Best Shoot 'Em Up Games on Steam
Unlike generic lists, our strategy game recommendations use a rigorous analysis of Steam user reviews to identify and feature only the best, community-validated shoot 'em up games. For those who prefer not to search, lists of the most played, top deals and best free shoot 'em up games are available at the bottom of the page.
Filters & Lists
Insect Swarm
The insect swarm is a swarm consists of millions of alien insects, and you, as the only survival on this barren planet, will have to fight against them dauntlessly. Good luck!
Utopia Must Fall
Defend humanity's last surviving metropolis from mysterious alien machinations in this challenging base-defense arcade shooter. Featuring rapid upgrade progression, procedurally generated attack waves, dark humor and laser-sharp aesthetics.
Mirage Feathers
「Maybe one day, I won't have to fight when I fly.」
Squirrel with a Gun
Squirrel, meet gun. As the neighborhood’s most obnoxious rodent, develop a knack (and a love?) for crime and mayhem in pursuit of golden acorns in this nutty sandbox shooter and puzzle platformer. Fight tooth, claw, and gun to escape a secret underground facility and defeat the Agents.
Nova Drift
Nova Drift distills the mechanical depth and strategy of an ARPG into classic arcade space combat. Control an endlessly evolving bio-mechanical ship, face legions of strange and deadly foes, and ride the wake of a dying star across the void.
CYGNI: All Guns Blazing
An unrelenting onslaught of eye-popping visuals, ear bursting soundscapes and mind-melting action makes CYGNI the vanguard for the next generation of shoot-em ups. Outgunned, outmanned and out on your own, plunge into a sky full of hell in a last-ditch battle for survival.
Commando Collection
A reboot of classic 2D side-scrolling shooters, featuring a new Survival Mode and Workshop system. Fight as a WWII Allied soldier across diverse battlefields with imaginative weapons. Survival Mode brings fresh enemies, epic bosses, and new challenges—relive childhood memories with a twist!
Metal Slug: Awakening
Metal Slug: Awakening continues the classic gameplay loved by fans, with exciting new features like World Adventure, 3-player Team-up, and Roguelike challenges. Join forces with your friends online to take on powerful bosses anytime, anywhere!
Beat Hazard 3
Are you ready to explore your music collection mapped as a stunning galaxy of wonders? Experience your music collection as never before with this intense music driven twin stick shooter. Each of your songs will have its own unique ebb and flow based on the music.
DEVIL BLADE REBOOT
An immersive pseudo-3D shoot 'em up experience that pushes the limits of pixel art. Push your score higher with the innovative Berserk System: the closer they are, the more points you get!
ROBOBEAT
Keep your trigger finger on the pulse! In rhythm shooter ROBOBEAT, you'll play as Ace - a bounty hunter on a mission to capture robot-gone-rogue Frazzer in his ever-shifting lair. Wall run, slide, and shoot to your own beat using the in-game custom music editor, blasting through Frazzer's armies!
The Braves
Demolish hordes of enemies and survive against all odds! Unlock different characters, find powerful skill combinations and embark on an exciting journey through the variety of very different worlds in this cute but unforgiving roguelike game!
KUNKUN Defender
KUNKUN Defender is an FPS + tower defense game where players need to resist zombie invasions in different regions affected by a virus outbreak until a helicopter comes for rescue.
Sker Ritual
An intense round-based zombie survival FPS, play solo or co-op. Shoot your way through relentless waves of vicious horrors with high-octane objectives, upgrading steampunk weapons, collecting Celtic God powers, and surviving the onslaught of the Quiet Ones.
Kill It With Fire 2
Arachnophobia. The Game. The Sequel. Take on the arachnid menace alone or with friends in full campaign co-op. Wage the arachnid war across time and space and exterminate every last spider across the multiverse, or jump into Spider Hunt PvP and play as the eight-legged menace for the first time!
WOWOWOW KORONE BOX
A hololive fangame featuring Inugami Korone of hololive GAMERS! Collect as many Korone Boxes as possible while contending with an endless onslaught of enemies and bosses using whatever weapons you happen to pick up!
