What Are The Best Military FPS Games?

Arguably the most ubiquitous genre in gaming, there’s no shortage of Military FPS’s on the market, each with different takes on combat and varying levels of competitiveness. The choices out there can be overwhelming, so I made a list of the 15 best military shooters to get your boots muddy in.

Let’s take a look:

15. Holdfast: Nations of War

Set during the Napoleonic Era, Holdfast: Nations of War aims to recreate the warfare of the time. From battle lines to flag bearers, Holdfast has you covered if you’re looking for 19th-century combat.

What makes Holdfast: Nations of War awesome:

• Supports battles of 150 players or more.
• The fight is not limited to land, as naval combat is also an option.
• The playerbase doesn’t take itself too seriously which can lead to some pretty hilarious moments.

As your side converges on the enemy, the threat of a bayonet charge looms large.

True to the time, most skirmishes take place in open fields.

14. War of Rights

Set during the Maryland Campaign of 1862, War of Rights aims to be THE Civil War simulator. Play as the Union or Confederacy, and with an extra emphasis on realism, expect comically long reloads and quick deaths.

What makes War of Rights awesome:

• Choose from 95 playable regiments complete with their own ranks and uniforms.
• Take part in iconic battles like Antietam, South Mountain, and Harpers Ferry with unique combat areas in each.
• CYENGINE V easily makes War of Rights the best-looking Civil War game to date.

Teams with the best line formations are rewarded, reinforcing period-correct tactics.

Organize your company and take part in player-created events.

13. Heroes and Generals

If free-to-play games are your cup of tea, Heroes and Generals is for you. Set in WWII, play as the United States, Germany, or the Soviets and fight battles that contribute to an overarching narrative where the ultimate goal is to capture 15 cities.

What makes Heroes and Generals awesome:

• Whether getting kills or deploying resources, everything you do on the battlefield matters.
• There are more than 65 different weapons to unlock.
• Pilot more than 70 vehicles including tanks and aircraft.

Assist your allies in taking out the enemy's armor.

There are a multitude of ways to get to the action, but not all of them are glamorous.

12. Call to Arms

A truly unique hybrid of real time strategy and first person shooter, Call to Arms gives you the choice of commanding multiple units from a bird-eye view or fighting in the thick of it as a boots-on-the-ground soldier. Regardless of how you choose to play, the goal is the same: outflank and outgun the enemy by whatever means necessary.

What makes Call to Arms awesome:

• Impressive AI always poses a challenge, even in coop.
• The ability to seamlessly switch from soldier to commander is a gameplay mechanic you won’t find anywhere else.
• A map editor allows the community to build new scenarios and share them with others, ensuring there is always new content.

Every friendly soldier you can place a cursor over is playable.

Even all the vehicles are controllable.

11. Post Scriptum

Fight for control of the Netherlands in Post Scriptum. Strong teamplay is necessary in this standalone adaptation of Operation Market Garden, where group efforts trump individual heroics.

What makes Post Scriptum awesome:

• The true to life representation of the Netherlands circa WWII provides a varied landscape to fight over.
• Everything is a team effort, from piloting a Tiger tank to calling in an airstrike.
• The game is still growing, with more theaters of war set to be added.

The attention to historical detail is staggering.

Each player has a role to fulfill within their squad.

10. Spec Ops: The Line

Ok, I’m cheating a bit with this one, considering it’s 3rd person, but if you want the most unfiltered look at war possible, look no further than Spec Ops: The Line. After Dubai is hit with a devastating sand storm, your team is sent in to locate survivors, encountering numerous atrocities along the way.

What makes Spec Ops: The Line awesome:

• Make some of the most difficult choices in all of gaming.
• The shocking story will stay with you long after you’ve finished playing.
• No other game will make you question your own morality like this one.

Be prepared for many unsettling images.

Use the environment to your advantage.

9. Hell Let Loose

Tactical decisions abound in Hell Let Loose. Capture resources, call in artillery, build fortifications, and defend sectors in a bloody game of tug-of-war.

What makes Hell Let Loose awesome:

• Large 50v50 battles put WWII combat on a grand scale.
• Dynamic frontlines mean every game is different.
• With so many invaluable ways to contribute, firing a rifle is not always necessary.

Tanks are controlled by crews, rather than an individual.

Squad chemistry and coordination win gunfights.

8. Insurgency

Attempting to infuse the fast-paced nature of arcade shooters with the unforgiving qualities of a military simulator, Insurgency is all about close-quarters combat. Take extra care as you navigate to your objective. Every step could be your last.

What makes Insurgency awesome:

• This game does sound right. Bullets have an authoritative punch and the ambient noises keep you uneasy until the next gunfight.
• All 16 maps have nighttime equivalents.
• There are over 40 weapons in-game, all customizable with attachments.

Weapons behave like their real-life counterparts.

The weapons are faction specific, which means you won’t be a marine toting an AK.

7. Day of Infamy

Take the fight all over Europe in Day of Infamy. Built from the same engine as Insurgency, expect similarly brutal gunplay from this WWII shooter that has you storming the beaches of Normandy to fighting in the forests of Bastogne.

