Doom 2 Key Art
Image: Id Software (Restored by Azafran on Doomworld)

We're back at it again with another crash course on a particularly juicy corner of gaming. Forget your Calls to Duty or your Fortly Knights, because we're going back to the roots of first-person shootery. Back when monsters popped out of closets, you could carry ten guns at once, and if you moved diagonally you could sometimes hit close to 60mph on foot. Thanks to a mix of mods, engine replacements and modern tribute titles, old-school FPS games (sometimes called 'boomer shooters', but we don't really like that term) are a booming (sorry) scene, and there's so many out there that it can be tricky to know where to start.

That's where we come in, with yet another curated showcase of some of the best to kickstart your collection. For this one, we're doing things a little differently, starting with the original classics (almost all of which are available on Steam) and some pointers on how to get the most out of them in the modern day, followed by a roundup of twenty of the best of the current crop, loosely ranked from most mainstream to some real sicko picks. Lock, load and strafe right this way:

DOOM + DOOM II (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2280/DOOM__DOOM_II/

The game that defined a genre. A template that countless others follow and build on to this day. Still an excellent, compelling shooter, even if the older levels seem a bit primitive compared to what's being made today. While Nightdive's recent re-release of Doom is an excellent starting place (including every official expansion and an official mod repository) if you really want to explore the vast, ever-expanding universe of Doom, you'll want a modern engine - UZDoom is most widely supported - and then go exploring around the Doom community's annual awards and this ever-shifting ranking of the best maps and mods of all time.

Heretic + Hexen (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3286930/Heretic__Hexen/

High-fantasy cousins to Doom, running on the same software foundation, and similarly bundled together and enhanced by Nightdive. The remaster even smooths out Hexen's biggest issue - often having no idea where in its complex, interconnected hub-levels to go next after hitting a vital switch. There's fewer mods for these two, but the advice for Doom applies here: Get UZDoom and go hunting. Special shout-outs to Faithless, a fantastic mod that combines everything that I liked about Heretic and Hexen into a single thrilling new adventure.

Quake (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2310/Quake/

A confession: I never really liked Quake much when it first came out. Despite its cool Lovecraft-inspired setting it felt too brown and too limiting, even with the addition of a true third dimension. The past decade has changed my opinion entirely. Ever since the release of Arcane Dimensions - a massive community collaboration mod designed to push the game to new limits - there has been a constant stream of fantastic releases that further elevate the Quake formula, recently culminating in the staggering, free standalone Quake Brutalist Jam 3. You'll need a new engine like Ironwail or VKQuake (I use the latter) and then go digging around the top-rated mods over on Slipseer.

Quake II (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2320/Quake_II/

Dropping the Lovecraftian themes of the first game in favor of WW2 In Space. Conversely, Quake 2 was a game I loved at launch, but lost interest in as I realized its limits and flaws over the years. Nightdive's fantastic remaster changed all that, tuning up enemy AI, adding some fantastic new campaigns and even remaking the N64 version (which is effectively a whole separate game) to add to the package. It also kicked off a new generation of mods for the game that run natively on this port. Check out the fantastic Quake 1/2 hybrid campaign Call of The Void and this remake of the PS1 campaign (also radically different from the PC release) as a starting point.

Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/434050/Duke_Nukem_3D_20th_Anniversary_World_Tour/

Rude, crude, he's the dude with the 'tude. Some argue that Duke Nukem has aged badly as a character. If you pretend Duke Nukem Forever never happened, he's still cool, in a goofy, '90s action movie kinda way. Kinda like Johnny Bravo's sleazier cousin. The game is still great too, with a big focus on semi-realistic urban environments, interactivity and destruction. If you really want to get into Duke's extended universe, my guide over at PC Gamer still holds true. You'll want the Atomic Edition of the game (only available on Zoom Platform, weirdly) and the eDuke32 engine. Beyond that, check my guide and check out ModDB!

Blood: Refreshed Supply (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3884520/Blood_Refreshed_Supply

Running on the same engine as Duke Nukem 3D, Blood leans heavily into Evil Dead-inspired campy horror excess, with an even more explosive, destructible, interactive world. Starring wisecracking undead gunslinger Caleb, hunting the cult he once belonged to through a vaguely 1920s world, hucking bundles of dynamite around every corner he can. Once again, Nightdive have put out the definitive version of the game, including two full-game-length mods: Marrow and Death Wish, both of which improve on this classic, brutally tough shooter. The only issue is the £25/$30 price of Refreshed Supply, and no cheap way to upgrade from earlier versions - a problem imposed by the publisher reflected in the user reviews. Oh, and you can find more mods over on MoDB.

