Looking for a new shoot-em-up to sink your teeth into? Our list of the best free shooting games will give you a wide variety of combat titles to try out without paying a single penny. Whether you like realistic FPS games or tactical vehicular military simulators, there's something in here for you.
In this list, we count down ten free shooting games that we reckon will appeal to gamers of all interests. From cartoony battle royales to futuristic shooters, if you like letting the bullets fly, you'll find a new obsession here. Even better, none of them will cost you, so you can give them all a shot if you so wish.
Here are the best free shooting games
- Enlisted
- World of Warships
- World of Tanks
- Splitgate
- Warframe
- Crossout
- Fortnite
- Valorant
- Call of Duty: Warzone
- Apex Legends
Enlisted
Enlisted is quite unlike anything else you'll find on this list. A free-to-play FPS on consoles, it's a very competent alternative to games like Warzone. Set during key battles in World War II, the gameplay focus is on squad cooperation and tactics, making it much more challenging than your average shooter.
With triple-A graphics, massive maps, and a realistic time-to-kill, it's more like Arma than Call of Duty in a lot of ways. Best of all, it's completely free to play. If you've had your fill of Warzone action but still want some realism in your FPS games, then Enlisted could be for you. Available on both consoles and PC, there's no reason not to try out a match.
World of Warships
If you're looking for a deep online shooter that you can easily sink hundreds of hours into, then World of Warships is for you. It's much more focused on the military side of things, and as you may expect, is all about naval warfare. You'll command your own fleet of hulking ships, brimming with cannons in intense seafaring battles.
It's a game that doesn't provide the instant gratification of something like Warzone, with a much slower, more methodical gameplay loop that rewards strategic thinking. You work in a squadron of ships, with 12v12 battles providing the most epic fights on the roster. Alongside smaller 1v1 modes, as well as Domination and other objective-based fights, and there's plenty for fans of naval warfare to dig into.
World of Tanks
If you like the sound of World of Warships but prefer a military shooter more, ahem, grounded, then World of Tanks is for you. This game actually came out before World of Warships, though it comes from the same developer, giving you an idea of what to expect. Take the controls of a range of tanks from across the 20th century, and dive into faster-paced PVP battles.
World of Tanks is slightly less tactical due to the more mobile nature of its vehicles, but still has plenty to offer. With over 600 tanks to choose from and sprawling 15v15 battles, it's an even more expansive version of the World of Warships blueprint. If you like your shooters military-focused and incredibly tactical, the 'World of' games are for you.
Splitgate
Next is Splitgate, a game that was almost impossible not to fall in love with when it first blew up in the summer of 2021. Combining fast-paced FPS combat with the dimension-hopping physics of the Portal games, it's a shooter with verticality and invention at its core.
More than just generic firefights, Splitgate lets you open up two-way portals across the map to send bullets careening in a different direction - or even letting you escape in a nifty fashion. If you've played it before but dropped off, then now is the best time to dive back in, with a season 2 expansion landing in early June. You may have forgotten about it, but Splitgate is still going strong.
Warframe
Talking about going strong, Warframe is a very long-lasting entry in the free-to-play shooter genre. Originally launching in March 2013 and finding an audience on PS4 and Xbox One, the game is even more popular these days with over 50 million lifetime players.
A third-person shooter, Warframe places you as a ninja imbued with technological powers. You choose from a range of different Warframe builds, each having its own perks such as the parasitic Nidus or the tanky Rhino. It combines MMO character builds with fast-paced shooting, making it a surefire hit.
Crossout
Crossout is another vehicle-based shooter that's totally free, but its setting is starkly different to what you've seen before. This is an apocalyptic spin on the formula, and is one of the newer games on this list, releasing in 2021. Even more than that, the shooting mechanics are built into certain cars, making this more like a cross between Mad Max and Twisted Metal than your average FPS.
Customisation is at the core of Crossout, as you uniquely set up each element of your magnum opus on wheels. Different liveries, weapons, wheels, and perks exist to completely hone the vehicle to your liking, letting you go for either a rapid car that can dodge attacks to a cannon-fuelled behemoth. Combine that with a sprawling open world, and you can live your apocalyptic shoot-em-up dreams.
Fortnite
Next is a game that's impossible not to have played before. Fortnite has been one of the most popular free-to-play shooters of the past five years for good reason: it's consistently entertaining and engaging for seasoned gamers and newcomers. The premise is so simple: an island populated by 100 people, all vying to be the last one standing, as you plod through a growing storm to loop up and defeat enemies.
Fortnite has become something of a cultural touchstone now, thanks to the countless licensing crossovers with everything from Star Wars to RoboCop. While the gameplay doesn't tend to ever change drastically, there's something about it that always keeps players coming back. Alongside the new no build mode that really tests your shooting skill, Fortnite is one of the best in its league.
Valorant
If you prefer a more competitive, skill-based shooter that's totally free to play, then Valorant is for you. The latest F2P release from Riot Games, Valorant is a PC-only FPS that really requires you to put in the hours to hone your skills. Matches are the standard FPS fare that anyone familiar with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will recognise, but with a futuristic twist to keep the presentation fresh.
In Valorant, you'll need to pick an agent to main, developing their skills and buffs as you go. In that sense, it's similar to other arena shooters like Overwatch, with more of a focus on precise gunplay. You'll need to have pinpoint accuracy and a very steady aim, but Valorant is there to reward hardcore shooter fans.
Call of Duty: Warzone
Next, for something much more casual, but no less enjoyable. Ever since the battle royale spin-off of the Call of Duty franchise landed in March 2020, it's been one of the most consistently popular titles in gaming. Initially starting as a 100-player trip to the fictional town of Verdansk, there are now modes set in Cold War-era Caldera, and a more streamlined Rebirth Island mode.
But at its core, Warzone is Call of Duty gunplay transposed onto the last-man-standing formula. Think very quick TTKs, plenty of equipment, and consistently fast-paced encounters. It's taken the series to new heights at a point where it could've started going stale, and proven how Call of Duty will seemingly never die.
Apex Legends
Last on our list, for now, is another free-to-play battle royale game, that has more of a focus on futuristic technology. Developed by Respawn Entertainment, it's a comparative newcomer alongside the likes of Warzone and Fortnite but has carved its own niche of players nonetheless. Littered with futuristic weapons and Overwatch-style powerups, it's more arcadey in nature, but no less enthralling.
Apex Legends is a game that's only growing bigger too, with a mobile spin-off released earlier this spring to prove that the formula is nowhere near dying out. If you've grown tired of more realistic FPS games and want a trip to the sci-fi inflected future, then Apex Legends is certainly up your street.
That's your lot for our list of the best free shooting games to play! If you love shooters of any description, then chances are you'll have seen a new title to pique your interest. We've also got a list of the best Android horror games, as well as some free Genshin Impact codes to redeem!