Best Looter Shooter Games

“Shlooter” was coined by Giant Bomb’s Alex Navarro and combines “looter shooter” into one glorious Frankenstein phrase. With the subgenre’s most well-known franchise releasing its third entry recently, this seems like a perfect time to take a look at the best looter shooters on the market.

As a concept, looter shooter is still in its infancy in the grand scheme of things. Consequently, the genre’s defining traits are somewhat flexible, as there isn’t an authority on what constitutes a looter shooter. In general, representatives tend to be first-person or third-person shooters with progression tied to obtaining better guns (or weapons). While isometric action RPGs like Diablo and Path of Exile share many traits in common with looter shooters, ranged combat is not encouraged above simply taking a hammer and whacking away at the enemy. The same can be said about Monster Hunter: World.

What are the best looter shooter games on the market?

Updated December 1, 2024 by Mark Sammut : Looter shooter games are incredibly rare, with most years maybe producing one or two entries that 100% qualify. 2024 has been pretty light in this area, but things might improve with the eventual release of Reality Core, Dustland, and (most importantly) Borderlands 4. In the meantime, a section dedicated to similar games that do not 100% fit the genre has been added.

14 Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League

Messy Live-Service Game With OK Gunplay And Uninteresting Loot

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League had negative momentum before its debut and still struggled to meet expectations. Sharing very little in common with the games that put the series on the map, Rocksteady’s polarizing Arkham entry leans into live-service conventions and loot grinding, with the playable anti-heroes/villains all utilizing guns as their main offensive option. This decision was likely made to facilitate the endgame loop, which sees players working their way through masteries to collect better sets of weapons and items. Somewhat similar to Borderlands, the loot comes with randomized modifiers and tier levels, with random drops being the name of the game.

Look, Kill the Justice League was put through the wringer when it launched in February 2024, receiving such a thorough beating that tossing any further criticism feels like overkill at this point. Therefore, let’s focus on the positives and highlight a few elements that might make Rocksteady’s title a decent option as a looter shooter game.

Most importantly of all, the gameplay is, honestly, pretty fun in short bursts. Despite using the same weapons, each character has unique traversal mechanics that reflect their source material and have a steep enough learning curve to provide some sense of progression and mastery. The story is dumb but has a few entertaining moments, and the Suicide Squad’s members are generally amusing. The loot drops at a pretty consistent pace during both the story and endgame, and the weapons might hit the mark with people who mostly enjoy stats.

That said,
Kill the Justice League
is rough and difficult to recommend to anyone but the biggest DC fans.

13 Vigor

A Unique Take On Looter Shooters

Despite being around for nearly two decades by this point, the looter shooter genre still seems pretty young due to releases being relatively rare. Honestly, more Soulslike games have probably come out in the last year than looter shooters in the last five. Consequently, there is still room for innovation and growth, with the concept yet to become exhausted. Vigor serves as one ambitious attempt to shake up the formula by incorporating ideas from a few other genres: survival, crafting, and battle royales.

Basically, players have a house they must gradually update, a process that generally requires entering an area to scavenge resources. These matches bring together up to 16 players, all of whom will be carrying weapons, ammo, and armor. If they are killed, they can be looted, which creates a very intense atmosphere. However, the goal is not to kill everyone but rather to transport loot back to a safe house, creating a satisfying risk/reward system.

Vigor has its issues and is a pretty massive grind, one that can feel inaccessible to new players. Still, it offers an experience quite unlike most other looter shooters.

12 Outriders

Fun Co-Op Gameplay With Servicable Loot Loop

Designed by the team responsible for Bulletstorm and Painkiller, People Can Fly’s Outriders lives with a mixed reception, a consequence stemming from inconsistent marketing, an underwhelming launch, and some frustrating systems. Despite having an endgame and sharing some similarities with live-service projects like Destiny and Borderlands, Outriders should be treated as a single-player third-person shooter akin to the developer’s previous projects.

The endgame largely revolves around grinding loot to craft more powerful builds, but Outriders is a bit too stingy with its drops, so the experience tends to be slow and annoying rather than rewarding. When focusing just on the campaign, this game becomes an enjoyable, albeit unspectacular looter shooter.

11 Shadow Warrior 2

Unexpected Shift To Looter Shooter Territory Paid Off

Flying Wild Hog went in a completely different direction with its sequel to 2013’s decent Shadow Warrior. Rather than a series of levels set within somewhat spacious maps, Shadow Warrior 2 drops Lo Wang in a hub area that can then be used to undergo a vast range of missions, with only some being directly related to the main story.

With over 70 weapons available in the game, including everything from katanas to rocket launchers, Shadow Warrior 2 definitely ticks the boxes of a looter shooter. As a homage to old-school shooters from the ’90s, just with a heavier focus on loot, Shadow Warrior 2 is pretty decent.

