Most first-person shooters take place in the present (at the time of release) or in the future with some high-concept twist. For example, the Halo series is one of the best sci-fi shooters around, while Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare takes place in the 2000s. Then there are games like Fallout that have a retro aesthetic, but technically take place in the future.
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For anyone who likes looking to the past, there are some great historical and fantasy-based first-person shooters out there. They may bend the definition of "shooters set in the past," but either way, there’s some good variety with the following gamees for those tired of the same old, same old modern-day shooter formula.
Call Of Duty: Black Ops
Beware The Numbers
Call of Duty: Black Ops
- Released
- November 9, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
There are a lot of great Call of Duty games tackling the past, but among the pile, Call of Duty: Black Ops’ campaign is still a top-tier pick. The game largely follows Alex Mason throughout his recollection of events involving a CIA operation in Cuba that largely spirals out of control.
While the point of many missions is to go in quietly, this is not a stealth game by any means. With tight controls, players will play through one bombastic set piece after another, all in the name of keeping the peace for America. By the end, players will be wondering about the nature of the “Numbers” as well.
Medal Of Honor: Frontline
Storming The Beaches
Medal of Honor: Frontline
- Released
- May 28, 2002
WHERE TO PLAY
There are a lot of interpretative twists on storming the beaches of Normandy during World War 2 in movies, but Medal of Honor: Frontline was one of the first to do it this well in a video game. While not the most technically impressive game nowadays, the chaotic energy players can get riding up to the beach with their brothers in arms to fight the Nazis is riveting, along with the rest of the missions.
The shooting is pretty decent for a 2000s-era game, although it’s no Halo: Combat Evolved. The most impressive thing about it to this day is the audio design because, with a good sound system or headphones, players will feel like they are in the heat of the war in Europe. This is where Medal of Honor peaked.
Battlefield 1
Shovel Soldier
Battlefield 1
- Released
- October 21, 2016
WHERE TO PLAY
Not many World War 1 games exist because it’s a tricky war to frame an entire game around. Kudos go to the Battlefield 1 team for making it happen in a compelling manner. Instead of focusing on trench warfare, the game showcases a lot of efforts during “The Great War”, from driving tanks in the aforementioned trenches to flying planes and taking down zeppelins to riding horses through battlefields.
The shooting mechanics are smooth, but the real treat is bashing enemies with shovels in close-quarters combat because that’s a novelty that not many games allow (beyond Shovel Knight). It has a strong campaign and solid multiplayer community that is still active today.
Wolfenstein: The New Order
Not On My Watch
Wolfenstein: The New Order
- Released
- May 20, 2014
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- MachineGames
Wolfenstein: The New Order starts as a World War 2 shooter, with franchise hero B.J. Blazkowicz storming a Nazi stronghold to save the day. Unfortunately for everyone in this game, the Allies do not win the war. Instead, the globe bends the knee to the Nazi empire.
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This alternate history game reimagines the world if it were ruled by Nazis, and it’s haunting. Thankfully, B.J. Isn’t done with them yet, and neither are his resistance buddies. It’s an absurdly bloody game with surprises and comedic bits strewn throughout. It manages to be both a throwback and a modern shooter. It’s a shame more games don’t try to be as bold as Wolfenstein: The New Order.
BioShock
Somewhere Beyond The Sea
BioShock
- Released
- August 21, 2007
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Irrational Games
- Genre(s)
- FPS
BioShock takes place in the 1960s, although it’s hard to tell given that players dive into an undersea utopia for the entire campaign. Inside this fallen paradise, Rapture, players will have to battle the inhabitants to escape and, thankfully, they will be armed to the teeth with pistols, Tommy guns, and mystical powers transplanted through potions called Plasmids.
Plasmids, and the lumbering Big Daddy enemies, are what BioShock is best known for, along with the absolutely haunting locale of Rapture. It’s a great shooter on top of being one of the most atmospheric horror games of all time.
Resistance 2
The Fall Of The America
Resistance 2
- Released
- November 4, 2008
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ // Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Insomniac Games
- Genre(s)
- FPS
Like Wolfenstein: The New Order, the first Resistance game took place during World War 2, but instead of Nazis, the world combined their strength to stop an invasion by a species called the Chimera. Unfortunately for humanity, the Chimera won, stretching their campaign from Europe to the West Coast of the U.S.
In Resistance 2, set during the 1950s, the first game’s protagonist, Nathan, returns to stop what little Chimera he can. Armed with alien weaponry, like bullets that can track targets, players will use plenty of guns to even the odds. Traveling across a battered USA and fighting towering mechs, hordes, and aliens alike helps Resistance 2 stand out among other alien invasion games.
TimeSplitters 2
Through The Eras
TimeSplitters 2
- Released
- October 8, 2002
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood, Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Free Radical Design
- Genre(s)
- FPS
TimeSplitters 2 begins in the future, but every mission sends the heroes back in time to a specific era. For example, the first mission is stealth-based and takes place in a Siberian base in 1990. Other time periods include checking out Notre Dame in 1896 or Chicago in 1932, and each mission is different than the last.
Among the trilogy, TimeSplitters 2 stands out as the most inventive game in terms of its weapons, gadgets, locations, and genuine surprises in the story. The nice thing is that all the TimeSplitter games are available on a variety of modern platforms.
Call Of Juarez: Gunslinger
An Evolving Western
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger
- Released
- May 22, 2013
WHERE TO PLAY
Call of Juarez: Gunslinger is a Western shooter with as much rifle and revolver action that any John Wayne fan can handle. The best thing about the game is its story. It revolves around Silas, a bounty hunter who is recounting his past work in a bar.
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As Silas tells his story, players play through what he describes. Other bar patrons will chime in with corrections that don’t seem to fit the legends they heard. When this happens, the level will change in various ways to match. Sometimes it will be topographical, and other times it will switch up the enemies. Either way, the gunslinging action and the storytelling make it a must-play.
Darkwatch
Vampires And Cowboys
Darkwatch
- Released
- August 16, 2005
WHERE TO PLAY
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 2, Xbox (Original)
Darkwatch is another Western, but it has a paranormal twist involving vampires. Players are a freshly turned vampire, Jericho, aided by the titular Darkwatch, and trying to stop the vampire disease from spreading. Beyond vampires, players will be shooting down plenty of skeletal warriors and other demons with inventive supernatural-themed revolvers, crossbows, and more.
Jericho can also gain some powers, and depending on good or bad decisions, his skill tree will vary. It’s not the deepest shooter as the campaign is brief, but the setting is top-notch, and there’s simply no other FPS like it.
Singularity
An Experiment Gone Wrong
Singularity
- Released
- June 29, 2010
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- m
- Developer(s)
- Raven Software
- Genre(s)
- FPS
Singularity is a highly underrated shooter from 2010 involving an incident going haywire within Russia, causing a singularity event. Players are sent in as a marine investigator, Captain Renko. When he enters the test facility, he travels back to 1955, before the incident happens.
With a time device he acquires, players can alter the environment as they see fit. For example, they can restore a rusty staircase in the present to make it look like it did in the past to get by. This time device can also be used in combat to slow enemies down, as one example. Singularity can be likened to the atmospheric horror of BioShock, but on dry land.
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