Activision’s saga is best when it’s fast, violent, and frantic. It pushes players to do silly stuff like jumping behind a crate to shoot a sniper rifle or throwing a grenade blindly into the air to misguide enemies. In particular, 2019’s Modern Warfare is the series’ biggest hit. However, after many years in the market, you may be looking for something else, something fresh, other FPS games like Call Of Duty.
Selecting Games Like Call Of Duty
Call of Duty offers the type of games FPS fans love. They are fast, easy to understand, and fun with friends. Either way, selecting games like Call of Duty requires us to understand the elements of the shooter saga. We believe CoD fans would love games featuring a mix or a twist of these aspects:
Genre: Call of Duty games are fast-paced first-person shooters. They offer single-player campaigns (with some exceptions), plus a multiplayer feature.Mechanics: You can run, crouch, crawl, jump, climb ladders, aim, aim behind cover, shoot, reload, throw grenades, use knives, stealth, and other tools. Shooting Mechanics: Modern CoD games feature realistic mechanics like weapon recoil, bullet velocity, and bullet drop. Single-player: The campaigns are linear and story-driven. You follow a series of characters through a series of battles, levels, and missions.Setting: The saga has various stages. Typically, it delivers WWI, WWII, cold-war, modern, and futuristic scenarios. Multiplayer: There’re various multiplayer game modes. These can be team-based PvP, free-for-all PvPs, squad-based free-for-alls, battle royales, etc.Player Base: Modern COD games also have healthy player bases. That means you can easily find a match, as thousands of players log-in every day. Game Modes: Even so, there’re many game modes across CoD games. These range from 50vs50 massive battles to deathmatches, capture the flag, etc.PvP: The PvP is fast paced and skill-based. That’s because characters don’t level up. Instead, you need to “level up” your skills to improve your kill-ratio.Killstreaks: On most CoD games, you unlock one-time-only attacks like an artillery strike if you rack up kill streaks. Vehicles: There’re also vehicles in matches and the campaign. These include tanks, bikes, planes, and choppers. You can drive to control the battlefield. Loot: There’s loot and traders on some CoD games, like Warzone. You can pick up loot on crates, airdrops, and enemies for gear, ammo, and tools.Open-world: Warzone has an open-world, and it’s a Battle Royale. You go in alone or with a squad on a map full of people, and fight until no one stands. Operatives: Most CoD games offer Operatives for multiplayer. These are the “classes,” as each has a different weapon loadout and perks.Customization: You can level up your Season Pass to unlock customization options like skins for your weapons and characters. You can also buy them.Zombies Mode: Lastly, modern CoD games feature a separate zombies mode. It’s a series of levels where you combat zombie hordes solo or in co-op.
Each multiplayer FPS should have its flair, a distinct element that sets it apart from its competitors. We intend to deliver the best even though we’re looking at a genre full of options. Moreover, games like Call of Duty should offer hefty multiplayer features. We’d also prefer first-person shooters with a dash of realism, frenetic battles, varied game modes, and zero RPG or character progression elements.
Hell Let Loose
Hell Let Loose is a multiplayer and tactical FPS entry. It offers 50v50 battles in WWII scenarios. Moreover, it has a healthy player base, with over 5K daily concurrent players on Steam. The maps include Western Front areas like Omaha Beach, Foy, and Carentan. There’re over 9 maps, and the developers created each site with satellite data and real-life images. Here, you combat on land and on vehicles to dominate key locations. When a team captures a location, it generates resources (fuel for vehicles, manpower to respawn players, and ammo). The result is dynamic battles across bridges, forests, villages, and trenches. On top of that, it features historical weapons, uniforms, and vehicles. The shooting is challenging, as there’s weapon recoil, bullet drop, bullet velocity, and limb damage. Also, you choose one of the 14 different roles (like infantry, armored units, and recon). For example, officers use an in-game voice channel to coordinate attacks across the team. Hell Let Loose is a hardcore, bloody, and historical FPS. The maps are also huge and feature top-of-line visuals. Luckily, there’re people ready to play in the lobbies at all times. Lastly, as this is a newer game, newcomers would find most players are on a similar skill level.
