What are the best free shooting games on console? It can be hard picking what shooter to play next, but our round up of all the best free shooting games will make your decision much easier. All of them are priceless experiences, and we don’t just mean the cost. You’ll find stone-cold classics, as well as brand-new picks that are keeping the genre fresh and exciting.
Be it outlasting all your opponents in a battle royale, or dominating lobbies with ease, there’s a bit of everything in this list. From big hitters like Call of Duty Warzone to fresh additions like The Finals, there’s a lot on offer for all types of players. Our choices include an awesome mixture of free Xbox games, free PS5 games, and even free Nintendo Switch games.
Best free shooting games on console
The best free shooting games on console are:
1. World of Tanks
World of Tanks brings team-based tank action to the forefront. If you’re into playing with historical WW2 tanks, then World of Tanks and its 600 tanks is the game for you. While the game has a steep learning curve due to the amount of complex game mechanics, you’ll be a professional (virtual) tank driver.
World of Tanks offers a huge variety of models to use, with over 600 machines ranging from WW2 to the mid-20th Century as you battle it out for domination. As you play the game, and work as a team, you’ll learn to spot certain weak spots in different machines, customize your tank, and make the perfect machine.
Play World of Tanks for free.
2. Enlisted
One of several WW2 games on this list, Enlisted is an MMO squad-based shooter from developer Darkflow Software that’s a real treat to play. You’re in control of up to nine soldiers and it’s up to you to route your enemy through a mixture of skill and technique as you battle across its wide selection of beautiful maps.
The game, which is available on, PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, is all about scale and realism, so expect to see hundreds of soldiers taking cover in a series of WW2 battlefields. To be successful, you’ll need to lead your squad into battle, either on foot, by road, or by air.
Enlisted, thanks to its squad-based gameplay and numerous campaign offerings that drop you into some of the biggest moments of WW2, it is very immersive and atmospheric. The game has a very passionate community, which is always willing to bring in (or enlist) new players to join in, with regular updates bringing or changing content.
Play Enlisted for free now.
3. War Thunder
Some like shooters where you’re in control of soldiers on the battlefield, while others prefer shooting from inside the comfort of a combat vehicle. If you fall into the latter group, you’re going to love War Thunder, which sees you battling it out on land, in the skies, and in the sea, in tanks, planes, and warships respectively.
In this realism-focused game, you’ll get to commandeer one of over 2000 vehicles as you experience fighting in this large cross-platform MMO. There’s a range of PvP and PvE content, meaning there’s a variety of content for you to enjoy whether you prefer large-scale combat against other players, or working with friends (or alone) in dynamic historical missions.
Play War Thunder for free now.
4. Crossout
Crossout is a steampunk-esque MMO vehicular shooter where the machine you build plays a huge part in the game. Created by developer Targem Games, Crossout is set in a post-apocalyptic world where you fight to survive.
Tasked with building your personal battle vehicle, Crossout features a wide range of customization options to create a unique car perfect for your needs. With plenty of content, a battle system where damaging parts cause a loss in performance, and lots of weapons to use, Crossout is the vehicular MMO you need to start playing, especially if you loved games like Twisted Metal.
Play Crossout for free now.
5. World of Warships
If you’re wondering whether World of Warships and World of Tanks are from the same place then you’d be right. Wargaming takes us to the high seas for this title – perfect if you consider yourself to be a good naval commander.
Featuring beautiful visuals (with weather changing) and unparalleled customization, World of Warships offers a fleet of over 400 boats for you to take control of, with different strengths and weaknesses. Prefer speed over defense? Go for a Destroyer. Want something that will survive just about anything? Take a Battleship into combat.
If you find yourself enjoying both World of Tanks and World of Warships, you can also opt for a premium membership that works on both titles, giving you additional benefits for being a player on both games.
Play World of Warships for free.
6. Halo Infinite
Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is completely free to play on Xbox consoles and PC. While it’s a little light on content at times, the iconic and irresistible FPS gameplay of Halo is enough to keep you hooked and before long, you’ll be ardently working your way up the Halo Infinite ranks.
