Summary
- The FPS genre thrived on consoles like SNES, Nintendo 64, PlayStation, Xbox, and Xbox Series X with iconic titles.
- Consoles like N64 hosted FPS masterpieces like GoldenEye 007, while SNES had DOOM and Wolfenstein 3D ports.
- Xbox Series X continues the legacy of FPS games with titles like Halo: Infinite and DOOM, offering a robust library.
As video games become more and more popular, and establish their place as one of the medium's most popular genres, first-person shooters can be played on a ridiculous variety of consoles. From 16-bit sprite-based shooting galleries to high-fidelity 4K gunfights, the FPS genre has had its fair share of explosive titles.
8 Best Years For First Person Shooters In Gaming History
First-person shooters are as popular as ever, but they were especially noteworthy during these particular years.
From intelligently-programmed PC ports and multiplatform military-shooter releases to console-exclusive FPS powerhouses, the genre has found its home on a host of iconic gaming systems.
8 Super Nintendo Entertainment System
A Library With Competent 16-Bit Conversions Of FPS Classics
While the 1990s saw the first real boom in the first-person shooter genre, most of the genre's titles were relegated to PC gaming. As such, due in large part to the power of the Super FX chip, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) saw many ambitious FPS ports.
While the SEGA Genesis accomplished some varying successes in the first-person shooter space, SNES ports of id Software's DOOM and Wolfenstein 3D saw the console become a 16-bit home to these legendary shooter franchises. While they were toned down, and accompanied by titles such as Super 3D Noah's Ark and Faceball 2000, FPS titles on the SNES were not just a novelty, but a genuinely enjoyable experience.
7 Nintendo 64
Nintendo's Cartridge-Based Console Fronted The FPS Revolution
Nintendo is not known by gamers as being willing to endorse realistic violence in titles for their platforms. However, with their exclusive partnership with Rare and pursuit of 3D graphical technology, the Nintendo 64 became home to multiple FPS masterpieces.
While Rare had previously worked with Nintendo on the Donkey Kong Country series, many gamers will know them best for the two first-person shooter masterstrokes they released on the Nintendo 64: Perfect Dark and GoldenEye 007. Both are seen as pivotal titles in the FPS genre's jump to 3D, and they were also bolstered by other N64 titles such as Turok and the - until 2020 - exclusive DOOM title, DOOM 64.
6 PlayStation
Sony's Breakout Console Was Home To Cinematic FPS Masterpieces
While the first-person shooter genre was still in its infancy, Sony's disk-compatible fledgling PlayStation was already synonymous with some gamers as a system for narrative experiences.
The Best FPS Games From The 1990s
The '90s felt like a decade basically dedicated to the rise of the first-person shooter genre. These great games showcase why.
As such, when world-renowned cinematic director Steven Spielberg conceived of the original Medal of Honor, its exclusive place in PlayStation's library bolstered the console's selection of titles and its popularity. Beyond popularizing the World War 2 shooter setting, the PlayStation was also home to one of the DOOM series' most fan-loved ports, and even id Software's Quake II.
5 Microsoft Xbox One
Microsoft's Eighth-Gen Library Features Multiplatform Classics And Exclusive Titles
While the PlayStation 4 sold siginficantly more units than Microsoft's eight-generation Xbox One, the latter's home for some of the genre's most iconic titles cannot be understated.
Both the PS4 and Xbox One played modern classics such as Overwatch, Titanfall 2, and MachineGames' Wolfenstein reboot series. However, with the Xbox One's access to the Microsoft's Game Pass subscription service, and its position as home to the iconic Halo series, players can access not only the Xbox One's generation of titles, but FPS games from the early years of the genre's inception, along with everything in between.
4 Microsoft Xbox
Microsoft's Inaugural Console Synonymized Its Brand With The FPS Genre
- Brand
- Microsoft
- Original Release Date
- November 15, 2001
- Hardware Versions
- Xbox (Original)
- Original MSRP (USD)
- $299, £299, €479
- Weight
- 8.8 lbs
- Operating System
- Proprietary, Windows NT-based
Although Microsoft's launch of the Xbox in 2001 saw it jump into the console gaming space as the 'new kid on the block,' the home console found its first-person shooter feet seemingly very quickly.
Best FPS Game From Every Year In The 2000s
The 2000s are considered by many to be the peak era of the FPS, with these classic games representing the best of each year in the decade.
Launching alongside the modern FPS masterpiece Halo: Combat Evolved, Microsoft not only paved the way for a new generation of first-person shooters but became home to so many now-iconic titles. From id Software's atmospheric DOOM 3, the TimeSplitters series' experimental gameplay, and Microsoft's burgeoning of the age of online gaming with Halo 2; Xbox quickly synonymized itself with the FPS genre.
3 PlayStation 2
The Best-Selling Console Of All Time Refines The Console FPS Experience
- Brand
- PlayStation
- Original Release Date
- October 26, 2000
- Original MSRP (USD)
- $299
- Weight
- 4.85 lb
- Dimensions
- 3.1" x 11.9"
The first-person shooter genre had been establishing itself many years before the PlayStation 2's March 2000 launch. However, many gamers attribute the sixth generation of gaming to when the genre came into its prime on home consoles.
The PlayStation 2 became the console home of various classic FPS franchises such as Medal of Honor, Call of Duty, and Quake. Beyond that, many iconic PC first-person shooters were exclusively ported to Sony's second system, bringing FPS classics such as Half-Life and Red Faction to console gamers for the first time.
2 Microsoft Xbox 360
The Seventh-Gen Console Was Home To Exclusive FPS Titles And Ports
Amid the seventh console generation, as first-person shooter franchises such as Halo, Call of Duty, and Battlefield were reaching their peaks, many gamers spoke about a feeling of 'FPS Genre Fatigue'. While it was a grossly negative comment on the oversaturation of the industry by FPS titles at the time, it also shows why the Xbox 360 was a fantastic place for some of the best examples the genre can offer.
From the aforementioned industry-defining heights of Halo 3 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare to experimental titles like BioShock, Half-Life 2, and Far Cry, the Xbox 360 was not only one of the best places gamers could play FPS titles at the time. It still is.
1 Microsoft Xbox Series X And S
The Ninth-Gen Consoles Have A Focus On Legacy Titles And Modern Reimaginings
- Brand
- Microsoft
- Original Release Date
- November 10, 2020
- Hardware Versions
- Xbox Series X
- Original MSRP (USD)
- $499
- Weight
- 9.8 LBS
- Operating System
- Proprietary (Windows-based)
While the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S systems were originally slated to launch with the much-anticipated Halo: Infinite, development struggles caused Microsoft's ninth-generation console to launch without Xbox's flagship franchise. However, in its original slating of the title, Microsoft made its intentions to turn the Xbox Series systems into the go-to place for FPS games clear.
From Halo: Infinite's expansion of the iconic series' gameplay formula and DOOM' s 'rip and tear' revival, to high-fidelity explorations of the genre with Bright Memory: Infinite, the Xbox Series systems' FPS library is extensive. Add that to its ninth-generation titles, Microsoft's focus on the Xbox Game Pass subscription service, and legendary FPS titles such as Quake, Borderland s, and Serious Sam aall being present on the systems, oftentimes with significant performance and fidelity improvements. It's hard to overstate just how robust the Xbox Series' library of FPS titles is, and it's even harder to recommend any other console to an FPS fan of any level.