Minishoot' Adventures
Fly into a charming handcrafted world and go on an adventure that mixes up open exploration with crispy twin-stick shooter action. Fight your way from the shiny overworld to the deepest caves, improve your ship and overcome the dungeons' bosses to rescue your friends!
Twilight Survivors
A time-limited survival game infused with rogue-lite elements and an adorable art style! The world has plunged into darkness, and you are its sole beacon of hope. Will you endure until dawn, or succumb to repeated deaths in your quest? Fear not, for you can collect more coins to arm yourself!
Journey to the West Survivor
"Journey to the West Survivors" is a survivor-like game. You can choose from 12 interesting characters and combine various playstyles among over 200 skills. Additionally, you can get married, cultivate crops, build structures, recruit partners, and work together to fight against enemies.
Pesticide Not Required
Mow down countless crops and corrupt critters while crafting game-breaking builds! Pesticide Not Required is an action roguelite bullet heaven game with farming sim elements that offers a myriad of stats and special character traits to create wildly diverse run possibilities.
Contra: Operation Galuga
The legendary Contra series returns! This reimagining of the classic run-'n'-gun action game from the ‘80s features new stages, new enemies, new play mechanics, and co-op combat for up to 4 players!
Spell Disk
Build unique synergy spell combos to destroy the hordes of monsters and bosses in this rogue-lite action game.
Most played shoot 'em up games on Steam
Take a look at the top shoot 'em up games that are currently attracting the largest player bases on the Steam platform, as of June 15th 2025.
1. Metal Slug: Awakening
Metal Slug: Awakening continues the classic gameplay loved by fans, with exciting new features like World Adventure, 3-player Team-up, and Roguelike challenges. Join forces with your friends online to take on powerful bosses anytime, anywhere! Metal Slug: Awakening is a shoot 'em up, 2d platformer and arcade game developed by Tencent and published by HaoPlay Limited. Released on July 19th 2024 has received 3,229 reviews of which 2,192 were positive and 1,037 were negative resulting in a rating of 6.6 out of 10. The game has hit the top spot as the #1 most played shoot 'em up game, thanks to its 371 peak concurrent players over the last day.
6.6
2,192
1,037
371
players
2. Sven Co-op
Sven Co-op is a co-operative game originally based around Valve Software's Half-Life. In this game players must work together against computer controlled enemies and solve puzzles as a team. Sven Co-op is a co-op, fps and online co-op game developed and published by Sven Co-op team. Released on January 22nd 2016 has received 31,316 reviews of which 29,316 were positive and 2,000 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.2 out of 10. While seeing 317 players online at once in the last 24 hours, this game is currently ranked #2 among shoot 'em up games based on player count.
9.2
29,316
2,000
317
players
3. Planes, Bullets and Vodka
Fly through danger filled procedurally generated tunnels, avoiding thousands of enemies, on this throwback to the golden age of arcade games. Planes, Bullets and Vodka is a casual, action and shoot 'em up game developed and published by NukGames. Released on December 13th 2016 has received 1,994 reviews of which 1,698 were positive and 296 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.2 out of 10. While seeing 193 players online at once in the last 24 hours, this game is currently ranked #3 among shoot 'em up games based on player count.
8.2
1,698
296
193
players
4. Nova Drift
Nova Drift distills the mechanical depth and strategy of an ARPG into classic arcade space combat. Control an endlessly evolving bio-mechanical ship, face legions of strange and deadly foes, and ride the wake of a dying star across the void. Nova Drift is a action roguelike, arena shooter and bullet hell game developed by Chimeric and published by Pixeljam. Released on August 12th 2024 has received 13,985 reviews of which 13,393 were positive and 592 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.3 out of 10. With 178 concurrent players in the last 24 hours, the game currently holds the #4 spot among the most played shoot 'em up games.
