Best Indie FPS Games That Are Hidden Gems

Summary

The indie FPS genre is booming, thanks to games like ULTRAKILL and DUSK, pushing indie developers into the mainstream.
Games like Sentry and Fortune's Run offer unique gameplay experiences that combine FPS elements with other genres.
From classic boomer shooters like Supplice to unique titles like Vomitoreum, some indie FPS games can offer diverse, immersive experiences.

There is an abundance of first-person shooters on the market, and the genre is only becoming more saturated with the surge in popularity of boomer shooters and movement shooters over the last few years. Massively popular indie games such as ULTRAKILL and DUSK (both of which were published by New Blood Interactive) in particular have helped to push indie-FPS into the mainstream.

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By Megan Smith

As a result, more and more indie developers are developing first-person shooters. While some of these games, like ULTRAKILL, reach wide audiences, others fall by the wayside. These are just a few examples of well-made, underappreciated first-person shooters created by indie developers.

8 Sentry

Steam User Rating: 85%

Platform: PC
Released: March 25, 2024
Developer: Fireblade Software

This combination of tower-defense and first-person shooter features fast-paced action in which players defend their spaceship from an abundance of aggressive aliens. Sentry is currently in Early Access, but its fluid and intuitive gameplay make it a promising indie title.

In order to succeed in Sentry's action-packed combat, players will have to manage and master their arsenal of weapons, traps, and turrets alike. Making the most of every available defensive option is the only way for players to defeat the overwhelming number of enemies that Sentry haphazardly throws at them.

7 Supplice

Steam User Rating: 88%

Fighting Enemies In A Wooded Area In Supplice

Platform: PC
Released: April 6, 2023
Developer: Mekworx

Wearing its influences on its sleeve, this 90s-styled boomer shooter is a love letter to DOOM and its modding scene. As a result, Supplice plays very much like a modernized version of early DOOM games. While this won't be for everyone, it is a near-guaranteed good time for fans of boomer shooters.

Supplice stays true to its inspirations with both its fast-paced, boomer shooter gameplay and its crunchy visuals and stylish directional sprites. Level design is one of Supplice's greatest strengths, with large-scale maps and detailed environments that paint a clear picture of its sci-fi world.

6 Vomitoreum

Steam User Rating: 91%

Staring Down A Hallway Of Arms In Vomitoreum

Platforms: PC
Released: July 30, 2021
Developer: Scumhead

Vomitoreum is a unique combination of first-person Metroidvanias such as Metroid Prime and classic 90s shooters. The game uses its visual limitations in an admirably creative fashion, drawing inspiration chiefly from Polish painter, Zdzislaw Beksinski.

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By Jack Pursey

Vomitoreum is an atmospheric experience with a well-told story, fluid movement controls, and a dark world that's frequently fun to explore. Although the game lacks the fast-paced, brutal action of 90s-styled shooters, its Metroidvania elements and dense atmosphere more than make up for it.

5 Fortune's Run

Steam User Rating: 92%

Platform: PC
Released: September 17, 2023
Developer: Fireblade Software

This quirky FPS is a combination of old-school 90s shooters and immersive sims such as Deus-Ex and System Shock. Fortune's Run features fluid, fast-paced gunplay and stealth elements, allowing players to tackle encounters from a variety of different angles.

Fortune's Run also features a deep melee system complete with combos and even a parry mechanic. It can also be a tremendously challenging game, but it features customizable difficulty settings for those who just want to enjoy its well-crafted world.

4 Dino Trauma

Steam User Rating: 92%

Holding The Shotgun In An Overgrown Room In Dino Trauma

Platform: PC
Released: April 29, 2023
Developer: Phobia Interactive

This lower-budget affair is a survival-horror FPS in the vein of games such as Dino Crisis. Dino Trauma features a variety of aggressive dinosaurs, which it frequently throws at the player in its dark and unnerving environments.

To combat these dinosaurs, players are equipped with a stun-rod and various other weapons, many of which are among the standard set of FPS weaponry. Dino Trauma is a decidedly retro-styled FPS game, and its clunky low-budget design won't be for everyone, but it provides a nostalgic and fun experience for those who can get on board.

3 Calcium Contract

Steam User Rating: 95%

Platform: PC
Released: October 17, 2023
Developer: Igor Aleksandrowicz

Calcium Contract steers closer to the boomer-shooter genre than the other examples listed here, focusing on fast-paced action and movement. Calcium Contract's visuals are fairly basic, and its lighting in particular leaves something to be desired, but its stellar gameplay more than makes up for it.

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By Harry Ted Sprinks

Calcium Contract's biggest strength is arguably its unique save system. Throughout the game, players can choose to rewind time at any point. This allows gamers to quickly get back into the action when they die, increasing the already fast pace of Calcium Contract and making it a game that FPS fans will likely find hard to put down.

2 Bears In Space

Steam User Rating: 96%

Bears In Space - Fighting Enemies With Three Rayguns

Platforms: PC
Released: February 5, 2024
Developer: Broadside Games

This light-hearted, vibrant FPS action-adventure game tasks players with battling through a fun and comedic single-player campaign. Bears in Space is a zany experience packed with silly jokes, and that alone will turn some players away. However, the game does feature a demo that will quickly tell players whether or not they'll enjoy its humor.

The overall gameplay and combat of Bears in Space is a fairly standard routine, though it does use elements from the Bullet Hell genre to mix up its otherwise run-of-the-mill gameplay. However, Bears In Space remains a wildly off-the-rails, colorful experience that's sure to satisfy fans of retro-futurism and classic FPS gameplay.

1 Zortch

Steam User Rating: 97%

Platform: PC
Released: June 8, 2023
Developer: Mutantleg

Showing clear influence from the classic first-person shooters of the 90s and early 2000s, Zortch is a light-hearted science-fiction adventure with fast-paced FPS action. Like many games of its ilk, Zortch asks the player to master an arsenal of diverse weaponry to take down various enemies.

Zortch features some horror elements, though it's not a particularly scary game. Instead, Zortch doesn't take itself too seriously, occasionally injecting its unique sense of humor into its levels. The game's levels are brilliantly designed, its environments a joy to explore, and its enemies fun to fight. Overall, Zortch is an arguably under-priced hidden gem that any fan of 90s FPS games is likely to get a kick out of.