10 The First Descendant

A Rare Free-To-Play Looter Shooter That Is Not Half Bad

Looter shooter games are already rare, and free-to-play entries are almost unheard of. For the longest time, Warframe seemed to be the only real option, especially since Destiny 2‘s free mode is too restrictive to truly qualify. However, in July 2024, a new competitor joined the field: The First Descendant. Nexon’s ambitious Unreal Engine 5 game launched to a fairly mixed reception, and that reputation has not improved much since then. While the visuals and combat are both pretty darn good, the story, playable characters, and loot tend to be more polarizing. Nevertheless, anyone craving a third-person shooter with large-scale battles, co-op, and an open-world should check out this release, and they have little to lose besides time.

When it comes to loot, The First Descendant floods players with weapons and reactors, along with farming parts to unlock new descendants. The loot system is more cumbersome than it needs to be, mostly due to a cluttered UI that overcomplicates the simplest of processes. When it comes to the actual weapon drops, most of the “normal” options are randomized, sort of similar to Borderlands. However, the game also has fixed Ultimates that are the best of the best, although these take quite a lot of work to unlock.

9 Alienation

An Isometric Looter Shooter Done To Near Perfection

Generally speaking, isometric RPGs were ignored for this article, as most cannot truly be classified as shooters. Alienation is a noteworthy exception though, as it is all about guns. The twin-stick shooter is set in an alternate reality where aliens have invaded most of Earth, leaving four soldiers to battle through hordes of no-good extraterrestrials.

New weapons covering a wide array of rarities are obtained through random drops, with most weapons offering the possibility of installing an upgrade to increase a specific state (rate of fire, being an example). That said, the weapons themselves do not feel all that distinct.

8 Gunfire Reborn

Great Blend Of Roguelike & Looter Shooter Gameplay

A roguelite, Gunfire Reborn challenges players to work their way through four zones, each consisting of a handful of random levels. En route, they pick a variety of weapons, which come with unique stats, elemental effects, and other variables. Toward the end of each level, players get to pick from three modifiers that will impact the rest of their run, most of which have multiple upgrades designed to encourage specific builds. Due to its nature, Gunfire Reborn resets the player’s weapons after death, so they will not be able to accumulate a fixed arsenal. However, as the game is a roguelite and not a roguelike, progression is made regardless of whether someone fails or succeeds. This largely comes in the form of Gunfire Reborn‘s playable characters and upgrades for them, although weapons can also be unlocked.

Gunfire Reborn is a pick-up-and-play type game that is ideal for short sessions. While roguelikes can be frustrating due resetting progress, this release is designed to regularly reward players with progress, so it rarely feels like a run was just a waste of time. The gunplay is very smooth and responsive, and the weapons are quite creative and varied.

7 Roboquest

Awesome Arena Shooter With Roguelike Elements

Roboquest has come a long way since it entered early access in 2020. Compared to its early pre-launch state, which largely consisted of untapped potential, the roguelite gradually evolved into a highly entertaining first-person shooter, even if it is still somewhat rough around the edges. Nowadays, the game is officially out, and it delightfully blends accessible first-person action with roguelite elements.

Basically an arena shooter, Roboquest features five playable classes, nine maps, and an impressive selection of weapons. The latter is the best part of the package and will be the main reason most players keep coming back for more.

6 Tom Clancy’s The Division 2

Huge Live-Service Game Stuffed With Content

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 did not need to reinvent the wheel. By the end of its predecessor’s run, the franchise was at a good place and the sequel only needed to focus on the elements that worked in The Division.

Unsurprisingly, The Divison 2fared better with critics, as it essentially launched at a similar level to its predecessor’s end state. The combat is improved due to the enemies no longer being as egregious of bullet sponges, while the loot system added a touch of variety without sacrificing the realism sought after by the franchise. Crucially, The Division 2 launched with an endgame, which is rather important for a looter shooter’s longevity. Nowadays, Ubisoft’s game is overflowing with content and quality-of-life adjustments, and it is an easy recommendation for anyone searching for a third-person shooter they can sink months into.

5 Deep Rock Galactic

Deep Rock Galactic is a bit different from the typical looter shooter since drops contain randomized resources (and experience) rather than new weapons. These items can then be used to upgrade each class’ equipment. While supporting solo play, Deep Rock Galactic is at its best when played in co-op as players team up to take on a variety of missions in a decent range of biomes.

The game’s classes all come with unique strengths, weaknesses, and gameplay styles, ensuring that most people find someone to match their preferences. Deep Rock Galactic has been around for a few years now, and it is now firmly established as a standout indie project that can deliver quantity and quality. The extraction-style gameplay is simple but always engaging, and this title is one of the better entry points into that subgenre.