9.3
13,393
592
178
players
5. 20 Minutes Till Dawn
20 Minutes Till Dawn is a survival roguelite where endless hordes of creatures lurk from the dark. Craft an array of overpowering builds and eradicate waves of Lovecraftian nightmares. Will you be able to survive the night? 20 Minutes Till Dawn is a action roguelike, bullet hell and survival game developed by flanne and published by flanne and Erabit. Released on June 08th 2023 has received 27,719 reviews of which 25,358 were positive and 2,361 were negative resulting in a rating of 9.0 out of 10. With 124 concurrent players in the last 24 hours, the game currently holds the #5 spot among the most played shoot 'em up games.
9.0
25,358
2,361
124
players
6. Sker Ritual
An intense round-based zombie survival FPS, play solo or co-op. Shoot your way through relentless waves of vicious horrors with high-octane objectives, upgrading steampunk weapons, collecting Celtic God powers, and surviving the onslaught of the Quiet Ones. Sker Ritual is a story rich, multiplayer and survival game developed and published by Wales Interactive. Released on April 18th 2024 has received 5,232 reviews of which 4,404 were positive and 828 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.2 out of 10. With 115 concurrent players in the last 24 hours, the game currently holds the #6 spot among the most played shoot 'em up games.
8.2
4,404
828
115
players
7. The Braves
Demolish hordes of enemies and survive against all odds! Unlock different characters, find powerful skill combinations and embark on an exciting journey through the variety of very different worlds in this cute but unforgiving roguelike game! The Braves is a action roguelike, arena shooter and rogue-lite game developed by 101XP GAME STUDIOS and published by 101XP. Released on May 03rd 2024 has received 1,643 reviews of which 1,170 were positive and 473 were negative resulting in a rating of 6.9 out of 10. The game currently holds the #7 spot among the most played shoot 'em up games.
6.9
1,170
473
78
players
8. Talented
Slay waves of spooky enemies for 20 nights to survive 'The Demonic Conveyor Belt'. Talented is an arcade roguelite with randomly generated skill trees. Choose your upgrades and abilities wisely and you might just make it out alive. Are you truly Talented? Talented is a action roguelike, pixel graphics and rogue-lite game developed and published by TurtleFox Games. Released on December 20th 2024 has received 1,175 reviews of which 1,081 were positive and 94 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.7 out of 10. The game currently holds the #8 spot among the most played shoot 'em up games.
8.7
1,081
94
76
players
9. Dead Estate
Cornered with nowhere else to turn, can you escape the monster-filled mansion? Dead Estate is a gory, fast-paced, challenging roguelike shooter with a heavy emphasis on horror. Dead Estate is a action roguelike, twin stick shooter and horror game developed by Milkbar Lads and published by 2 Left Thumbs. Released on October 19th 2021 has received 5,803 reviews of which 5,503 were positive and 300 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.2 out of 10. The game currently holds the #9 spot among the most played shoot 'em up games.
9.2
5,503
300
61
players
10. Chicken Invaders Universe
A deliciously addictive core of finger-blistering shooting action, surrounded by delectable morsels of galactic exploration, spacecraft customization, and community competitions. Chicken Invaders Universe is a shooter, shoot 'em up and top-down shooter game developed and published by InterAction studios. Released on December 15th 2022 has received 3,490 reviews of which 3,181 were positive and 309 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.8 out of 10. The game currently holds the #10 spot among the most played shoot 'em up games.
8.8
3,181
309
54
players
Best deals on shoot 'em up games on Steam
Discover fantastic savings with the best discounts on a variety of shoot 'em up games available on Steam right now, updated on June 15th 2025. Looking for even more deals? Use the search filters to explore a wider range of discounted shoot 'em up games.
1. Valfaris: Mecha Therion
Therion returns as the hunt for Lord Vroll continues. Pilot an advanced machine of death and destruction in this explosive 2.5D side-scrolling shoot ‘em up, and sequel to the critically acclaimed Valfaris. Strap in and unleash mecha hell! Valfaris: Mecha Therion is a action, shoot 'em up and arcade game developed by Steel Mantis and published by Silver Lining Interactive. Released on November 21st 2023 has received 358 reviews of which 331 were positive and 27 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.5 out of 10. Featuring a massive 99% discount, this game currently holds the #1 spot in the best deals for shoot 'em up category.