What makes Day of Infamy awesome:

• Play as 9 different classes within the game’s 33 unlockable units. Great care has been put into making each unit diverse, and there is combined over 8,000 lines of recorded dialogue.
• The 15 different maps provide a good mix of urban and rural combat.
• There are over 60 weapons each with options for in depth customization.

Toasting enemies alive with the flamethrower is devilish fun. Just beware getting shot in the back.

Make sure to keep your radio operator alive, as he is the direct line to fire support.

6. Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad with Rising Storm

The base game of Red Orchestra 2 puts its sights on the Battle of Stalingrad, recreating the bloody carnage that spanned from July 1942 to February 1943. Play as either the Germans or Soviets and relive one of the most hellish battles of WWII. Included with Red Orchestra 2 is the Rising Storm update which takes the game to the Pacific theater.

What makes Red Orchestra 2 awesome:

• There is not a more grim, gory WWII shooter on the market.
• PTSD inducing sound effects from dying soldiers begging for mercy to limb-ripping explosions.
• The tank warfare is some of the most immersive in the genre with the interiors painstakingly rendered and roles that can be filled out by either the AI or other players.

Fight off waves of ruthless enemies.

Watch helplessly as your comrades are mowed down by enemy fire.

5. Squad

There are no lone-wolves in Squad. Build, communicate, and plan your way to victory across several large sandbox-style maps inspired by modern-day battlefields.

What makes Squad awesome:

• Square off in 80 player all-out warfare featuring infantry combat and vehicles.
• Work together in a nine-man squad to adapt on the fly and outmaneuver your enemy.
• Construct impenetrable bases using the building system.

Fight for a variety of factions.

The visual fidelity in Squad is impressive.

4. Insurgency Sandstorm

In Insurgency Sandstorm, high-intensity close-quarters combat is doled out in a fictional Middle Eastern setting. Building on the elements that made the original Insurgency great, Sandstorm provides the same visceral gunplay with updated graphics and better character customization.

What makes Insurgency Sandstorm awesome:

• Retains the same amazing sound from the original Insurgency.
• The focus on close-quarters combat ensures you’re never far from the action.
• Console players will be able to get in on the action too, with a release set for Spring 2020. This is great news as there is an alarming lack of military simulators available on console.

Landing your shots is key.

Coordinate breaches with your team.

3. Rainbow 6 Siege

Few games have spawned such a die-hard fanbase like Rainbow 6 Siege. The simple formula of 5v5 attacking or defending an objective is further deepened by the use of operators. Siege’s bread and butter, operators add an incredible level of nuance to an already intricate game.

What makes Rainbow 6 Siege awesome:

• There’s always a new tactic to learn or operator to master.
• The ranking system based on player skill is unmatched by any other competitive game. Whether you’re ranked Copper or Diamond, Siege never lets you feel complacent in your rise to the top.
• Almost 4 years in, Ubisoft has proven it’s dedicated to keeping Siege alive by regularly adding new content.

Stakes are always high in the Ranked playlist.

Honing your skills in the Casual playlist is a must.

2. Arma 3

If you want unflinchingly real modern combat, look no further than Arma 3. Squad up with your friends and patrol the massive islands of Altis and Stratis, engaging tangoes on land, in the air, or at sea in the MILSIM all others compare themselves to.

What makes Arma 3 awesome:

• No game prides itself more on recreating the sheer intensity of a firefight.
• With multiple attachments for more than 40 weapons, tactical options are endless.
• Provides its community with the most sprawling scenario editors and modding tools in the genre.

Support your squad and lay waste to enemy forces with over 20 vehicles at your disposal.

The revamped animations and realistic ragdoll physics make combat feel fluid and gruesome.

1. Battlefield 5

Battlefield 5 marks the series long-awaited return to WWII. Introducing a slew of new elements such as the Attrition system which limits ammo and removes the ability to regenerate health without a health pack and a live service model called Tides of War, Battlefield 5 aims to shake up the franchise in a meaningful way.

What makes Battlefield 5 awesome:

• Boasting the best gunplay in the Battlefield franchise, long-range headshots with the Kar 98k and squad-wipes with the MG42 couldn’t feel more satisfying.
• Tides of War guarantees every new gun and map released is free to the entire playerbase, removing the paywall created by a premium pass.
• In-depth player customization for the first time in the franchise.

Battlefield’s 64 player conquest mode remains a staple of the series.

The fan-favorite Metro map gets a remake in Operation Underground.

Bonus: Call of Duty Modern Warfare

Modern Warfare is here and it’s time to get excited. The next installment in the long-running franchise acts as both a reboot and a glorious return to what made Call of Duty so great.

What makes Modern Warfare awesome:

• Buttery smooth gunplay vaults the series to another level.
• Supports 64 player matches, a series first.
• Has one of the best campaigns in the franchise.

Juggernauts make a triumphant return.

As does Captain Price.

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• Top 15 Online Multiplayer War Games
• The 15 Best Military Games In The World
• "Foxhole" a Military Strategy Game With Sandbox Features