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Unlike traditional genres which are conveniently listed as separate categories on Metacritic, as a concept, looter shooter is still in its infancy. 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 bigger and better guns. 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. As the loot tends to reset after a match, Battle Royale games will also be ignored.
What are the best looter shooter games on the market?
Updated January 7, 2023 by Mark Sammut: Looter shooters are not all that common, with most years producing only a handful of projects that fit the bill. 2022 saw the release of Warhammer 40,000: Darktide, Lost Light, The Cycle: Frontier, Stalcraft, and Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, none of which sit among the greatest shooters according to Metacritic (some games are also yet to be rated on the platform). Anyone yearning to shoot and loot should check out the upcoming games.
11 Shadow Warrior 2 (78)
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.
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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 Alienation (79)
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.
9 Tom Clancy’s The Division (80)
Released in 2016 to decent but not great reviews, Tom Clancy’s The Division took quite a while to grow into a title truly worth experiencing. The base game offered an expansive open-world packed with tepid missions that felt like an afterthought. The gunplay, while not terrible, could not compare to the likes of Destiny or Borderlands.
The Division improved significantly over the next two years, eventually transforming into a pretty good looter shooter deserving of a sequel. Due to Massive Entertainment seeking a more realistic tone and setting, the loot tends to be plentiful albeit not particularly memorable.
8 Remnant: From The Ashes (81)
Like every modern game, Remnant: From the Ashes has been compared to Dark Souls, albeit one centering around ranged rather than melee combat. From the Ashes is not a conventional shooter, as there are only 23 guns and 16 melee weapons in the game. Furthermore, a decent chunk of the items must be crafted and cannot simply be looted.
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Remnant: From the Ashes remains a looter at heart. With the flexible game world presenting a different experience during every playthrough, Gunfire Games has essentially created a dungeon crawler with roguelike elements. The loot aims for quality rather than quantity, and the main reason to replay the campaign is to collect all the available weapons.
7 Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 (84)
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 actually launched with an endgame, which is rather important for a looter shooter’s longevity.
6 Deep Rock Galactic (85)
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.
5 Risk Of Rain 2 (85)
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.
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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.
4 Warframe (86)
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.
3 Destiny 2 & The Witch Queen (87)
Unlike its predecessor, Destiny 2 impressed critics right out of the gate, and its expansions have largely served as improvements. The most recent release, 2022’s The Witch Queen, is no exception, and it is arguably the best Destiny-related content since The Taken King.
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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.
2 Destiny: The Taken King (89)
Speaking about franchises that stumbled out of the gate before gradually maturing into something worth noticing, Destiny felt like a tech demo at launch. Bungie’s gunplay could not be faulted, but the campaign was shockingly devoid of any narrative drive or much of an endgame, leaving players with little to do besides repeating the same boring missions.
Destiny: The Taken Kingis when Bungie finally got it right, even if the randomized loot rewarded for completing raids left a lot to be desired. Still, with The Taken King, Destiny had great combat, all the weapons in the universe, and something resembling a decent storyline.
1 Borderlands Trilogy (84, 91, 91)
How could anything other than Borderlands take the top spot? Putting aside the Pre-Sequel, which scored a “75” on Metacritic, Gearbox’s franchise has constantly secured an aggregate rating of above 80%. 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 a bit too obnoxious, while the game’s technical faults have been well-documented.
Borderlands is the poster boy of the looter shooter genre 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!
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