Battlefield V Definitive Edition
It would be unfair to recommend Battlefield 2042, a bug generator with some gameplay hints. Instead, we’re recommending Battlefield V, the 2018 entry of EA’s FPS series. Battlefield V is a multiplayer and single-player FPS. It’s easier than CoD, as weapon recoil, bullet drop, and bullet velocity are much less noticeable. Moreover, the driving mechanics feel smoother, and there’s a greater vehicle variety. The offline campaign takes you across various WWII episodes to play linear battles. These include land, air, and sea struggles with an arsenal of historical weapons, vehicles, and gadgets. Naturally, combat is frenetic and violent. The multiplayer features various game modes: co-op, PvP, and battle royale. The core features are the same in either mode: resources are scarce, there’re no loot drops, and you can destroy anything on the map. Moreover, game modes focus on team battles and vehicles. Lastly, we recommend the Definitive Edition, available on Steam. The title boasts all the content from Year 1 and Year 2 seasons, plus 10K daily concurrent players. In particular, the extra content is a ton of skins for your characters, weapons, and outfits.
Arma 3
Arma 3 is a massive military open-world sandbox. It has a plethora of single-player and multiplayer FPS content. See, because it has a creation tool and a loyal community, the in-game content is massive, a marvel for FPS fans. The setting is futuristic (the 2030s). Yet, it packs many tactical, realistic, and immersive elements. For example, the main maps, real-life islands, use photo-realistic graphics. The offline campaign makes you play as U.S. Corporal Ben Kerry. You go through various linear missions, from infiltrations to massive battles and vehicle combat. Also, you can play the entire campaign in co-op (with up to four players). Then, the multiplayer feature has tons of game modes across hundreds of servers. The main game mode happens in an open-world (290Km2) with about 128 players. You form squads to defend and seize positions on the official game mode. However, hundreds of unofficial game modes have vastly different experiences. Lastly, the creation tools also turn ARMA 3 into a platform. The modding community is active and has created over 90K mods, including maps, missions, campaigns, weapons, buildings, vehicles, and more. These are available via the Steam Workshop on the game’s Steam version.
PUBG: Battlegrounds
PUBG hasn’t fixed its main problem: widespread hackling. Even so, it’s one of the most popular free-to-play games on Steam. It currently has over 60K daily concurrent players, and they know this to be true: PUBG is fun, easy to learn, hard to master, and better with friends. This is a battle royale. You join matches with up to 100 players, either solo or part of a 4-player squad. It’s an open world where you fight over strategic locations for loot crates and supply crates. The goal is to survive until the end. The game generates the loot randomly. You parachute down from a plane on every match, and you have to decide when to eject from the aircraft. Then, you start with no gear other than your clothes, so your first quarrel will be for the first weapons you find. Alternatively, you can kill other players for their loot. On top of that, there’re vehicles you can drive across ghost towns, forests, mountains, and deserts. The idea is to capture high-risk areas where there’s typically better loot. Also, like other battle royales, the area shrinks down periodically, forcing you closer and closer to the enemies. Lastly, you can play PUBG first-person or third-person perspective. Each mode has its own advantages, as they deliver different awareness over the field. There’re also many servers with specific rules, like banning third-person.