Classic Marathon Infinity (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/developer/alephone

Before Halo there was Marathon, the ORIGINAL FPS about being a green-armored cyborg badass protecting humanity's colonies from an alliance of brightly-colored alien invaders. Thanks to Bungie kindly letting the community take over, all three of the original games are free on Steam now, upgraded to run on the Aleph One engine and with full Steam Workshop mod support. You can find almost all the major mods on the Marathon Infinity Workshop, but don't skip the community repository. Lastly, I recommend Eat The Path if you plan on playing the labyrinthine original campaigns - this plugin adds a Dead Space-inspired 'lead me to the next objective' button, which I admit needing more than a few times.

Return to Castle Wolfenstein (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/9010/Return_to_Castle_Wolfenstein

Before its gloriously pulpy reboot by Machinegames, this was the peak of the Wolfenstein series. Twitchy WW2 nazi-grinding combat with the occasional dash of supernatural shenanigans. It still holds up great today, thanks to RealRTCW - a free, community-made Nightdive-style overhaul, give or take some supporters DLC to tip the devs if you like it. RealRTCW recently added the Cursed Sands chapter, a previously console-exclusive prologue campaign set in Egypt, making this the new definitive edition of the game. The RealRTCW Workshop is a treasure trove of mods, including including a single-player adaptation of the multiplayer spinoff, Enemy Territory.

Serious Sam Fusion 2017 (beta) (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/564310/Serious_Sam_Fusion_2017_beta/

And last of our authentically retro roundup, and fittingly on the border between eras, Serious Sam Fusion is a combined launcher and mod framework for Serious Sam HD (which is confusingly two games), Serious Sam 3, plus the VR versions of all three. When Serious Sam first debuted way back in 2001, it was touted as a throwback to the classic Doom era of shooters, but really has its own distinct feel, with impish trap-heavy level design and huge swarms of enemies that are best tackled while running backwards, guns blazing. Now it's retro too, and with plenty of mods to dig into over in the Fusion Steam Workshop.

DUSK (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/519860/DUSK/

And so we reach the game that many consider kicked off the retro FPS revival, coming to us from David Szymanski of Iron Lung fame. More than a little Quake, a handful of Doom and even a dash or two of Heretic and Blood - this one's a rich stew of inspirations and grimy, indulgent FPS fun top to bottom. Hack and slash through a deeply weird collection of monsters and eldritch cultists. Don't miss out on the free Dusk HD DLC, which brings it a little bit closer to modern spec without losing any of that tetanus-hazard edge.

AMID EVIL (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/673130/AMID_EVIL/

A wonderful modernized tribute to Heretic and Hexen. High-fantasy FPS action with a great slate of offbeat magical weapons, many worlds to explore each with a whole new set of enemies to explode, and some gorgeous vistas that look like a fantasy metal album cover rendered in Bryce 3D. A great example of a game going beyond its inspirations. If you like the base game, the excellent Black Labyrinth expansion is more of the same. There's also a great VR port, although it sadly doesn't include the Black Labyrinth levels.

ULTRAKILL (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1229490/ULTRAKILL/

Still in early access but unbelievably popular. Ultrakill's old-school nature is only skin deep. Beneath the low-fi (potentially VERY low-fi with its PS1 filter options) aesthetics lies some of the freshest, newest, fastest combat around inspired as much by Devil May Cry as Quake, and wrapped up in some shockingly good storytelling to boot. You are a blood-fueled robot, plundering hell for energy because mankind is dead. A point-blank shotgun blast sprays enough enemy gore to instantly refill your health, encouraging frantic, hungry aggression. Mix up weapons and attack types to chase high scores and unlock some amazing optional endgame super-bosses. Despite not having official mod support yet, there's already tons of user-made levels available via the custom AngryLevelLoader in-game browser.

CULTIC (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1684930/CULTIC/

Not just the best tribute to Blood ever made but one of the best first-person shooter campaigns out there, period. Proper action horror FPS stuff, with Resident Evil 4 cited as a key inspiration for developer Jasozz Games. Levels frequently ease up on the combat to build tension before throwing you into some properly scary situations. That's not to say it can't get bombastic, with later levels giving you a huge arsenal of guns to chew through legions of robed cultists and demons from beyond. Oddly, this one was released in two parts, so don't forget to pick up the DLC containing the even bigger, even tougher finale.

STRAFTAT (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2386720/STRAFTAT/

While many of the games featured here have optional multiplayer modes, the Lemaitre Bros focused purely on capturing that feel of early, messy twitch shooter deathmatch in Straftat. 1v1, 2v2 or 4-player free-for-all deathmatch, winner-stays-in. Hundreds of maps, tons of guns, fast, twitchy movement, bunny-hopping, wall-jumping and all that jazz. Somewhere between Quake, Half-Life 1 and OG Unreal Tournament combat. To top it all off, Straftat is (mostly) free, with an optional bit of DLC adding more maps, weapons and hats, though free players can join and play with paid players without hassle - how generous!

