Overwatch 2

Listen, Overwatch needs to be on this list. For years it was the quintessential hero shooter experience, offering an impressively deep roster of characters that spoke to a variety of players. Like to play back a bit and support your team? There’s Moira waiting to spray piss all over your squad. Want to play even further back? We got Ana, who uses a sniper rifle that shoots healing ammunition across the map. Want to wade into a fight swinging a big-ass hammer? There’s Reinhardt. Want to wade into a fight and punch the shit out of enemies? Choose Doomfist. Are you a singular shooter player who cut your teeth on games like Call of Duty and Halo? We got a guy for you.

But last year, Overwatch 1 was erased from existence and replaced by the free-to-play Overwatch 2, which changed up a few key heroes and took a player off of each squad to support a faster, deadlier 5v5 format. Overwatch 2 has some work to do to reclaim the crown as king of the hero shooters, for sure, but there’s still little else like it out there right now. It’s been my most-played game since it launched, and that’s after I spent months lamenting the removal of the OG title. When searching for a first-person shooter that’s all about team composition, counters, and smart plays, it’s tough to find anything else that’s quite like Overwatch 2.

Alyssa Mercante, Senior Editor