Squad
Squad is a tactical FPS title with a modern-day setting. It’s also an indie title representing the fully-fledged version of Battlefield 2’s mod Project Reality. As its old name suggests, it includes various realistic features. As a result, it’s realistic and immersive. You play across 20 open-world maps, as part of a team of 50 players, against the other team. Teams have smaller squads of nine players, and you become a part of the squad by picking one of the available classes. Then, the squad leader leads the crew and communicates with other units with the in-game voice chat. Another unique feature is how squads can build firebases, sandbags, and crew-served weapons. That makes battles a matter of fortifying positions and taking over your enemies’ bases. That said, the teams mostly fight for tactical locations and weapon caches. As for the shooting systems, there’s weapon sway, weapon recoil, bullet velocity, and bullet drop. In particular, weapon stability varies depending on your stance. For example, if you shoot crouched, the weapon has less sway and almost none if you shoot in a prone position. However, bullet calculations are a bit exaggerated. Lastly, the building system allows you to place fortifications like AT guns, sandbags, HESCOs, razor wires, anti-tank missile systems, etc. The squad leader guides the construction, though.
Insurgency: Sandstorm
Sandstorm is a team-based tactical FPS. It focuses on close-quarter combat and objective-oriented matches. It also delivers skill-based combat with the features you’d expect: weapon recoil, weapon sway, bullet drop, and velocity. The game also relies on HDR audio output, like Warzone. Using proper gaming headsets is key to hearing enemy steps, bullets, and explosions. You can die very fast, as the damage output is very high on the game. There’re two main game modes in the game. You can play an 8-player co-op against the AI or join 14v14 PvP battles. The combat is slow, as you need to move carefully and strategically. That said, battles focus on close-quarter areas, modern weapons, indoor locations, and vehicles. The setting is the Middle East, where ammo is in low supply. Because of supply scarcity and great damage, combat is about moving slowly through corridors and indoor locations, using smoke and cover to advance position. You can peek around corners, use smoke covers, call air support, and breach doorways. Lastly, you can “progress” your character through challenges and matches to unlock customization options. These include outfits, uniforms, and weapon skins. You can also buy the skins with real money.
Hunt: Showdown
Hunt: Showdown is an FPS with an 1875 setting and horror survival elements. You can play solo on quick matches, co-op against monsters and enemy players, or solo -if you’re a masochist. This is an incredibly challenging game. First includes inaccurate weapons, recoil, bullet drop, and bullet velocity. Secondly, everything you and others do makes a sound in a world full of monsters, where ammo is scarce, and two shots kill you. Monsters include zombies, beasts, vampires, giant spiders, and similar. The core gameplay allows you to play in teams with three people. You’re Hunters, searching for clues of the bug bounty you need to hunt a monster. You must kill the target, collect the reward, and get out. But when you kill the prize, you reveal your position to the rest of the players, and they can steal your loot. That said, you select your loadout before you enter the match. The loadout is the weapons and ammo you loot in every game. Naturally, you can lose everything if someone else kills you. The result is a highly competitive yet slow and patient PvPvE. It’s unique, tense, and ready to punish you for every mistake. There’re other game modes as well. For example, competing to defeat the most powerful hunter, finding and closing rifts, surviving enemy hordes, etc. Regardless, maps support up to 12 players.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
Rainbow Six Siege is a team-based first-person shooter, where two teams of five players face each other. One team represents the police, whereas the other plays as the criminals. The criminals defend a position and can deploy defensive structures and gadgets. The other team breaches the location and uses a series of destructive and infiltration tools. For example, criminals can build barricades on any corridor. Then, officers can deploy observation drones to recon the area. You enter a match by choosing an operator. Each one features a different loadout, perks, and gadgets he can deploy. Then, you face off against enemy players in close-quarter tactical battles. That said, the game feels quite easier than Call of Duty titles. There’s no recoil, bullet drop, bullet velocity, or similar mechanics. Weapons are deadly accurate and responsive. So, rather than depending on player skill, matches rely on tactics, strategy, and execution.
