Ever since games like Half-Life revolutionized the shooter genre, many companies have delved into the world of making immersive stories in which the player must gun down many enemies while experiencing a lengthy and fun campaign.
RELATED: 10 Of The Best Half-Life 2 Mods
For those wanting to enjoy a good game and looking to pass the time, here are some long shooter campaigns to play that range from famous to obscure gems. Note, RPG shooters like Borderlands and Fallout where most of the game is spent doing side-quests to lengthen the gameplay will be avoided. The focus will primarily be on linear campaigns.
HowLongToBeat will be used as a data source.
Updated March 19th, 2021 by Mark Sammut: Even as open-world games have become commonplace, a yearning for linear shooters continues to exist. Jumping from one firefight to the next, these types of titles can be incredibly cathartic, regardless of whether they opt for a first or third-person perspective. While typically highly replayable, shooters do not tend to last more than a couple of hours. However, there are plenty of games that offer more bang for a player's buck, at least when it comes to the length of their campaigns. Let's take a look at a few more of these shooters.
15 Peter Jackson's King Kong – 6+ Hours
One of the most ambitious movie licensed games ever made, this linear shooter follows the plot of the 2005 movie while also expanding upon Skull Island's monsters and dinosaurs that were only briefly shown in the movie. The cast of the movie such as Adrien Brody, Naomi Watts, Jack Black, and Evan Parke all voice their characters.
The game does not use a HUD; the player has to rely on Jack mentioning how many magazines and bullets he has on backup, as well as aim more carefully without a crosshair. It's a thrilling campaign with the monster battles managing to get get the player's heart pumping. The levels where it swaps to playing as Kong are fun, but it's definitely the Jack segments that are worth the price of owning alone.
14 Ghostbusters: The Video Game – 8+ Hours
All the dark and bloody shooters can get stale after a while, so, if some lightheartedness and comedy are needed, look no further than Ghostbusters: The Video Game, as it provides both alongside the unique satisfaction of blasting ghosts with a proton pack.
RELATED: The 10 Best Licensed Games Of The Decade, Ranked (According To Metacritic)
This game was written by Dan Aykroyd and the late Harold Ramis, and it shows through its epic story, which is told from the perspective of a silent but always ready rookie. The tone is perfect, the jokes are great, the actors are all still perfect in their roles, the gameplay using the many gadgets and streams is satisfying, and it expands on the lore established in the movies.
13 Dead Space 2 – 9+ Hours
It is recommended that gamers play through the entire Dead Space trilogy, seeing how all three connect to each other fairly seamlessly. But, if one were to only pick a single game out of the trilogy to play, it would be Dead Space 2, which caps off at about the same length as the first game: seven or eight hours of gameplay.
Dead Space 2, however, is on this list for providing the perfect balance: it has tons of scary moments that will make the player want to hide under the bed, a great story that continues Isaac Clarke's journey and character arc, and strong, tactical shooting that forces the player to conserve and swap weaponry for the right monster.
12 Clive Barker's Undying – 10+ Hours
From the mad genius behind Hellraiser comes a dark and gothic ghost story about an evil, cursed family and the player having to destroy their ghostly forms and stop their reign of terror on North-Western Europe.
It's a game much like Dead Space that provides as many scares as it does thrilling gameplay, mixing spellcasting, and a variety of guns to use. The story is intriguing, the monsters are scary, the bosses are outstanding, and each level is very unique. If one happens to be a fan of Clive Barker, his style just icing on the cake that is this game.
11 Turok 2: Seeds Of Evil Remastered – 10+ Hours
There are many Turok games to choose from, but one that balances fun and challenge is the sequel that has the titular character going across space and time in an effort to stop the evil Primagen from accomplishing their mission.
It's not the deepest of plots, but the level design is well done for each world Turok visits, and the array of weapons and upgrades to use are very fun. The recent remastered version of the game provides a much smoother framerate, updated controls, and obviously, and better graphics. A fair warning, however, this game is very difficult!
10 Wolfenstein: The New Order – 11+ Hours
B.J. Blazkowicz against thousands of evil Nazis: same old stuff, right? Well, in this reboot of the series, the story jumps ahead many years and shows an alternate history where the Nazi regime won World War II and took over the world.
RELATED: Wolfenstein: The New Order – 10 Best Perks & How To Unlock Them
With gameplay that distinguishes itself perfectly from the new Doom games, Id Software and Bethesda hit it out of the park with this game and its sequel by giving a scenario in which the player will have no qualms with eradicating the enemies. Amazing visuals combined with a rich story lead to The New Order being the reboot that the series needed, particularly after the lukewarm 2009 outing.
9 Resistance: Fall Of Man – 11+ Hours
Insomniac's Resistance trilogy peaked with its first entry, perhaps explaining the franchise's rather short lifespan. Arguably the PS3's best launch title, Resistance: Fall of Man matches tight first-person shooter mechanics with an ambitious storyline that guides players across a devasted United Kingdom.
