Best PS5 shooter games in 2026

HELLDIVERS™ 2 is our number one among shooter PS5 games in 2026, with Borderlands 3 second and DOOM: The Dark Ages third.

We ranked these 10 on how the shooting holds up once the novelty burns off. Weapon feel, match pacing, and whether a fight is still interesting on the tenth attempt settled most of the order below.

Six of these cost nothing to download and four are paid, and that split turns out to matter more than any single game on the list. Prices run from $39.99 to $69.99, player ratings run from 3.51 to 4.66 out of 5, and four of the ten are still playable on PS4.

Our top 10 picks compared

The best shooter games on PS5, ranked

Six cost nothing to download, and the entries below cover what each one actually gets you.

1. HELLDIVERS™ 2

Nothing else on the console turns four people panicking into this much fun. Sony Interactive Entertainment put it out in February 2024 at $39.99, and the same store that files it as a shooter also lists it under co-op.

A 4.43 average across 151,242 ratings is the strongest combination of score and sample anywhere in this top 10. Squadding up across systems means checking whether Helldivers 2 is crossplay. Two games here score higher, but neither has been graded by anything like as many people, and that is what puts this on top.

• Best for: Co-op firefights where the whole squad has to commit to one plan
• Standout: The best-supported score on the list, 4.43 from more than 150,000 players
• The catch: Paying $39.99 is the trade against six free picks below, and a squad is close to mandatory
• Platforms: PS5
• Price and monetization: $39.99, released 8 February 2024. A Super Citizen Edition runs $59.99
• Rating: 4.43 out of 5 on the PlayStation Store (151,242 ratings)

2. Borderlands 3

Gearbox Software's shooter turns up in the store's co-op group as well as its shooter group, which tells you how most people run it. Looting with friends on Xbox or PC means checking whether Borderlands 3 is cross-platform. 2K sells one listing covering PS4 and PS5, so older hardware still gets you in.

Second place is the surprise of this list. A 4.42 out of 5 from 44,204 ratings puts it level with our top pick on score, and among paid shooters only HELLDIVERS™ 2 rates better once sample size is accounted for. November 2020 makes it the oldest listing here, and it has aged far better than that suggests.

• Best for: Co-op shooting with a friend on either console
• Standout: A single $59.99 listing that covers PS4 and PS5, filed under co-op alongside shooter
• The catch: The oldest listing in this top 10, and the loot grind is an acquired taste
• Platforms: PS4, PS5
• Price and monetization: $59.99, released 12 November 2020. Next Level Bundle is $69.99 and Super Deluxe $79.99
• Rating: 4.42 out of 5 on the PlayStation Store (44,204 ratings)

3. DOOM: The Dark Ages

Every other pick in the top five wants you online at some point. id Software went the other way with a single-player campaign, a dark fantasy take on sci-fi combat running on the newest idTech engine.

At 4.66 out of 5 this is the highest-scoring game on the entire list, and the newest by nearly two years. What holds it to third is the sample behind that score: 15,957 ratings is the thinnest here by a wide margin, so the number is less settled than the ones above it.

• Best for: A campaign you can play start to finish on your own
• Standout: The highest raw score in this top 10, on a dark fantasy spin on sci-fi shooting
• The catch: $69.99 ties it for the steepest price here, and the score rests on the smallest ratings sample on the list
• Platforms: PS5
• Price and monetization: $69.99, released 15 May 2025. A Premium Edition runs $99.99
• Rating: 4.66 out of 5 on the PlayStation Store (15,957 ratings)

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4. Returnal

The oddest entry in this top 10 comes from Housemarque, a Sony-published shooter about breaking a cycle of chaos on a hostile alien planet. It shipped in April 2021, and that premise carries the design in a way none of the online picks below attempt.

Returnal is the one pick here nobody else is imitating, and a 4.37 out of 5 says the people who committed to it were rewarded. Fourth reflects how narrow the appeal is: $69.99 for a demanding solo roguelike is a real ask next to six free shooters.