Wizordum (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1715590/Wizordum/

We're going REALLY old-school here. Wizordum takes the FPS back to the days of Catacomb Abyss, long before we had angled walls in games. That's not to say that this fantasy-themed shooter doesn't have some more modern ideas, with fast-paced combat, smart level design, varied enemies and plenty of satisfying weapons and spells with alternative fire-modes. Even some light RPG upgrade mechanics to spend your points on, if you've been secret-hunting. Wizordum looks and sounds a treat, with detailed pixel art, gorgeous texture work and subtle, smart use of 3D without betraying the game's grid-based nature. Plus it comes with a VERY easy-to-use level editor and built-in level sharing.

Turbo Overkill (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1328350/Turbo_Overkill/

One more sitting on the boundary between retro and modern. There's definitely some old-school spirit to Turbo Overkill, with a huge arsenal of guns and massive enemy swarms, but the wall-running, air-dashing and focus on set-pieces and storytelling makes this feel like a AAA game mostly developed by one guy. It's pure glorious neon cyberpunk excess too, with you playing as Johnny Turbo, a bounty hunter tasked with putting down a machine-virus uprising on a corporate planet. You also have a chainsaw for a leg, which doubles as melee weapon and movement tool to slide around at ridiculous speeds. Not only is this a surprisingly huge game, but every single level has an unlockable secret level attached to it.

Selaco (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1592280/Selaco/

Another in early access but OH, what a game already. Despite running on the Doom engine, this looks and feels like a fusion of Duke Nukem 3D and Half-Life's environment design and the spectacular bullet-time ballet of the FEAR series, with an overall 'Die Hard in space' tone. You play as the chief security officer on a vast space-station city, fighting off a mysterious army of purple-blooded troopers that are suddenly raiding your home. Fantastic gunplay, smart level design and great enemy AI, with enemy squads flanking, suppressing and being JUST smart enough to be satisfying to swoop in on and explode them into purple mist with your cataclysmically powerful shotgun. It even has a built-in randomizer that turns the game into an escalating looter-shooter and full mod support.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2005010/Warhammer_40000_Boltgun/

For a first attempt at a retro FPS, Auroch Digital nailed it with Boltgun. A gloriously over-the-top shooter that makes you feel every bit as huge, armored and angry as 40k's iconic Space Marines should be. Smaller human and demon enemies can be killed just by running through them, and bigger enemies... well, you've got plenty of guns and a chainsaw-edged sword to deal with them. Not strictly retro in its design (borrowing a few ideas from Doom 2016 and eternal), but a lot of fun. Curiously it's also set in-between Space Marine 1 & 2, filling in some blanks in their story. Don't miss out on the expansion, either, and keep an eye on the upcoming sequel, where Auroch have a chance to really show off their experience.

Overload (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/448850/Overload/

Wondering where the classic Descent series is on this list? Here it is. Surprisingly few people know that the original developers of Descent got back together under the name Revival Productions to make a sequel. Due to legal shenanigans they couldn't use the name, but this is Descent 4 in all but title, and it is top notch. The same dizzying (and potentially motion-sickness inducing, as you're flying a tiny spaceship), free-flying combat is back, better-looking than ever, and with more story to boot. The soundtrack is on point, there's a New Game Plus mode with remixed enemy placements, some DLC and even mod support. Don't skip on Overload: First Strike, a complete reimagining of the original Descent, brought up to modern spec.

ADACA (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1765780/ADACA/

Another on the cusp of 'old school', but ADACA is too cool to not mention, and a testament to what a solo developer (Siris Pendrake) can do with a modern engine and some cheap asset packs if used right. Like a fusion of Half-Life 2 and Halo's combat, gravity gun, limited weapon slots, smart enemy squads and all. At least, that's the first half. Once the story campaign is over, there's a whole STALKER-inspired sandbox mode, letting you scavenge and fight through an interconnected sandbox world. Siris is now working on Project Silverfish, an even more ambitious shooter.

Hedon Bloodrite (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1072150/Hedon_Bloodrite/

A great fusion of Doom-like horde-splatting combat and Looking Glass (Thief, System Shock, etc) level design, encouraging exploration, secret-hunting, crawling through vents and finding alternate solutions. Both are equally valid approaches, and mixing it up is fun. You're playing as Zan the Bonebreaker, a half-orc, half-demon, all-blue giant lady. Human enemies stand a couple heads shorter than you and can be flattened with a single axe swing, but there's plenty of guns to play with, thanks to the game's strange fantasy 'crystalpunk' setting.

