Video Game Genres: What are Shooting Games?

Precise focus, intense combat, character development—they're all part of the dynamic, exciting world of shooting games, one of the most popular video game genres today. Fans call shooting games or shooters super-engaging thanks to the unexpected obstacles and interesting non-player characters. Plus, in massive multiplayer shooting games, planning and teamwork can have life-or-death importance, virtually speaking.

Top-rated games like Call of Duty have defined the first-person shooter (FPS) genre, with interesting features like so-called “killcams” that let players view their own demise from the perspective of the opponent who targeted them. It's this intense realism that makes shooting games attractive to many players, although some gamers prefer not to engage in such realistic combat-focused action.

The variety of shooting games is impressive, too. While Call of Duty has a distinct warfare feel, Apex Legends, though similar, is a go-to title for players who prefer hero-focused scenarios, where your character can grow into a world-changer. The Halo series, a military science fiction game, takes you on a quest to defeat an alien alliance called the Covenant.

So let's dig deeper into the world of shooting games. What are they? Why do players like them? And what kind of gaming laptops or gaming desktops do you need to compete successfully.

Introduction to Shooting Games

Shooting games are decidedly different from some other video game genres. With just your PC (and maybe some useful accessories like a headset or comfy gaming chair), you'll go to battle in deserts, cities, alien worlds—the variety is endless. They're action games, but with particular focus on gathering skills and weapons and developing a character that can withstand the rigors of combat.

Good focus and marksmanship is essential, of course. But the best shooting games also deliver engaging storylines that draw you in, whether you're saving your society or fighting to conquer someone else's. When one weapon isn't effective, you grab a different one. When one foe is defeated, another one is likely to appear. You can save the world. Or fail and watch it burn.

What Are Shooting Games?

At their most basic, shooting games are action-oriented video games where the overarching goal is to defeat enemies using shooting weapons, whether they're guns or arrows or futuristic laser beams. With your character's survival or even your whole society at stake, the action gets incredibly intense.

You'll usually have a range of weapons at your disposal: guns, grenades, and more depending on which FPS you play (there are also third-party shooters where you view the action from behind your character rather than experiencing the fight through your character's eyes). And the virtual environment can be just about anything, from a realistic World War II scenario to a far-fetched battle on a totally alien world.

Most shooting games have a gripping single player storyline, though multiplayer battles are available, too. Examples of multiplayer shooters include World War II Online and PlanetSide 2. These titles put emphasis not just on shooting and combat but on strategy, too, as well as finding your way around enemy positions and thinking one step ahead of your foes.

How Are Shooting Games Different from Other Kinds of Video Games?

Shooting games drop you into a fast-paced, think-quickly environment where you'll need to develop your character's combat skills to overcome near-constant challenges. With all the battle scenes, shooters typically put less focus on interesting characters than you'll find in other genres like role playing games, although most titles still offer opportunities for character development.

Here are some of the sub-categories within the genre of shooting games:

• First-person shooting games: FPS games put you at the center of the action as you navigate a 3D space to learn your mission, obtain weapons and, naturally, fight for your life. Doom and Counter-Strike are good examples, where you feel like you're facing your enemies head-on.
• Multiplayer shooting games: Multiplayer shooters cross genre boundaries and, since you're playing with others, put extra focus on planning, communication and teamwork. One example, Halo Infinite, offers features like grappleshot you can use to grab distant objects, mount enemy platforms, and more.
• Arena shooting games: These games drop you into smaller, more enclosed environments that put greater emphasis on quick movements and typically deliver more player-to-player interaction, since the game map is tighter. Examples of arena shooting games include Quake and Robotron 2084.
• Battle royale shooting games: Your goal: face all foes and be the last-person-standing. Multiplayer shooter games like Fortnite Battle Royale offer a blend of survival elements with lots of opportunities for confrontation games.
• Looter shooter games: These titles still qualify as shooting games but the goal is different. In looter shooters like Borderlands, you win by fighting through quests to accumulate valuables or “loot” such as armor, weaponry or vital resources.
• Hero-based shooting games: These games, like Overwatch and Paladins, can be multiplayer or third-person and ask your character to find designated weapons or skills. If you gain the right abilities and keep succeeding in matches, you can evolve to be the hero of the game.

What Laptop or Desktop and Accessories Do I Need for Shooting Games?

Because they demand accuracy and precision, laptops and desktop PCs used for shooting games must deliver fast computational speed and high-resolution visuals. Look for systems with large displays, speedy processors (whatever fits your budget), and dedicated graphics cards or highly advanced integrated graphics.

Unlike the early RPGs and text-based adventure games that didn't demand advanced PC components, today's shooting games perform better when your PC has better resources:

• Advanced processors (the faster the better). AMD Ryzen™ 5 and 7 processors are valued by many FPS gamers. If you prefer chips from the other big manufacturer, Intel® Core™ i5 and i7 are popular for gaming, too. The companies offer more advanced Ryzen™ 9 and Core™ i9 chips, too, but they’re usually only for so-called “enthusiasts.”
• Cooling technology is important, too, since video games like shooters involve near constant processing, which generates lots of internal heat. So look for systems that advertise features like advanced thermal protection or even “liquid cooling.”
• For RAM, the general advice for all types of games is 16 GB at least. Many games can run on 8 GB, but the extra memory will be important if you multitask while gaming, such as streaming your games or running competing apps.
• A laptop display or external monitor with a high refresh rate is a must for shooting games. Many gaming experts recommend a refresh rate of 144Hz or higher.
• Storage—both type and volume—can be important, too. Most game makers recommend solid state drives (SSDs) because they work faster, which can help load your games more quickly. And look for a drive volume of at least 512 GB, or perhaps 1 TB if you save lots of games.

