15 Best Online Shooters 2023 for PC, Switch, PS4, PS5 and Xbox

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Multiplayer shooters are among the most important and popular games in the gaming market. That goes for every platform – PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. We’ll tell you which shooters will be at the top in 2023.

So that you don’t lose track of the massive selection of shooters, we’ll show you the 14 multiplayer shooters that are among the most important, popular and best on the market.

We also briefly tell you what makes each shooter special and what type of player each title wants to appeal to. This will help you decide if you should take a closer look at the games listed here.

Maik has been working with MeinMMO since 2019 and has been part of the permanent team since 2022. From the beginning he came as a shooter author, first worked on The Division and then Call of Duty for years.

But shooters have been with him for much longer. The N64 ran hot with Golden Eye and his first Call of Duty has adorned his Ikea cupboards since 2008 (CoD: World at War).

He played all the shooters on the list at least once and played big titles like Overwatch, Destiny or Battlefield for a longer time.

The list does not constitute a ranking and is based in part on the author’s personal rankings. In general, three specific standards were applied:

  • Personal Preferences
  • Unique gameplay aspects
  • Number of current players

    • For an overview of the games take a look at the table of contents:

    Updated February 03, 2023: Maik took over and updated Marko’s list. Instead of listing individual titles for the big shooter games like Call of Duty, we will briefly introduce you to the franchise and who the games are suitable for.

    The following changes have been made:

    – CoD: Vanguard & Warzone 1 out
    – Rainbow Six: Extraction out
    – Split gate out
    – Warframe out
    – Call of Duty as a franchise in
    – Team Fortress 2 in
    – Overwatch 2 in
    – Battlefield as a franchise in

    Apex Legends

    release: 04.02.2019 | Platform: Steam (PC), Origin (PC), PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Switch | Genre: Battle Royale | Developer: Respawn Entertainment | Model: Free2Play

    What makes the game special? Apex Legends is the fastest battle royale shooter out there – and one of the most popular. Although the time-to-kill (TTK) is significantly higher than in comparable games, the movement is all the faster.

    This fast pace is also due to the many characters in the game that you can play as. Like in a hero shooter or MOBA, you choose one of many legends, each with their own abilities to allow for a specific playstyle.

    Apex Legends: Eclipse Gameplay Trailer

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    Per

  • Rapid game speed
  • Lots of characters with their own gameplay options
  • Great gunplay
  • Excellent developer support since release
  • Available on many platforms
    • cons

  • Battle royales don’t appeal to everyone
  • Lots of maps, characters and weapons can make new entry difficult
  • Difficult to master

    • What game modes are there? At the heart of Apex Legends is the Battle Royale. A total of 60 players in teams of 2 or 3 fight against each other on huge, different maps. The loot is always randomly distributed on the map and the playable parts of the map become smaller and smaller over time. Whoever survives last wins the match.

    In addition, Apex also offers an Arena mode, which is an alternative to Battle Royale. In it, Apex Legends tries its hand at a unique mix of arena and tactical shooter. In arenas, teams of 3 fight each other in rounds.

    At the beginning of each round, you must purchase weapons, attachments, and equipment such as grenades or ability uses. Whoever has a 2-round lead first wins the match.

    Both Battle Royale and Arena matches feature open matchmaking and ranked matches.

    Who should take a closer look at the game? Even if you’re not really into battle royale gameplay, players who want fast-paced gameplay and lots of mechanical depth in their shooters should definitely try Apex Legends.

    The gunplay is also excellent, as the weapons have very different handling. In addition, they sound fantastic and give a very satisfying feedback with every shot.

    However, the game is difficult. It takes a lot of time and patience to play it at a high level. While this can be daunting, it is also a huge motivating factor. In addition, regular and large updates ensure sufficient content and variety.

    Call of Duty – Multiplayer & Battle Royale

    Platform: Battle.net (PC), Steam (PC) PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S | Genre: Shooters | Publishers: Activision Blizzard | Model: Buy2Play / Free2Play

    What makes the franchise special? Call of Duty boasts the largest shooter community in the world and has fans from all walks of life. It is the mainstream shooter and has been successful for a good 20 years.

    Call of Duty offers mature gunplay, lots of gameplay challenges and nowadays sees itself as a service game. New, free content for the current games is added regularly and the titles continue to grow after release.

    The franchise now offers a game mode for almost every shooter fan – whether Battle Royale, extraction shooter or skirmishes on smaller maps. The current premium title is called Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

    CoD Modern Warfare 2: Important changes explained quickly – with gameplay

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    Per

  • Strong gun play
  • Lots of guns
  • Many different modes – PvE & PvP
  • Extensive tactics thanks to many devices
  • Free2Play Warzone for testing
  • Brings free new content
  • Getting into the gameplay is pleasant
  • Warzone lets you take your own weapons into the Battle Royale
    • cons

  • Premium releases have not performed optimally in recent years
  • Up-to-date graphics only in the story campaign
  • Premium titles at full price
  • Often a strict weapon meta
  • Weapons have to be leveled for a long time for powerful attachments

    • What game modes are there? There is something here for almost every shooter taste:

  • Premium CoD
  • co-op content
  • 32vs32 battles
  • story campaign
  • Free2Play Warzone

    • Call of Duty even offers a popular mobile version with lots of content, but it runs independently of the two big titles on PC and console. In addition, Warzone: Mobile will be released soon, with which you can also make progress in the other games.

    Who should take a closer look at the game? While CoD doesn’t offer any hero skills or classes, it does offer down-to-earth gameplay that’s expanded with gadgets and killstreaks.

    If you play well, you get heavy war equipment to further dominate your opponents. Many of these devices from the multiplayer mode can also be found in Battle Royale and other modes.

    If you are looking for a straightforward shooter but don’t want to do without crazy gadgets, such as in Counter-Strike, then CoD is your choice. With the Free2Play Warzone you can also get an impression of whether the gameplay suits you.

    Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO)

    release: 08/21/2012 | Platform: Steam (PC) | Genre: Tactical Shooter | Developer: valves | Model: Free2Play

    What makes the game special? Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO for short) is the latest iteration of shooter giant Counter-Strike. Not much has changed since the days as a mod for Half-Life: the terrorists are trying to plant a bomb, and special forces want to prevent it.

    What is also special about CSGO is that there is hardly a game with the same principles: The crosshairs do not always point to where you shoot. Headshots are often instant kills, but body shots have a very high time-to-kill. ADS (Aiming) is only available with a few weapons and if you move while shooting, you hit almost nothing.

    These subtleties have made CSGO one of the most played games on Steam for almost 10 years – every day.

    Counter Strike: Global Offensive trailer

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    Per

  • Tactical battles
  • Teamwork essential
  • Lots of maps and content
  • Very deep, mechanically demanding gameplay
    • cons

  • Getting started is very difficult
  • Graphically old-fashioned
  • Teammates often toxic

    • What game modes are there? In addition to the classic bomb mode, there are also maps that deal with hostages. There are also deathmatch modes and even the battle royale mode Danger Zone.

    Who should take a closer look at the game? CSGO is clearly aimed at players who want to put their mechanical shooter skills and good teamwork to the test. Despite many weapon skins, shooter gameplay can hardly be more straightforward than in CSGO:

    This hardcore tactical shooter has no frills like skills, heroes or vehicles. In CSGO, the only thing that counts is how well you can hit the head and how well you harmonize and communicate with the team.

    Moving on to page 2, we continue with the only loot shooter on our list.

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