First-person shooters are typically better suited to a mouse and keyboard, especially those that play at a faster pace and/or encourage long-distance firefights. That said, older shooters in particular tended to focus more on expressive movement than they did on skillful aim, making them much more accessible to modern controller users.
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In fact, this goes for many FPS titles that forgo the ability to aim down sights, taken even further by the popularization of aim assist. Couch co-op games are also much better suited to controller play out of sheer convenience, and games that feature weapons with shorter ranges can make playing with a controller all the more enjoyable.
8
CULTIC
A Retro FPS With A Slower Pace
- Released
-
October 13, 2022
Cultic is a retro shooter that features a somewhat slower pace and a focus on horror. Players can certainly move through Cultic at a high speed, but its gunfights are typically slower-paced than its contemporaries (see: Ultrakill). Furthermore, the game features no aim-down-sights.
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The slower pace and lack of ADS make Cultic surprisingly fit for controllers, even when playing on PC. For fans that enjoy action horror titles such as Resident Evil 4 and the old-school gunfights of games such as Blood, Cultic is worth a shot.
7
Chop Goblins
A Refreshingly Simple FPS
- Platform(s): PC, Nintendo Switch
- Released: 12 December 2022
- Developer(s): David Szymanski
- Genre: FPS
Designed to be played in less than an hour and featuring no aim-down sights or even the ability to jump, Chop Goblins is a remarkably accessible FPS. Furthermore, the run-and-gun nature of its gameplay and the often close-quarters encounters make for an experience that’s relatively friendly to controller users.
Most importantly, Chop Goblins is fast-paced and able to throw enemies at the player in a relatively linear fashion. While it does feature verticality, combat encounters are typically small in scale and contain enough to prevent skillful aiming from being a necessity.
6
Deep Rock Galactic
FPS Mining & Large Targets
- Released
-
May 13, 2020
- Developer(s)
-
Ghost Ship Games
Deep Rock Galactic is a mission-based FPS with an emphasis on mining and exploration. In the game, players take on a variety of objectives while battling alien bugs in procedurally generated underground caverns, using a variety of weapons and tools in order to both defend themselves and explore.
What makes Deep Rock Galactic so friendly to controller users is its high-powered weapons, clear visibility, and the aforementioned focus on mining and exploration. Players will spend most of their time vanquishing the odd enemy as they explore, and the major combat encounters are frequently static.
5
Dead Island
A Heavy Focus On Close Quarters Combat
Action RPG
Survival Horror
- Released
-
September 6, 2011
Unique for throwing players into a zombie outbreak at an island resort, Dead Island is an FPS survival game with light RPG mechanics. More importantly, the game revolves heavily around first-person brawling, which makes aiming significantly less critical to success.
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Despite firearms featured in the game, players should expect to spend more time beating zombies with paddles and tire irons than shooting guns. For fans of zombie games and first-person combat, Dead Island is a no-brainer, especially when playing in co-op.
4
Quake
Claustrophobic Combat Encounters & A Focus On Hip-Fire
Quake is an old-school classic and a true pioneer of the FPS genre. Featuring labyrinthine levels that champion verticality, Quake is able to focus its efforts on expressive movement rather than cover-based gameplay and skillful aim.
Furthermore, the emphasis on tactical weapon cycling and fluid movement allows players to focus on strategy and expression rather than their aim. This is facilitated further by a lack of ADS, making Quake surprisingly accessible when played with a controller.
3
Fallen Aces
An Immersive FPS Brawler
Fallen Aces is an immersive FPS with a slick and pulpy comic-book aesthetic that gives it a unique charm. Despite featuring a variety of firearms, Fallen Aces is able to remain accessible with its close-quarters combat and emphasis on fisticuffs.
First-person brawling is at the heart of Fallen Aces, and the immersive-sim inspirations also allow players to approach each encounter from several angles. This allows for gameplay that’s both fluid and diverse, all while remaining accessible to controller users.
2
Left 4 Dead 2
An Accessible Co-Op FPS
- Released
-
November 17, 2009
Featuring an emphasis on hip-fire and horde survival, Left 4 Dead 2 is tremendously accessible to controller users thanks to its focus on teamwork and positioning over skillful gunplay. Paying close attention and having an awareness of the surrounding area is key to success, removing any pressure to aim well and score headshots.
More importantly, the zombie hordes present in Left 4 Dead 2 don’t typically require much skill to hit; these brain-dead shamblers will, more often than not, run directly at players. The only exception is perhaps the special infected, which require a little more skill to remove from the field, but this is more than possible with a controller.
1
Halo 3
A Couch Co-Op Classic
- Released
-
September 25, 2007
Featuring a focus on vehicular combat and close-quarters encounters, as well as an arsenal of powerful and easy-to-use weapons, Halo 3 and its predecessors are immediately accessible first-person shooters. Halo 3 is particularly accessible for its forgiving shield system, making mistakes and missed shots less punishing.
Aiming in Halo isn’t particularly difficult, however, as many of the game’s targets are easy to spot and are relatively large in stature. The focus on positioning and constant movement, however, keeps Halo 3 friendly to controller users. This allows the game to excel in couch co-op.
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