INCISION (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1734680/INCISION/

Some people have criticized Incision for being too one-note. I cannot deny this. But it plays that one industrial cybergore note perfectly. Inspired by Quake but with an even grimier and more nightmarish setting, Your city is walled off to contain a biomechanical plague that is converting everything to living metal. You've been changed too - you're stronger now, and wield a giant scalpel blade on the end of a buzzaw-headed polearm, and are compelled to surgically excise the roots of the Growth consuming everything. The entire game is rusted, decaying or made out of pulsating pseudo-flesh, including the enemies, and accompanied with a similarly grungy soundtrack. It'd be a bit much to wade through, if the game didn't move at breakneck pace.

Ion Fury (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/562860/Ion_Fury/

Slightly soured by the developers digging in their heels over some tasteless jokes, Ion Fury is still an excellent tribute to Duke Nukem 3D's design, and running on a modern version of the EDuke32 engine to boot. Detailed, highly interactive urban levels, deadly combat, hugely powerful weapons that reduce enemies to red paste, all check. Plus some of the most satisfying grenades in games - bowling ball-like explosives that roll around corners and home in on targets. And of course with a wisecracking meathead protagonist. The excellent Aftershock expansion also includes a fully remixed and revised version of the original game's campaign, making a second playthrough even better than the first.

Supplice (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1693280/Supplice/

In the final phases of early access and launching in full soon, Supplice (French for 'torture') is what happens when Mekworx (a team of ultra-veteran Doom modders) put their own spin on Marathon's formula and concepts. There's big levels to explore, similar themes of machine sentience, a mysterious alien invasion threatening regular off-world colonists, and plenty of excellently-written prose to be found on terminal screens. But this is louder and more bombastic than Marathon, with some real slobberknocker swarm battles, especially in later episodes. It also boasts a fantastic soundtrack. Who knew that fighting aliens to a soulful sax solo could feel so cool?

Onirism (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1057640/Onirism/

Onirism is a work of quixotic madness, straining a bit under its own ambitions. Wrapped around the story of a little girl delving into the world of dreams to rescue her missing stuffed bunny, this is a mash-up of SO many shooters. There's lots of Serious Sam, some Timesplitters, a bit of Blood, a Bioshock-themed world and a whole Call Of Duty Zombies mode, complete with hidden 'easter egg' objectives. Even being primarily played in third-person, and having a bit of mascot platformer DNA in there, the sheer number of classic FPS games this is inspired by earns it a place here. Despite leaving early access late in 2025, development hasn't slowed, with new zones, zombie maps and sidequests added regularly, and full online multiplayer (including campaign co-op) coming soon.

PIGFACE (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3341650/PIGFACE/

A recent early access hit, now on the last stretch to a full release. Best described as 'What if Manhunt was good?', you are Exit, a very violent woman with a bomb in her head, semi-unwillingly doing dirty work for mysterious voices on the phone that want gangs cleared out of dilapidated complexes. Like a mix of stealthy immersive sim, Hitman and Hotline Miami. Despite grungy retro looks (very Half-Life 1), the level design here is smart, modern and encourages finding your own routes and solutions, tackling encounters in whatever order you please. Grimy, abrasive and frequently very cool.

Northern Journey (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1639790/Northern_Journey/

A beautiful anomaly, describing itself as a 'Norwegian happysad game'. Set in the cursed, surreal fjords, Northern Journey starts out slow and methodical, with you nevrously navigating through forest valleys, splatting giant bugs with a sling. But the deeper you get into its weird world (with an even weirder cast of characters), the faster the pace gets. Huge swarms of monsters, magical and physical weapons blasting constantly, and some great boss fights. Despite looking like a (cursed) take on Morrowind with semi-open maps, this one moves and feels like a retro FPS, hence its place here.

Beyond Citadel (PC)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3371240/Beyond_Citadel/

And to wrap up, one last outsider pick from Japanese solo developer doekuramori. Beyond Citadel is one of the strangest, most transgressive retro shooters around. Vaguely inspired by Marathon but with its own cubist aesthetic, pitch-dark story and probably the most extreme violence in any FPS. Both enemies and your own (scantily clad anime girl) bodies shattering under impact in multi-staged detail. It's unsettling, quietly horny for internal anatomy and despite all this, it's a shockingly good game. I'd recommend playing the original game in the series first though.

And that heaping pile of old-school ultra-violence is just the tip of the iceberg. This is far from a comprehensive list, but should be more than enough to get you started and exploring the deep and ever-expanding world of old-school shooters. As ever, if you've got a personal favorite you think we missed or just want to share something cool with the community, let us hear in the comment box below!