Best Shooter of 2024 - Article

by Lee Mehr , posted on 05 January 2025 / 4,172 Views

While not universally applied, 2024's best shooters tended to follow a particular cadence of shooting, smashing, stomping, vaporizing, obliterating, bashing, and/or annihilating with a partner or several partners in tow. If you weren't surviving the post-nuclear fallout wastelands of The Zone, odds are you were in the shoes of a super-solider dedicated to their cause: God and Country, Super Earth and Managed Democracy, or The Emperor and The Imperium of Man. Perhaps there weren't as many prominent new IPs to account for in this genre, but at least that's balanced out with wall-to-wall testosterone-laden action. Without further ado, here are the nominees…

The Shortlist:

Contra: Operation Galuga

Helldivers II

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

The Runner-Up:

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl

Gamers – myself included – tend to view delays with some guarded suspicion, whether it's a more strategic maneuver or perhaps a sign that the game may be biting off more than it can chew. GSC Game World's excuse is more existential by comparison: a Russian invasion. Beyond standard logistical tensions, GSC had to rack their collective heads around creating a game while family, friends, and colleagues could potentially be sent off to the frontlines of an ongoing war. And as detailed in a behind-the-scenes documentary, some of them didn't make it back.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2 releasing this year, let alone netting such a beloved response, is nothing short of a miracle when considering this context. As for the game itself? While even its biggest fans admit to its Eurojank, what makes this post-apocalyptic sequel shine is that deft balance between tense combat, survival elements, and systems-driven game design. Chornobyl's Exclusion Zone isn't merely a radioactive wasteland where you go from point A to B; it's a sandbox capable of creating personal stories based on your unique experience. That attitude to freeform exploration, alongside an engaging storyline, is what makes GSC's latest such an accomplishment.

The Winner:

Helldivers II

As stated by the dashing & wonderful critic in our site's review: "Helldivers II is a sterling success through its potent fusion of polished gunplay, overwhelming odds, and an unapologetically satirical tone. By remaining so thoroughly committed to the bit through world-building, presentation, and so on, it's pure bliss to revel in the joyous destruction against bug and automaton alike."

Beyond this year's abundance of soldier shooters, another running theme with these finalists is the phrase "great things come for those who wait." In Arrowhead Studios' case, that wait was over eight years between the original Helldivers and this sensational follow-up. It's immediately apparent that this extended period was necessary for transitioning from a top-down isometric camera to the more typical over-the-shoulder perspective. That may seem like a basic change at first blush, but it's important to account for how many more moving parts have to go into making these dynamics feel crisp and correct; given the modest team size, years of time was dedicated to getting that component just right. That level of dedication is also felt across every other aspect of the game as well.