Halo Infinite uses the tried-and-true formula that Halo’s multiplayer is known for, offering a wide range of weapons that vary from standard assault rifles to alien weaponry. With updates adding new game modes, as well as a wide range of customization options to create your perfect Spartan, now’s a great time to jump into Infinite.
If you also want to dive into Halo Infinite’s campaign, you can either pay for it or access it as part of your Xbox Game Pass subscription. Whether you stick to the free multiplayer or dig a little deeper with the main campaign, the latest installment in this iconic series has a lot to offer.
Read our Halo Infinite review for our thoughts on when it first launched.
7. Apex Legends
Apex Legends thundered into our lives in 2019 and quickly established itself as one of the best battle royale games out there. It’s a bit different from its competitors since it focuses on the game’s weaponry and its diverse roster of characters, who all have unique abilities and spots on our Apex Legends tier list.
While battle royale is at Apex’s core, it has expanded its offering to include lots of alternative game modes too, including unlimited respawn modes like Control. This is, without a doubt, one of the best free shooting games out there right now. Take a look at our Apex Legends classes guide to give you an idea of which style of play might best suit you.
If you find yourself frequently winning matches too, you can try and aim to reach the top of the Apex Legends ranks for a true competitive experience too.
8. Fortnite
When Fortnite was released in 2017, it was responsible for bringing the battle royale experience to the masses. It’s become popular for its relentless supply of new content and crossovers with famous franchises from across the entertainment world, but at the heart of Fortnite remains some excellent gameplay.
You can play solo, duos, trios, or quads as you take on a map filled with 100 players all looking for the victory royale. And, if you don’t fancy playing on Epic Games’ ever-evolving island, you can head into Creative mode to enjoy some amazing user-generated content. Check out our Fortnite Creative codes guide for some great experiences.
In the last few years, Epic Games has also introduced Zero Build mode. If you disliked Fortnite players building fortresses within seconds when you played before, Zero Build allows you to play without having to worry about the major mechanic.
Recently, Fortnite also introduced three new ‘games’ within its hub, those being LEGO Fortnite, Rocket Racing, and Fortnite Festival, all introducing new genres into the world of Fortnite. So, if you grow tired of the battle royales, you can always take a break from these interesting games.
9. Call of Duty Warzone
Call of Duty Warzone is one of the most popular free shooters and provides an amazing battle royale experience. Currently in its second iteration (although the ‘2’ has been dropped from its name now) Warzone offers a plethora of game modes across some amazing maps, including the new MW3 Urzikstan map.
Thanks to its inclusion of the latest CoD game, which we praised for its multiplayer and zombie action in our MW3 review, Warzone’s movement and the MW3 meta have never been better. And for those of you who don’t want to take part in the standard battle royale affair, there are side modes like Resurgence that make things more traditional to CoD. Our Warzone VPN guide might also be handy in that it can help to get you into the easier lobbies.
10. Paladins
If Overwatch doesn’t quite scratch your hero shooter itch, then let us introduce you to Paladins. The brainchild of Smite developer Hi-Rez, Paladins is described as “a free-to-play, fantasy class-based first-person shooter”, which you can try for yourself on PlayStation and Xbox. A Nintendo Switch version was available for a time, though this was sunsetted in April 2023.
Before getting into Paladins’ 5v5 FPS gameplay, you’ll have to pick a hero from one of the game’s four classes – Damage, Flank, Frontline, and Support. Each hero comes with their own unique abilities and can be further kitted out with loadout cards and items to customize them according to the needs of the game. Game modes include classics like Team Deathmatch, Payload, and King of the Hill.
You can read more about Paladins in its handy dandy new player primer here.
11. Warframe
Fed up of tanks, ships, and realism? What if you could play a game with ninjas in space? Surely not. Digital Extremes’ Warframe is just that.
In this third-person co-op shooter, players are part of the Tenno race awoken from a sleep and thrown straight into a solar system warzone. There’s a mix of mission-based progression and fast-paced multiplayer battles meaning there’s lots on offer, especially with the sheer amount of levelling up, crafting, and weapons to unlock.
