The last time we were here, we looked at five single-player, third-person, open-world games that are worth your money. Suppose if you haven’t seen that one, feel free to check it out. As promised, we are back with another recommendation, this time for five first-person single-player games. This rendition is a mix-up of genres, as one game may be completely linear while the other may feature an open world for you to explore. The first-person shooter genre is overcrowded and perhaps the most popular in all of gaming. First-person games are played and loved by everyone from all over the world across all devices, be it on a console, PC, or mobile device. The thing with these games is that they are primarily multiplayer in nature or offer robust multiplayer offerings; we are skipping that for now and only focusing on games that offer a decent or good single-player campaign for you to play. Because of that rule, juggernauts like “Call of Duty” and “Battlefield” won’t make the cut for this one. I know, I know, they offer campaigns as well, with “Call of Duty” in particular coming with incredible single-player campaigns, but as I said, the main focus there is the multiplayer, so we can talk about those in another list.
All of these games are great and fantastic, in one way or the other. With that out of the way, here are five single-player first-person games that are fun to play and are worth your time and money.
Metro Exodus
Let’s start with a game that is extremely close to my heart. “Metro Exodus” is developed by 4A Games. The games themselves are inspired by the author Dmitry Glukhovsky and his internationally best-selling novels called Metro. This is the third game in the trilogy, and while the two that came before it, are fantastic in their own right, “Metro Exodus” is on another level. The games tell the story of survivors living underground in the Russian Metro after a nuclear war ravaged the world. Naturally, it’s a dark and gritty post-apocalyptic world that truly is one of a kind when it comes to post-apocalyptic stories, and the stories they tell are so human that they are bound to make you tear up. “Metro Exodus” is the first game in the series that, despite being a linear game, experimented by adding open-world areas, which elevated the series and took it to new heights. You play as a Spartan Ranger named Artyom here, where you and a group of people you call family venture out of the metropolis to find a new home. The gunplay here is slow but fantastic (don’t expect this to be a twitchy shooter), but the game’s strongest suit is its atmosphere and presentation. The visuals that accompany the game are also solid, and if you like it (which you will), then you can also check out the two DLCs that the game offers, “Two Colonels” and “Sam’s Story,” both of which are incredible experiences as well. The commitment and dedication that 4A Games put into this game are on display everywhere here, and if you are a fan of good narratives, good gameplay, gorgeous visuals, and first-person presentation, then “Metro Exodus” is a bang for your buck.
Halo Infinite
I know I am cheating here a bit as I said there is no multiplayer-focused game for this one, but this is “Halo” we are talking about, and while the longevity of each “Halo” game lies in its multiplayer, it is the only first-person shooter in the market that is revered for both its single-player and multiplayer offerings. The “Halo” community loves them both; they love the incredible campaigns and the robust multiplayer offerings that these games come with. Now, I’ll admit that “Halo Infinite” falls a little short when it comes to said offerings, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that what’s on offer here is solid. Besides, we are talking about the single-player campaign anyway. This is the 6th installment in the mainline series, with Master Chief taking center stage and saving humanity once again. This game also experiments for the first time in the series and offers an open-world area for us to explore and complete missions in, and it does an admirable job of adding to the experience as a whole. The shooting here is fast and is perhaps the best version of shooting we have played in any “Halo” game, and the story is plain fantastic and will make you as emotional as it will get you pumped for the future if you are a “Halo” nerd like me, that is. We all know what “Halo” is; this series needs no introduction, and while the series has seen better days as the past few entries have missed the mark, “Halo Infinite” did a fantastic job of putting it back on track, with its only sin being that there isn’t more of it. “Halo Infinite,” no matter what the internet may have you believe, is one of the best “Halo” games that ever came out, and it is 100% worth your investment.
Cyberpunk 2077
You may be thinking that “Cyberpunk 2077” doesn’t belong here but hear me out. Yes, the game had a rocky start, to say the least, and yes, we’ve all heard the story. But that was two years ago; what about now? Let’s take a look at the game as it stands now, and trust me when I say this: it’s worth it. CD Projekt Red has patched this game from the inside out, and while there are fundamental problems with its gameplay offerings and systems that no patch on Earth can fix, the game is fully playable now, and despite the overselling and under delivering, what’s on offer here is good. For starters, the story the game tells has always been a memorable one, and now that the game functions as it should, the experience hits the mark even better. You play as V here, a mercenary in Night City who, after a job gone wrong, ends up with a biochip stuck in their head that contains the digitized soul of Johnny Silverhand, played by none other than Keanu Reeves. Night City, on the other hand, is a breathtaking future dystopia that surely isn’t very interactive but is a sight for sore eyes regardless. The gunplay here is also fast, twitchy, and downright adrenaline-pumping. The game itself was advertised as a full-blown RPG, which, no, it’s not. It has RPG elements, but that’s it—mismarketing and false promises once again. Despite all the hindering, “Cyberpunk 2077” is a good game that was marred by its own ambition but, with a lot of fixes, the price drop for the base game, and an expansion on the horizon, it is a game that is worth investing time and money into. It’s available on sale a lot of times, and you can’t tell me that for $20 or something, it’s not worth playing.
Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus
These last two games may as well be one single entry, but I digress. Keep these two shorts and sweet; go and play them, please. Developed by Machine Games with help from iD Software, “Wolfenstein” was revived by Bethesda in 2014, and “Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus” is the second entry of this rebooted franchise. What do you do here? You kill Nazis—lots of them—in brutal fashion. That is enough to sell the game to you, yes? It goes without saying that the gunplay here is solid, and I really like the presentation and stories that this rebooted series is telling. BJ Blazkowicz was a meathead who enjoyed killing Nazis in the original games, but here he has a personality and a family to protect and seeing this human side of him and how well it’s handled is a great achievement that deserves praise. There’s DLC here as well, and while I haven’t personally played it, it’s more Nazi-killing action, so who can say no to that? Go and play this game and kill some Nazis and Machine Games? Keep being awesome, and PLEASE give us “Wolfenstein 3”; it’s about time!
DOOM Eternal
You knew this was coming; there’s no way we talk about single-player first-person shooters without mentioning the granddaddy of them all. Let’s end with a bang and talk about “DOOM Eternal,” another entry that doesn’t need a lot of explaining or convincing. Just like “Wolfenstein,” Bethesda and iD Software revived “DOOM,” and just like that, they did a fantastic job with this one as well. “DOOM” 2016 was great; “DOOM Eternal” is on another level. The demon slaying options here are unprecedented; the Doomslayer himself has always been a force of nature, but somehow, it’s even more ungodly here. With the gunplay, do I even need to say anything? It’s the best-feeling shooter there is. Period. Finally, the visuals are downright stunning. There are tons of lore, but it’s messed up and confusing, so go through it if you like. I don’t care for “DOOM’s” plot; I am here to kill demons. If you want your action to be even faster and more challenging, then the game also offers two DLCs in the form of “The Ancient Gods Part 1” and “The Ancient Gods Part 2,” and just like the base game, these are phenomenal as well. There’s no word in the dictionary that can accurately describe how incredible “DOOM Eternal” is. Just go and play this game and join the cool kids!
Final Words
As always, there are a lot more games that fit the bill here, but as I stated, we’ll look at them soon enough. I can assure you that no game will escape our microscope. These five single-player first-person games, though, are epic, all of them. What are some of your favorite games that fit this description? First-person games are fantastic and offer some of the most adrenaline-fueling experiences out there. May this genre reign supreme and evolve with time even more to deliver us experiences even greater than what we have today. See you at the next one.
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