Don’t forget accessories, either. The right add-ons can make your gametime more comfortable and could give you a leg-up on your foes.

Headsets offer clearer sound than regular speakers—vital for hearing footsteps or far-off arms fire. For PC gamers, a gaming mouse with specialized buttons can be valuable (look for lots of dots-per-inch; a higher number generally means more precision). Another optional accessory that’s valued by competitive gamers is a gaming keyboard. They often include extra, game-specific keys that can speed your responses, and many models feature custom lighting effects.

One final tip: Always check the game maker’s website for the latest recommendations and specifications for your favorite game. And try to meet the recommended specifications, not just the minimum ones. While games can run with the lower specs, they typically run more smoothly with the more advanced components suggested by the manufacturer.

Shooting Games in 2025: What’s Popular?

There’s no shortage of options in the shooting game genre. In fact, if you’re new to the category, the hardest part might be choosing a game to start playing. To get you started, here’s a list of some of today’s most popular shooting games.

Apex Legends

A battle royale hero shooting game, Apex Legends parachutes you into a battleground where you’ll fight using a wide range of acquired weapons as you seek to be the last person standing. Resources are limited, so your character’s creative thinking and teamwork skills will play a big role. In Outlands, for example, you must navigate a brutal, televised competition organized by the Mercenary Syndicate.

Gears of War

Launched in 2006, Gears of War, a third-person shooter, gives you the role of Marcus Fenix, a skilled soldier for the Coalition of Ordered Governments. Your not-so-humble objective: save humanity by from being overthrown by an enemy known as the Locust Horde. And your weapon? The Mark 2 Lancer Assault Rifle, complete with a chainsaw bayonet.

Halo Series

A 26th-century conflict resolution game, games in the Halo series, which dates to 2001, pit you and your team against an alien invasion by the Covenant. You take the role of Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, a super soldier who never stops seeking new skills. Halo titles combine FPS and real-time strategy with a deep line-up of changing conflicts.

Call of Duty Series

First launched in 2003, Call of Duty is now a gaming hallmark, with hundreds of thousands of players around the world spending hours in the game’s intense combat scenarios. It involves a worldwide military operation where you’re tasked with changing the future of the world—one battle at a time, whether it’s from World War II, the Cold War, or another time.

Counter-Strike

Counter-Strike is a tactical, multiplayer shooting game where terrorists and counter-terrorists go head-to-head in a variety of conflicts. You may have to defuse a bomb, guard valuable hostages, or any of dozens of similar tasks. Counter-Strike launched in 1999 and is still popular today.

Borderlands Series

The Borderlands series offers looter-shooter fans intense game action set in a science fiction-fantasy world that features—and this is a twist—visual elements of the American “wild west.” Four Vault Hunters travel to Pandora to search for a vault (no surprise) that’s rumored to contain alien technology, fighting powerful sires with supernatural abilities along the way.

Destiny 2

Destiny 2 is an FPS title where players patrol zoned areas and interact, sometimes harshly, with other players. The campaign and mission expand across the galaxy as humanity struggles to survive a strange cosmic force called the Darkness. Launched in 2017, Destiny 2 is somewhat unique in that it’s a free-to-play online game.

Immortals of Aveum

In the unique Immortals of Aveum, released by Ascendant Studios in 2023, you’ll play a street rat named Jak who learns how to use magic. Jak is thrust into Everwar, a conflict between Rasharn and Luxium, and tasked with defending multiple invasions. Fans say the game offers a long storyline with many twists and opportunities to explore characters.

Battlefield

The extensive Battlefield series of shooting games typically revolves around a fictional war and numerous conflicts that unfold within it. You’ll enter different storylines, each with huge maps to explore and you gain arms and build teams. The first version of Battlefield came out in 2002,with multiple new releases since then.

VALORANT

VALORANT is a shooting game that’s set on near-future Earth, where you navigate scenarios with the goal of surviving the cataclysmic event called “First Light.” With abilities and weapons the game calls “Radianite-powered,” players act as agents recruited from around the world to save humankind. VALORANT, another free-to-play title, was released in 2020 by Riot Games.

Doom series

Developed by id Software, Doom: The Dark Ages (the third installment in the rebooted series) presents a mythical battlefield with intense graphics and game scenarios. Doom Slayer’s mission is to end Hell’s consumption of the Earth, and to do so he must battle through time and space to defeat a horde of demons.

Conclusion

Shooting games offer a nearly endless variety of game scenarios, weapons and abilities as you battle opponents in environments ranging from fantastical alien worlds to real-life events from history. To win, you need true focus, steady nerves and the courage to stand up to some truly scary virtual foes.

The category includes first-person shooters (FPS), arena shooting games, looter shooting games, and battle royales. Titles like Gears of War and Call of Duty are longtime industry leaders, but big studios and indie producers continue to release interesting new shooting games every year.

With the right laptop or desktop PC, shooting games are fun and intense. Be sure to always check your favorite game’s recommended specifications—to ensure you’ll get top performance. And remember that accessories can help your gameplay, too, whether it’s a gaming headset to make game sounds clearer or a specialized gaming keyboard with reaction time-boosting hot keys.