8.5
331
27
-99%
24.50€
0.48€
2. Duke of Alpha Centauri
Duke of Alpha Centuri is a space shooter with amazing graphics. The main goal of our game is to have a lot of fun while blowing up hordes of different types of enemies. Engage in boss fights, upgrade your ship and ship systems until you are able to show off in an endless mode. Duke of Alpha Centauri is a action, casual and indie game developed by EGAMER and published by SA Industry. Released on December 28th 2016 has received 526 reviews of which 407 were positive and 119 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.3 out of 10. Thanks to its incredible 99% discount, this game is now the #2 best deal in shoot 'em up games.
7.3
407
119
-99%
29.99€
0.39€
3. Gungrave G.O.R.E
Gungrave G.O.R.E is a stylish third-person action shooter by South-Korean Studio IGGYMOB in which you take on the role of Grave, a gunslinger of resurrection and badass anti-hero of your dreams, mowing down tons of enemies in a gory ballet of bullets. Gungrave G.O.R.E is a action, action-adventure and 3d game developed by IGGYMOB Co. and Ltd and published by Prime Matter. Released on November 22nd 2022 has received 809 reviews of which 565 were positive and 244 were negative resulting in a rating of 6.7 out of 10. Thanks to its incredible 98% discount, this game is now the #3 best deal in shoot 'em up games.
6.7
565
244
-98%
29.99€
0.85€
4. Starward Rogue
Starward Rogue is a bullet hell twin-stick shooter. Blast your way through the Megalith, a rogue-lite labyrinth lodged in the side of a star. Customize your mech with a huge variety of weapons, perks, and upgrades. Steel yourself for the dangers that lurk in the depths of the dungeon. Starward Rogue is a action roguelike, bullet hell and shoot 'em up game developed and published by Arcen Games and LLC. Released on January 20th 2016 has received 484 reviews of which 437 were positive and 47 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.4 out of 10. Currently offered at a significant 97% discount, this title has earned the #4 position in the best deals for shoot 'em up games.
8.4
437
47
-97%
11.79€
0.43€
5. Sker Ritual
An intense round-based zombie survival FPS, play solo or co-op. Shoot your way through relentless waves of vicious horrors with high-octane objectives, upgrading steampunk weapons, collecting Celtic God powers, and surviving the onslaught of the Quiet Ones. Sker Ritual is a story rich, multiplayer and survival game developed and published by Wales Interactive. Released on April 18th 2024 has received 5,232 reviews of which 4,404 were positive and 828 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.2 out of 10. Currently offered at a significant 97% discount, this title has earned the #5 position in the best deals for shoot 'em up games.
8.2
4,404
828
-97%
24.50€
0.95€
6. Go Mecha Ball
Load up and roll out, in this twin stick shooter with roguelike progression! Blast your way through arcade-style levels, using pinball-style physics mixed with an arsenal of devastating weapons. Defeat waves of enemy bots, battle big bosses, and upgrade your mech between runs. Go Mecha Ball is a shoot 'em up, twin stick shooter and arcade game developed by Whale Peak Games and published by Super Rare Originals. Released on January 25th 2024 has received 409 reviews of which 358 were positive and 51 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.1 out of 10. Currently offered at a significant 97% discount, this title has earned the #6 position in the best deals for shoot 'em up games.
8.1
358
51
-97%
19.49€
0.72€
7. Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes
Zombie Rollerz is the ultimate mashup of classic pinball, zombie defense and rogue-like! Shoot, slam and smash your way through hordes of zombies and epic boss fights. Select your hero, it’s time to become a pinball wizard! Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes is a pinball, zombies and rogue-lite game developed by Zing Games Inc. and published by Daedalic Entertainment. Released on March 02nd 2022 has received 366 reviews of which 312 were positive and 54 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.9 out of 10. Currently offered at a significant 97% discount, this title has earned the #7 position in the best deals for shoot 'em up games.