Along with a solid multiplayer, Resistance: Fall of Man's single-player campaign is fantastic. Packed with memorable set pieces and enemies that are at least somewhat competent, Insomniac put together a great shooter that makes every second of its story count. Even in 2021, this game is well worth playing.
8 BioShock – 12+ Hours
The best way to start this series is with the original because, while seeing Columbia is breathtaking at times in BioShock: Infinite, there is just something both horrifying yet enchanting when experiencing the underwater city of Rapture for the first time. Everything looks beautiful, but the player knows that something is not right in the city.
Mixing superpowers and gunplay together, BioShock is an amazing start to the series that keeps players engaged from beginning to end. The mystery, the look of the world, and the gameplay mix so well to create an unforgettable experience.
7 Shadow Warrior (2013) – 12+ Hours
Despite its sequel adding some RPG elements and extra side content, 2013's Shadow Warrior has comfortably the more substantial main campaign. A reboot of the 1997 classic shooter, Flying Wild Hog's release combines an acquired sense of humor with satisfying melee combat and a respectable arsenal of weapons to create a fun throwback to old-school shooters.
RELATED: 10 PS4 And Xbox One First-Person Shooters That Need An Enhanced Edition Like Metro Exodus
An argument can certainly be made that Shadow Warrior overstays its welcome. However, sometimes nothing hits the spot like slashing demons in half with a katana or reducing them to mush while dual-wielding submachine guns.
6 Half-Life 2 – 13+ Hours
Valve's genre-defining first-person shooter set a benchmark in gaming that few have been able to surpass. 2004's Half-Life 2 moved away from the original's confined setting, as Gordon Freeman went on a cross-country expedition filled with plot reveals, inspired weaponry, and wonky vehicles.
Half-Life 2's road trip-esque structure and persistent desire to evolve keeps the game constantly feeling fresh, even if the gameplay cannot be seen as anything more than decent in this day and age. Half-Life 2 is considered a classic for a reason.
5 The Operative: No One Lives Forever – 13+ Hours
A love letter to spy shows and movies from the 1960s, The Operative: No One Lives Forever is a classic that deserves to stand alongside the likes of Perfect Dark and TimeSplitters. Along with its highly regarded sequel and the Blood games, No One Lives Forever helped put Monolith Productions on the map.
These spy shooters have aged quite well since they combine solid gunplay with fun gadgets, memorable soundtracks, and engaging storylines packed with unforgettable characters, particularly the charming lead, Cate Archer.
4 Rise Of The Tomb Raider – 13+ Hours
Taking everything that made the first game so great, the sequel cranks them all up to eleven and adds new aspects that make Rise Of The Tomb Raider a superior sequel. Lara's story continues to be fleshed out with more development to her as a character and a plot that's equally as intriguing as it was in the first game.
Combine that with an open world, plenty of stealth and action gameplay that never feels dull, and plenty of new upgrades and side missions to enjoy, it is easily one of the best Tomb Raider games ever made.
3 Doom Eternal – 14+ Hours
For any gamer who just wants to blast their way through the armies of Hell, use a variety of guns with different mods for them, and see it all from the perspective of a very angry immortal warrior, then Doom Eternal is for you. Much like with Turok 2, it's not the deepest plot-wise, but there is a lot of fun lore to find via codexes and logs.
RELATED: 10 Most Horrific Demons In Doom Eternal
Also like Turok, this game can get very difficult, almost to the point of becoming the Dark Souls of first-person shooters—yes, we know that's a tremendous cliché. However, that doesn't stop the game from being a fun, addictive carnage candy factory with tons of replayability that can turn the 15-20 hours of gameplay into 30-60 hours.
2 Uncharted 4: A Thief's End – 15+ Hours
Naughty Dog's Uncharted franchise presents globetrotting adventures reminiscent of the likes of Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider. As presumably the final entry in Nathan Drake's tale, Uncharted 4: A Thief's End delivers the most substantial storyline yet, both in terms of quantity and quality.
Almost twice as long as the rest of the entries in the series, Uncharted 4 desperately aims to be regarded as an epic adventure. And, for the most part, it succeeds. While the shooting galleries are still among the weakest elements of this title, Uncharted 4's gunplay is considerably better than that of its predecessors.
1 FarCry 3 – 15+ Hours
It was a hard choice choosing between this or the fourth game: both are considered classics, but FarCry 3 makes the list for being the game that started the new era of FarCry games that continue to this day. Without FarCry 3's dark, bloody, massive, and thrilling adventure, there would be no FarCry 4.
With a great villain, a visually stunning open world, and refined gameplay, FarCry 3 is the perfect starter for those wanting to get into the franchise. If someone enjoys FarCry 3, then the sequels are there waiting for them to continue their journey into these crazy stories. There are side-missions, but they are hardly the main meat of the game.