• Best for: Solo runs against a planet that wants you gone
• Standout: A Sony-published shooter organized around breaking a cycle instead of clearing a campaign
• The catch: $69.99 ties for the highest price here, and the difficulty is unforgiving by design
• Platforms: PS5
• Price and monetization: $69.99, released 30 April 2021. Digital Deluxe is $79.99
• Rating: 4.37 out of 5 on the PlayStation Store (26,415 ratings)

5. Destiny 2

Bungie has kept the same shooter running since its December 2020 PS5 listing, and one download covers the PS4 version too. Guardians pick between Titan, Warlock, and Hunter, then take that character through story missions, strikes, raids, and competitive arenas. Fireteams spanning platforms need whether Destiny 2 is crossplay, which our guide covers.

All of that sits behind a single free download, and 327,665 ratings make this the third most-graded game here. A 4.23 out of 5 is the best score of any free shooter on this list, which is what earns it the top slot among them.

• Best for: A shooter to settle into for months rather than an evening
• Standout: The highest-rated free pick here, with co-op strikes, raids, and PvP on one download covering PS4 and PS5
• The catch: Years of additions on top of a 2020 release make the opening hours confusing, and online play is required throughout
• Platforms: PS4, PS5
• Price and monetization: Free, released 8 December 2020. In-game purchases optional
• Rating: 4.23 out of 5 on the PlayStation Store (327,665 ratings)

6. THE FINALS

Embark Studios AB put THE FINALS out in December 2023, and the download costs nothing. Destructible arenas and short rounds are the pitch, and the shooting rewards movement more than patience.

Sixth is where the free shooters start to separate. Its 4.14 out of 5 sits mid-table, but 57,778 ratings make it the least-tested free pick here, so the score is more provisional than the ones below it.

• Best for: Fast, combat-focused sessions you can try without paying
• Standout: Free entry with no paid barrier before your first match
• The catch: The smallest ratings sample of the six free picks, and rounds that end before they build
• Platforms: PS5
• Price and monetization: Free, released 8 December 2023
• Rating: 4.14 out of 5 on the PlayStation Store (57,778 ratings)

7. Marvel Rivals

Six players a side, with Marvel heroes and villains mixed across both teams and the arena coming apart while they fight. NetEase Games builds around Team-Up skills, where pairing certain characters unlocks a combined ability, then adds heroes and maps every season.

Learn the meta (the set of heroes currently considered strongest) this month and the next seasonal drop will move it. The listing caps matches at 12 online players, which is the 6v6 promise held to exactly. A 4.15 out of 5 from 180,428 ratings is a solid verdict on a large sample, and seventh is where a roster that keeps shifting lands against shooters with steadier foundations.

• Best for: 6v6 hero fights with a cast you already know
• Standout: Team-Up skills that combine two characters' powers, in environments you can tear down, with PS5 Pro enhancements on the newer console
• The catch: Seasonal drops keep moving the roster and the maps, so nothing about the balance stays settled, and online play is required
• Platforms: PS4, PS5, on separate store listings
• Price and monetization: Free, released 6 December 2024 on PS5. In-game purchases optional
• Rating: 4.15 out of 5 on the PlayStation Store (180,428 ratings)

8. Apex Legends

Ability kits decide fights here more than aim does, which is what Respawn Entertainment means by the next evolution of the hero shooter. Electronic Arts has published the PS5 version since February 2022. Filling a squad across platforms means checking Apex Legends crossplay.

No game on this list has been played and graded by more people: 847,727 ratings is more than five times our number one pick. That crowd settles on 4.07 out of 5, the third-lowest score here, and a verdict that well supported is hard to argue with. Eighth is what those two facts produce together.