Fortnite
Fortnite is the most popular battle royale, and it’s free. However, you may not like it if you distrust its building mechanics. If this is the case, you’re lucky: there will be no building in Chapter 3, Season 2. So, all that’s left on its main game mode is the same you’d see on Warzone. That is parachuting towards an open-world island to fight until you’re the last one standing. And other 100 players are doing the same, although you can play as part of a 4-player squad. Similarly, there’re loot crates in the world, and you can also loot the gear of your dead enemies. So, you run, jump, aim, shoot, loot, and survive. The map for the season will also feature weather effects NPCs that spawn items. Other new mechanics include traversal moves like sliding, sprinting, dashing, and vehicles. Also, even though Fortnite is a third-person game, you can play in first-person on modded games and servers. Some weapons also allow you to aim down its sight like a typical FPS game. Lastly, Fortnite includes other game modes. These are a co-op / single-player campaign, a creative mode to create and share custom maps, and custom maps you can try. In either mode, you can gain XP for your Battle Pass to unlock customization options (or you can buy skins with real money).
Halo: Infinite
You can try the free-to-play multiplayer Halo Infinite. It offers fast-paced sci-fi FPS gameplay across a few arenas and game modes. These are often 12v12 or 8-player free-for-all matches. The gameplay is fast and a bit tough. You use a series of advanced ranged and melee weapons, plus grenades and other tools to defeat your enemies. You can jump while you shoot, like on Call of Duty. You have a grappling hook, a shield drop-out, and a dash skill for novelties. Even though the multiplayer lacks features, the campaign is very strong. It’s cinematic, open-world, fun, and explosive. It mixes playground and free-roam exploration with heavy character moments, big action set-pieces, and indoor areas akin to dungeons. Overall, it’s challenging, fun, and engaging. The campaign is about driving your vehicle across mountains, camps, and forests to blow stuff up. The shooting is smooth, and each weapon feels useful and unique. You can also collect cosmetics as you explore, find secrets, conquer fortresses, unlock safe points, and travel with AI companions. We greatly recommend the Halo Infinite campaign, even if you’re a series newcomer. The free-to-play multiplayer can be fun, but it may bore you easily because it doesn’t have enough game modes. Also, co-op is not available on the campaign yet; it’s “coming later.”
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is perhaps the biggest multiplayer shooter available, and it’s free. It’s a team-based FPS without a class system or weapon loadouts. Instead, it relies entirely on you. You play as part of a 5-player team against the opposing crew. Matches go in rounds, and you can earn currency on each round depending on your actions. For example, killing a foe delivers more cash. Then, at the start of each round, you spend the currency to buy weapons, armor, grenades, and other tools. The shooting is very tough, as CS: GO happens across a series of closed urban maps. Moreover, there’s a significant weapon recoil, plus the resultant bullet spray pattern. Also, the game has been running for years, and it has a loyal community. Expect to find super-experienced players landing headshots left and right. Lastly, the objectives revolve around defending positions or capturing positions. The most common is Terrorists planting a bomb while the Counter-Terrorists try to stop them. However, Valve adds regular updates that include varied game modes with different objectives. One of these updates added a Battle Royale mode.
Valorant
Valorant is a team-based shooter that adds heroes, like Overwatch, and tactical elements like CS: GO. The result is cartooney, frenetic, and challenging. It also comes from League of Legends’ creators. Valorant is a similarly popular title, with thousands of players and hundreds of skins to buy or unlock. In particular, it takes the weapon recoil, spray patterns, and round design from Counter-Strike. Characters are also inaccurate while moving. That makes shooting feel significantly more challenging than on CoD. However, you also have to pick up one of the Agents. These are hero characters featuring particular weapons, gadgets, and abilities. These abilities function with a cooldown, but there’s one more powerful skill you can unlock via your actions. For example, killing enemies fills the gauge for your Signature Ability. Then, your Agent must feel one of the four general roles for your team. These are 5v5 matches, though, so you can’t fill every role. Instead, players need to choose their Agents and role carefully, as a strategy before the match is paramount. Lastly, the title has various game modes. However, the main mode is team-matches that revolve around defusing and planting bombs. Overall, Valorant represents a significant twist compared to CoD; it’s free and has cartoon graphics to fit on budget computers and laptops.
