Best Shoot 'Em Up Games on Steam
Unlike generic lists, our game recommendations use a rigorous analysis of Steam user reviews to identify and feature only the best, community-validated shoot 'em up games.
Filters & Lists
Ultionus: A Tale of Petty Revenge
Ultionus is a love-letter to the home computer arcade games of the late 80s and early 90s, with colorful 2D visuals, catchy chiptune music by the legendary Jake 'Virt' Kaufman, and 7 stages of hard-as-nails gameplay.
METAL SLUG 3
“METAL SLUG 3”, the masterpiece in SNK’s emblematic 2D run & gun action shooting game series, still continues to fascinate millions of fans worldwide to this day for its intricate dot-pixel graphics, and simple and intuitive game controls, heads out to the Steam gaming platform!
Super Killer Hornet: Resurrection
'Things will explode, things will die, you will dodge, you will do maths...Yes maths!' Super Killer Hornet Resurrection is an intense vertical shooter with a brain train twist. Through the chaos and explosion try to answer the falling math problems to increase your multiplier and power up your ship.
Jets'n'Guns Gold
Jets'n'Guns is a heavy piece of ground shaking rock blasting action with graphics and special effects that will blow you eyes out! Enjoy yourself in almost-insane action adventure of saving the universe from the deadly threat of more than 270 unique monsters in the campaign of 43 levels.
Aqua Kitty - Milk Mine Defender
Aqua Kitty is a fast paced retro styled submarine arcade shooter with optional 2 player local Co-op.Blast through hordes of mechanical sea monsters in your kitty sub and defend the deep sea milk mining kittens!THE MILK MUST FLOW!
Ballpoint Universe - Infinite
Ballpoint Universe Infinite is a shoot-em-up adventure game featuring artwork entirely drawn in ballpoint pen. Explore immaculate worlds, discover the secrets of the doodles, and customize your Ink-Ship for battle! Press"Ballpoint Universe Infinite is too exuberant to ignore.
Savant - Ascent
A malicious orb has cast Savant out of his tower and transformed his surroundings into dangerous enemies!Dodge and shoot your way back up the tower, and blast down waves of enemies as you make your way towards the top! As you progress, you unlock CDs that not only give you new tracks to play to, but also grant you powerful new abilities!
Ring Runner: Flight of the Sages
Ring Runner combines the fast-paced action of space combat with the rich story and skill variety of an RPG.Trek across the universe in a 30 hour long story-driven campaign based on a companion Sci Fi novel, or challenge 6 scenarios alone, cooperatively, or competitively through local or online multiplayer.
PixelJunk™ Shooter
In PixelJunk™ Shooter, you must pilot your spacecraft through a range of cavernous environments in a bid to save the scientists trapped underground. Making your way through the game will rely on your keen sense of observation and the ability to manipulate your surroundings.
Syder Arcade
Killing zombies never gets old, but sometimes you just need a break. Get back to some serious old-school gaming with Syder Arcade! Syder Arcade is a love letter to Amiga games of the ‘90s, no coins, no upgrade grinding, just your tenacity and a motherload of alien invaders.
Super Amazing Wagon Adventure
Super Amazing Wagon Adventure is a fast-paced 2d shooting game with a random story. You control a group of three migrants traveling west along a wagon trail. The game consists of short scenes that are sequenced together in a semi-random way to tell a crazy adventure story.
Soundodger+
Dodge the music and dance through a mesmerizing ballet of choreographed bullets, each synced to music from over a dozen international artists. Push your creativity and skills with the fully-featured Level Editor and never run out of things to dodge.
The Chaos Engine
Prepare for the dark world of The Chaos Engine, a steampunk Victorian age in which one or two players must fight the hostile creations of the Chaos Engine across four dynamic landscapes and take part in the ultimate battle.Choose from six hard-nailed mercenaries each with their own unique weapons and skills.
Bleed
Wryn is a girl with a big arsenal and big dreams -- she wants to be the ultimate videogame hero! Help her take down the Greatest Heroes of All Time in an action-packed bid to claim the title for herself and show the world what a true hero looks like!
Thunder Wolves
When this “wolf pack” strikes, you hear the thunder roll. The Thunder Wolves attack from the air. They are mercenaries, and the best helicopter pilots in the world. Every one of them is ready for action at all times—and ready to fight evil, wherever it lurks.
Retro/Grade
Play a classic Shoot 'Em Up... in reverse!
Ultratron
Experience the addictive gameplay of old-school arcade favourites, updated and improved for the 21st century! Unique retro-futuristic sound and graphics, player responsive difficulty, and a subtle system of tactics combined with classic gameplay make Ultratron a fun and hypnotic arcade blast.
ETHER VAPOR Remaster
Ether Vapor Remaster is a cinematic 3D arcade shooter and visual treat from developer Edelweiss.
Intrusion 2
"This is some of the most fun I've had with a game so far this year, and it will go down as one of the best side-scrolling shooters of all time." - 9/10, Destructoid
Really Big Sky
A super fast, twin analogue shooter for the modern age!
Titan Attacks!
As the last surviving tank commander on Earth, single-handedly turn back the evil invading alien army, drive back the Titans across the Solar System, and defeat them on their homeworld... Titan Attacks has the same easy-to-learn and addictive gameplay of the classic arcade shoot 'em up, but is packed full of extras - new features, new...
SATAZIUS
The year is 2051. Location: SATAZIUS, a long-abandoned planet. The cruiser Agano was on patrol when it was attacked and stricken by a confederacy of space pirates that had established a base on SATAZIUS. The pirates attacked the Agano intending to steal the assault ship ‘Trafalgar’ that was stowed aboard the Agano, but the Trafalgar made...
Renegade Ops
Blast your way through enemy lines to defeat Inferno, a madman intent on global domination. Destruction just got awesome.
Jamestown
Jamestown: Legend Of The Lost Colony is a neo-classical top-down shooter for up to 4 players, set on 17th-century British Colonial Mars. It features all the intensity, depth, and lovingly handcrafted pixels of a classic arcade shooter, with a modern twist: deeply-integrated cooperative gameplay.
DETOUR
A true test your wits and spatial reasoning. Detour combines highway-building fun with the excitement of a competitive real-time strategy game. Construct a path for your convoy to reach its destination in this incredibly addictive title. With online multiplayer!
Alien Breed: Impact
Experience the explosive science fiction arcade-shooter that resurrects a much revered franchise in an epic single player and co-op multiplayer campaign.
Beat Hazard
Experience your music collection like never before with this intense music driven arcade shooter. Each of your songs will have its own unique ebb and flow based on the music.
Nation Red
Nation Red is an ultra fast infinite play arena-based shooter providing an exceptional close-quarter battlefield experience. Fight thousands of zombie mutants and their bosses in frantic bloody gameplay while earning close to 100 perks. Fight in Barricade, Survival or Free Play mode.
Zombie Shooter
The human race is in danger again. This time scientists could not cope the imminent threat and became monsters themselves. Crowds of zombie people filled the secret research base. The dreadful contagion is about to spread earth wide. Use the last chance to save the humanity from total annihilation!