• Best for: Squad fights decided by who picked what
• Standout: By far the largest player verdict on this list, from more than 800,000 ratings
• The catch: That enormous sample lands at 4.07, below every paid pick here, and the meta rewards players who already know it
• Platforms: PS5
• Price and monetization: Free, released 8 February 2022. In-game purchases optional
• Rating: 4.07 out of 5 on the PlayStation Store (847,727 ratings)

9. Call of Duty®: Warzone™

Free entry and a map that keeps getting rebuilt explain most of Warzone's pull. Activision's current rotation adds a Drone Labs area to Verdansk and runs Endgame for a limited spell, with Battle Royale, Black Ops Royale, and Resurgence all still on the menu.

Reception is what puts it ninth. An average of 3.91 across 706,963 ratings is the second-lowest score in this top 10, drawn from the second-largest crowd, and a number that heavily tested does not move. Lobbies of up to 99 players are the draw, and the churn that comes with them is the cost.

• Best for: Free battle royale on a map that keeps changing
• Standout: Free entry, with Battle Royale, Resurgence, and a limited-time Endgame mode live at once
• The catch: 3.91 out of 5 from nearly 707,000 ratings, and the listing warns Warzone stops working on PS4 after Season 06 of Black Ops 7
• Platforms: PS4, PS5, with PS4 support ending
• Price and monetization: Free, released 14 November 2022. In-game purchases optional
• Rating: 3.91 out of 5 on the PlayStation Store (706,963 ratings)

10. VALORANT

Riot Games brought VALORANT to PS5 in August 2024, and the tactical shooting that made it on PC arrived largely intact. Whether console and PC share lobbies is the Valorant crossplay question we answer separately. Rounds are slow, precise, and unforgiving of a single bad peek.

Last place is the verdict, not the design. A 3.51 out of 5 is the lowest score in this top 10 by some margin, and 98,084 ratings make that a settled result rather than an early wobble. Console players have been harder on this than on anything else here, and the demanding aim ceiling is the likeliest reason.

• Best for: Fast, combat-focused sessions from Riot Games
• Standout: PC-grade tactical shooting on console, free to download
• The catch: The lowest player rating on this list, and a skill floor that punishes casual play
• Platforms: PS5
• Price and monetization: Free, released 2 August 2024. In-game purchases optional
• Rating: 3.51 out of 5 on the PlayStation Store (98,084 ratings)

How we picked these 10

Every rank above is our editorial recommendation, not the output of a test bench. Official PlayStation Store listings supplied the developer, publisher, release date, platforms, price, and player ratings, checked in August 2026, and five judgments decided the order on top of that.

• Genre fit: whether shooting is the design or one system among many
• Quality: how well the weapons, the maps, and the studio's craft hold together
• Current relevance: whether people are still queuing for matches now
• Accessibility: how quickly a new player stops being a liability
• Replayability: whether the tenth session has anything left in it

One note on how we read the scores. A high average from a small crowd is a weaker signal than a slightly lower one from a huge crowd, so we weighted each rating against its sample size rather than taking the raw number at face value. That is why DOOM: The Dark Ages scores highest here and still sits third, and why Apex Legends lands eighth despite the largest audience on the list.

Fourteen games cleared the first pass and 10 made the page.

Which PS5 shooter to install first

Start with HELLDIVERS™ 2 if three friends are free tonight, because the squad is the entire point of it. Anyone who wants a campaign with nobody else involved should go straight to DOOM: The Dark Ages instead. For shooters plus everything else on the console, our best PS5 multiplayer games list widens it out.

Cost decides most of the rest. Six of these ten let you test the genre without spending anything, and Destiny 2 is the best-reviewed of them by a clear margin.

• Squad night: HELLDIVERS™ 2, Borderlands 3
• Playing alone: DOOM: The Dark Ages, Returnal
• Nothing to spend up front: Destiny 2, THE FINALS, Marvel Rivals
• Rosters over raw aim: Marvel Rivals, Apex Legends
• Biggest lobbies: Call of Duty®: Warzone™ at 99 players, Destiny 2 at 16
• Still playing on a PS4: Destiny 2, Borderlands 3, Marvel Rivals
• Best reviewed overall: DOOM: The Dark Ages, HELLDIVERS™ 2, Borderlands 3