This game is a great break from Destiny 2 as well, so if you’re tired of Bungie’s MMOFPS and want a looter-shooter that offers similar vibes, Warframe is a great option with thousands of hours of content.
12. Destiny 2
While Destiny 2 contains plenty of paid annual expansions and quarterly seasonal content, there is still an excellent free-to-play experience to be had in Bungie’s FPS game. You get access to plenty of PvE content and missions and also have access to The Crucible, which is where Destiny 2’s PvP multiplayer action goes down.
For those unfamiliar with Destiny 2, you’re playing as a Guardian protecting a mysterious planet-like machine called The Traveler against a force known as the Darkness. There’s an ever-expanding story to enjoy in Destiny 2, but the focus is on Bungie’s solid FPS gameplay alongside the looter-shooter feeling of “just one more mission”.
With three subclasses (Titan, Warlock, and Hunter) that have various abilities across the five sub-classes (Arc, Solar, Void, Stasis, and Strand) and an enormous arsenal of weapons, there aren’t many shooters that boast this much variety. Depending on which class you pick, be sure to study our Destiny 2 Titan build, Destiny 2 Warlock build, and Destiny 2 Hunter build guides.
13. PUBG: Battlegrounds
While it’s earned a bit of an unfair reputation for being a bit old-fashioned, that couldn’t really be further from the truth with PUBG. Boasting more content than ever before, loads of amazing maps and modes, and some of the best third-person gunplay around, it’s definitely worth jumping into.
PUBG does lean into survival aspects a bit more heavily than the likes of Apex Legends or Fortnite and is a bit harder to master, so if you’re a novice when it comes to shooters, it might be best to pick another battle royale from this list. If you’re up for the challenge though, PUBG is a blast.
14. The Finals
After a long wait, Embark Studios’ competitive 3v3v3 FPS is finally here, with The Finals delivering an incredibly engaging and competitive experience that we called “the first truly next-gen FPS game“. The mix of The Finals classes allows for some much-needed customization as you and your squad attempt to cash out vaults and earn money in an attempt to win.
The best part about The Finals though is the sheer destruction and chaos in the various arenas. Standard map objects like cranes with wrecking balls aren’t just for show – they can be used to cause carnage and create openings for your team to use.
Compared to most FPS games on our list, The Finals is a new change in a classic formula and a game you certainly won’t want to miss out on.
15. XDefiant
Ubisoft’s free-to-play shooter is ambitious, and we had a blast playing it during its beta testing phase. The ambition comes from merging several major Ubisoft franchises together, such as The Division, Watch Dogs, Ghost Recon, and even Splinter Cell. While its game modes might be similar to Call of Duty, XDefiant is far more agile, and all about mastering your operators abilities.
We’ve even spoke to executive producer Mark Rubin about the game, and he believe XDefiant isn’t out to be a ‘COD killer’ at all. In fact, with unqiue maps and modes, there’s room for both to exist – and we’re glad. XDefiant is set to release on May 21, 2024, after months of delays and waiting.
16. Overwatch 2
The first Overwatch game consumed our spare time for countless hours, and you’ll likely do the same with Overwatch 2. A complete revamp of the Blizzard Entertainment shooter, this solid sequel adds new heroes, visual polish, and game modes to truly test your skills. Teamwork is crucial to victory in Overwatch 2, as you can’t just run and gun like you would in other shooters. Great communication and mastery over your special abilities will get your far, then the kill feed will stack up all in good time.
17. HAWKED
Combining extraction shooter with battle royale chaos, HAWKED is a fun alternative to other games on this like Fortnite. You’ll be acquiring all sorts of lost treasure, while customizing your own Indiana Jones-style character with heaps of cosmetics – that’s if you want to part ways some cash that is. However, the game’s main experience is completely free and can be a hoot with some friends. Throw in some puzzle solving and intense gunfights, and you’re on your way to becoming of the best heroes around.
So there you have it, the best free shooting games on console in 2024. Some of these are so excellent, that they’ve even made it onto our best Xbox games and best PS5 games lists, and as they’re all free-to-play, you’ve got no excuse to dive in and give them a go. Happy hunting!
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