Best retro shooters

Shooters are built around aiming and firing, from first-person corridor blasters and light-gun games to run-and-gun stages and multidirectional arcade shooters.

Typical commitment: an evening or two. Tip: Retro shooters were designed for CRT TVs and original controllers; light-gun games in particular need special hardware or alternative controls on modern screens.

Pick one of these for me

Shooters by system

The 48 most celebrated retro shooters

#8 Daikatana box art
Daikatana N64 · 2000 · Shooter Classic Co-op
#10 Doom 64 box art
Doom 64 N64 · 1997 · Shooter Classic
#12 Star Fox box art
Star Fox SNES · 1993 · Shooter Classic
#14 Doom box art
Doom Jaguar · 1994 · Shooter Classic Co-op
#16 Commando box art
Commando 7800 · 1985 · Shoot 'em Up Classic
#25 MDK box art
MDK PS1 · 1997 · Shooter Classic
#30 Quake box art
Quake N64 · 1998 · Shooter Co-op