The Best Looter Shooter Games

The Borderlands franchise pioneered the looter shooter genre, and Borderlands 3 represents its most refined form. Set in a chaotic sci-fi universe filled with bandits, corporations, and alien vaults, this game delivers an unmatched arsenal of bizarre and powerful weapons.

Borderlands 3 features over one billion procedurally generated guns with unique stats, elements, and manufacturer-specific quirks. The game’s color-coded rarity system (from common white to legendary orange) creates that perfect “just one more enemy” addiction as you hunt for perfect rolls and legendary drops.

The fast-paced first-person combat combines with four unique character classes, each with three distinct skill trees allowing for diverse playstyles. The satisfaction of finding a weapon that perfectly complements your build is unmatched in the genre.

Available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch, Borderlands 3 continues to receive updates and has several DLC expansions that add new areas, story content, and loot.

Bungie’s sci-fi epic blends MMO elements with tight first-person shooter mechanics. Set in a post-apocalyptic solar system where humanity’s last defenders wield the power of Light (and now Darkness), Destiny 2 offers some of the most polished combat in the genre.

Destiny 2’s gear is divided into weapons and armor, each with random perk combinations that can dramatically change their effectiveness. The pursuit of “god rolls” and exotic items drives the experience, with targeted farming methods for specific loot pools.

The core loop revolves around completing activities across the solar system to earn powerful gear, which enables tackling more challenging content like raids. The game shines in its variety of activities, from casual strikes to complex 6-player raids that require coordination and skill.

Destiny 2’s base game is free-to-play on all platforms (PC, PlayStation, Xbox), with expansions and seasonal content available for purchase. The game receives regular updates with new story content, activities, and loot.

Digital Extremes’ Warframe has evolved from humble beginnings into one of the most content-rich free-to-play games available. Set in a far-future sci-fi universe, players control Tenno, ancient warriors who pilot biomechanical suits called Warframes.

Warframe’s progression revolves around crafting new Warframes, weapons, and mods (modifications that enhance your gear). Most items are acquired through blueprints and resources rather than direct drops, creating a crafting-focused loot system with deterministic paths to most items.

The core gameplay combines third-person shooting with acrobatic movement and melee combat. With over 40 unique Warframes, each with distinct abilities, and hundreds of weapons to collect and customize, the variety of playstyles is staggering.

Warframe is available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. The game receives substantial updates several times a year, adding new Warframes, weapons, story quests, and gameplay systems.

Ubisoft’s The Division 2 offers a more grounded take on the looter shooter genre. Set in a post-pandemic Washington D.C., players take on the role of Division agents working to restore order to the collapsed society.

The Division 2 features realistic military weapons and gear with various attributes and talents. The brand set system encourages mixing and matching equipment pieces to activate powerful bonuses, while the recalibration station allows for customizing specific attributes on gear.

The core gameplay is cover-based third-person shooting with an emphasis on tactical positioning and team coordination. The realistic approach means no superhuman abilities (beyond some tech gadgets), focusing instead on build synergy and strategic play.

The Division 2 is available on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. While updates are less frequent than some competitors, the game has received several major expansions and continues to see support.

Risk of Rain 2 brilliantly combines roguelike elements with looter shooter mechanics. Stranded on an alien planet, players must fight through increasingly difficult waves of monsters while collecting items that stack and synergize in unexpected ways.

Unlike traditional looter shooters, Risk of Rain 2 features items that stack infinitely, creating exponentially powerful effects. With over 100 items ranging from simple damage boosts to game-changing mechanics, each run becomes a unique experience as different item combinations create wildly different builds.

The core loop involves exploring procedurally generated environments, defeating enemies for currency, and purchasing random items from chests. As time passes, the difficulty increases dramatically, creating an urgent pace. With 12 unique playable characters, each with distinct abilities, the variety of possible playstyles is immense.

Risk of Rain 2 is available on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch. The game has received several updates and a major expansion, with more content planned.

Deep Rock Galactic puts players in the boots of space dwarves mining dangerous alien planets. This co-op focused experience combines resource extraction with intense combat against alien swarms in fully destructible environments.

Rather than traditional weapon drops, Deep Rock’s progression comes from mining minerals and completing missions to unlock new weapons, upgrades, and cosmetics. Each of the four classes has unique equipment that can be modified and upgraded, creating distinct roles within a team.

Missions involve delving into procedurally generated caves to complete objectives while fighting off waves of alien bugs. The fully destructible terrain creates unique tactical situations in every mission, with players needing to balance resource collection with combat and extraction.

Deep Rock Galactic is available on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. The game receives regular free updates with new content, including missions, weapons, and cosmetics.