5 Best Military Shooter Games of All Time

Is it even a list of the best military shooters if Tom Clancy isn’t on this list? Ghost Recon Wildlands might not follow the formula, being an open-world game with a custom character, but this game deserves its place. It’s you and your team against an army, behind enemy lines, and you need to work to find your targets, master your skills, and take down the Santa Blanca Cartel. Before you can blast your way to your targets, you need to find intel or interrogate lieutenants, steal resources, and turn your team from a well-oiled machine into a hyper-lethal combat unit.

4. Homefront

Homefront is an oft-forgotten gem. As a shooter, it’s pretty generic, sure, and the story isn’t all that impressive, but where it truly shines is the setting. Urban warfare taken to extreme realism. There have been games where you fight in your native country, but rarely do you see it in the context of ‘home’, and Homefront evokes that image wonderfully. Climbing treeforts to use as a sniper nest, fighting your way into a school stadium, it’s surreal, and worse, there are civilian elements. Most shooters have you fighting in a war zone, people are not there, but in Homefront, it’s clear to see, this was someone’s home. And you fight to bring it back.

3. Army of Two

Well, that was depressing. How about something lighter? Army of Two is a two-player game. Shocking. If you don’t have friends though, don’t worry, the AI is here to back you up…admittedly not well, but the introduction of the ‘aggro’ mechanic means as you shoot at enemies and bump up your priority, your friend is all but forgotten, as they move up to a better position, all while making it truly feel like you brought a buddy to a firefight. In a good way, I mean. It’s fun, it’s charming, and it’s unique, fighting back-to-back against waves of enemies with your best friend by your side!

2. Spec Ops: The Line

Well, that was light-hearted, how about something way darker? Spec Ops: The Line is a military shooter…and at first look, that’s all it is. The gunplay is standard, the story is simple. You and your team go to a foreign country and shoot bad guys, while being awesome, and being damn good at your job…and then, it’s not that. I won’t spoil it, but those who know, know, this game is one of those games that really showcase what happens to soldiers in war.

It’s…it’s awful. It’s haunting. It’s dark, brutal, it makes you understand that humanity is something you can lose. It might not have been the best-selling, but it deserves at least one good run, and definitely more acclaim.

1. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare

Oh damn, speaking of deserving more acclaim, this game is not only a personal favorite, it’s a game that, frankly, didn’t deserve the hate it got. Yeah, it came out during CoD fatigue, and the futuristic setting wasn’t in line with all the franchise philosophy, but it’s one of those games with fun gunplay, cool gadgets to mess with, incredible set pieces, and a story that honestly? Still brings a tear to my eye after five runs.

I love flying my Jackal while ships explode around me, finding the best weapons to play with, launching gadgets and drones, hacking robots and making them explode, crawling through air vents as a stealth mission, and run-and-gunning through 3d space. The enemy is a little bland, sure, but he’s just a bad guy, which makes killing him feel all the more rewarding.

Final Thoughts

Are there other games that deserve a mention on this list? For sure. Are there games that deserve to be called ‘best military shooter’ more than these? Probably not. These games are, down to the purest elements, you and a few good soldiers against an army, gun to gun, bullet to bullet, with a compelling enough story to make you want to finish the game, then pick it up again after a couple of months, because those bare essentials? When it comes down to it, they are just fun, and that’s what games should be.