4 Destiny 2

Top-Tier Gunplay & Pretty Good Loot, Most Of The Time

Unlike its predecessor, Destiny 2 impressed critics right out of the gate, and most of its expansions largely served as improvements. Destiny 2 showcases Bungie’s expertise in the first-person shooter genre; in fact, an argument could be made that the multiplayer-focused game represents this gameplay style’s peak alongside Doom. In terms of loot, Destiny 2 is packed to the brim with unlockables that encourage players to customize their characters and load-outs.

At this point, the game is effectively done, with its final expansion releasing midway through 2024. Destiny 2‘s future might be unclear, but the content currently available represents the looter shooter genre at its best. Bungie crafted one of the best gunplay systems in gaming, all the while delivering large-scale worlds and a constantly evolving loot pool.

3 Risk Of Rain 2

The Looter Shooter That Never Gets Old

A popular roguelike, Risk of Rain 2 has a simple but addictive formula: kill everything that moves. After selecting a Survivor, players spawn in a randomly generated level filled with enemies. Their goal is to reach an extraction point so they can move on to the next stage. While initially manageable, the game steadily raises the difficulty, to the point that players can quickly become overwhelmed if they fall behind in terms of equipment.

In Risk of Rain 2, players collect currency from enemies that can then be used to purchase loot boxes scattered across the level. The latter’s content is randomized too, ensuring each unlock has an element of excitement to it. More importantly, Risk of Rain 2 is just fun to play, and the combat is elevated by stylish visuals.

2 Warframe

A Long Journey That Eventually Produced A Masterpiece

Warframe initially garnered a lukewarm reception, which is not that surprising considering the game launched with repetitive gameplay that focused heavily on grinding the same few missions. However, over the last decade, Digital Extremes has gradually established the looter shooter as a cornerstone of the multiplayer scene. Warframe has grown well beyond its original blueprint, even if its core gameplay is still relatively grind-heavy.

Nowadays, Warframe has open-world sections, multiple planets, an impressive selection of frames and weapons, and engaging lore. Even though players can invest money, the game can be enjoyed without spending a dime. Players who stick to the free version can look forward to hundreds of hours of content, and the end is nowhere in sight.

1 Borderlands Franchise

The Definitive Looter Shooter Games

How could anything other than Borderlands take the top spot? Gearbox’s franchise might not have been the first looter shooter since Hellgate: London existed, but it defined the genre. While not every entry is a bona fide masterpiece, Borderlands has been fairly consistent over the years. Borderlands 2 is generally considered to be the best in the series, although 2019’s third entry improves upon its predecessor’s gunplay by quite a considerable margin. That said, Borderlands 3‘s characters are rather obnoxious, which does hurt its story. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is also an enjoyable spin-off inspired by tabletop RPGs.

Borderlands is the poster boy of looter shooters and, as a full package, has yet to be topped by any of its competitors. The stylized visuals are timeless, the gameplay is not quite Destiny-good but still pretty fun, and the loot is never-ending!

Shooter Games That Shlooter Fans Might Want To Check Out

• 	Far Cry 6	Hunt: Showdown 1896	Remnant 2
  Platform(s)	Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PS5, PS4, PC, Stadia, Xbox One	PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PC	PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, PC
  Released	2021-10-06	2018-02-22	2023-07-25
  Developer(s)	Ubisoft	Crytek	Gunfire Games
  Genre(s)	FPS, Action	Extraction, First-Person Shooter	Soulslike, Third-Person Shooter

Ultimately, there are not all that many looter shooters out there, at least not if the definition is kept relatively strict. While most of the genre’s games are designed to keep people busy for the long haul, there could come a time when someone exhausts all of their options.

Alternatively, they might want to try something that is both similar but different. The following games are not looter shooters, but share elements with the genre.

• Far Cry 6 – Arguably the most polarizing mainline entry in Ubisoft’s franchise, Far Cry 6 swapped out the traditional skill progression system for a loot-based one. For the most part, this switch was not received well as it limits the player’s potential for growth and is built on fairly inconsistent loot drops. Still, the core gunplay is very good and some of the weapons are a lot of fun. This entry is the closest Far Cry has come to being a looter shooter.
• Hunt: Showdown 1986 – Honestly, this could qualify as a looter shooter, but the gameplay loop does not focus on acquiring better loot through drops. The goal is to defeat bosses, which generally rewards materials that can be used to acquire better equipment.
• Remnant 2 – Gunfire’s Soulslike seems to have all the makings of a looter shooter since players constantly pick up drops from enemies. However, weapons are rarely found through this method and usually need to be purchased. As such, Remnant 2 does not quite scratch the same itch.