data. The top-25 average NextGameLike Score is 91/100, out of 298 games catalogued. The ranking updates continuously as new reviews and votes come in.
Top 3
Top of “The 20 Best FPS Games (2026)”: Portal 2 (95.1/100). Close behind: Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: VR Mod.
Ranked by NextGameLike Score · 298 games catalogued
Players and critics agree on Portal 2, which is rarer than it sounds in FPS Games. No other entry of the 20 has a higher share of positive reviews: 99%. Hence the first place.
Players and critics agree on Half-Life 2, which is rarer than it sounds in FPS Games. It holds the best critic score on the whole list, 96/100. That puts it at number 2.
No argument here: Half-Life 2: VR Mod wins over players and critics alike. That puts it at number 3.
BioShock is one of the few FPS Games where players and critics say the same thing. That gets it into the top 10, at number 4.
Players and critics agree on Half-Life, which is rarer than it sounds in FPS Games. That gets it into the top 10, at number 5.
Super Metroid earns its place on presence rather than on a score. It is the oldest game in the ranking (1994) and still here. That gets it into the top 10, at number 6.
The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is one of the few FPS Games where players and critics say the same thing. That gets it into the top 10, at number 7.
Half-Life 2: Episode One is one of the few FPS Games where players and critics say the same thing. That gets it into the top 10, at number 8.
No argument here: Left 4 Dead 2 wins over players and critics alike. It is the most reviewed of the 20: 1,032,759 Steam reviews. That gets it into the top 10, at number 9.
No argument here: Cuphead wins over players and critics alike. That gets it into the top 10, at number 10.
No argument here: Hotline Miami wins over players and critics alike. It lands at 11 of 20.
Quake is one of the few FPS Games where players and critics say the same thing. It lands at 12 of 20.
BioShock Infinite is here because of its players — they are who it won over. It lands at 13 of 20.
Half-Life 2: Episode Two is one of the few FPS Games where players and critics say the same thing. It sits at 14 of 20.
Call of Duty (2003) is one of the few FPS Games where players and critics say the same thing. It lands at 15 of 20.
Call of Duty Warchest is one of the few FPS Games where players and critics say the same thing. It lands at 16 of 20.
Black Mesa is one of the few FPS Games where players and critics say the same thing. It is the newest on the list (2020), and has already earned its place. It sits at 17 of 20.
Doom is here because of its players — they are who it won over. It lands at 18 of 20.
Left 4 Dead is one of the few FPS Games where players and critics say the same thing. It lands at 19 of 20.
Critics were lukewarm on Quake III Arena; players were not. It lands at 20 of 20.