7.9
312
54
-97%
14.99€
0.46€
8. Raw Data
Built from the ground up for VR, Raw Data’s action gameplay, intuitive controls, challenging enemies, and sci-fi atmosphere will completely immerse you within the surreal world of Eden Corp. Go solo or team up and become the adrenaline-charged heroes of your own futuristic technothriller. Raw Data is a vr, action and shoot 'em up game developed and published by Survios. Released on October 05th 2017 has received 2,468 reviews of which 1,895 were positive and 573 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.4 out of 10. Currently offered at a significant 97% discount, this title has earned the #8 position in the best deals for shoot 'em up games.
7.4
1,895
573
-97%
36.99€
1.16€
9. The Knight Witch
The Knight Witch is a metroidvania adventure game with fast-paced, shoot 'em up combat set in a beautifully hand-drawn world. Cast devastating card-based spells, forge close bonds, and make moral choices all in your quest to save your home and discover who's behind the War Golem invasion. The Knight Witch is a metroidvania, female protagonist and shoot 'em up game developed by Super Mega Team and published by Team17. Released on November 29th 2022 has received 773 reviews of which 564 were positive and 209 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.0 out of 10. Currently offered at a significant 97% discount, this title has earned the #9 position in the best deals for shoot 'em up games.
7.0
564
209
-97%
19.99€
0.73€
10. RIVE: Wreck, Hack, Die, Retry!
This 360-degree shooter/platformer hybrid lets you choreograph a ‘dance of destruction’ in insanely spectacular battles and set-pieces. RIVE feels like the explosive games of yore, pumping megapixels in true 21st century style. RIVE: Wreck, Hack, Die, Retry! is a action, twin stick shooter and arcade game developed by Two Tribes and published by Two Tribes Publishing. Released on September 13th 2016 has received 999 reviews of which 841 were positive and 158 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.0 out of 10. Currently offered at a significant 96% discount, this title has earned the #10 position in the best deals for shoot 'em up games.
8.0
841
158
-96%
14.79€
0.62€
Free shoot 'em up games on Steam
Check out this fantastic list of free-to-play shoot 'em up games you can enjoy on Steam right now, updated on June 15th 2025. Looking for even more free titles? Use the search filters to explore a wider range of free to play shoot 'em up games.
1. Metal Slug: Awakening
Metal Slug: Awakening continues the classic gameplay loved by fans, with exciting new features like World Adventure, 3-player Team-up, and Roguelike challenges. Join forces with your friends online to take on powerful bosses anytime, anywhere! Metal Slug: Awakening is a shoot 'em up, 2d platformer and arcade game developed by Tencent and published by HaoPlay Limited. Released on July 19th 2024 has received 3,229 reviews of which 2,192 were positive and 1,037 were negative resulting in a rating of 6.6 out of 10. With 371 active players enjoying it for free, this strategy game has reached the #1 spot among the top free shoot 'em up games on Steam.
6.6
2,192
1,037
371
players
2. Sven Co-op
Sven Co-op is a co-operative game originally based around Valve Software's Half-Life. In this game players must work together against computer controlled enemies and solve puzzles as a team. Sven Co-op is a co-op, fps and online co-op game developed and published by Sven Co-op team. Released on January 22nd 2016 has received 31,316 reviews of which 29,316 were positive and 2,000 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.2 out of 10. Thanks to its free to play tag and a daily player base of 317, this shoot 'em up game has secured the #2 spot in the ranking of free shoot 'em up games on Steam.
9.2
29,316
2,000
317
players
3. The Braves
Demolish hordes of enemies and survive against all odds! Unlock different characters, find powerful skill combinations and embark on an exciting journey through the variety of very different worlds in this cute but unforgiving roguelike game! The Braves is a action roguelike, arena shooter and rogue-lite game developed by 101XP GAME STUDIOS and published by 101XP. Released on May 03rd 2024 has received 1,643 reviews of which 1,170 were positive and 473 were negative resulting in a rating of 6.9 out of 10. The game currently holds the #3 spot among the most played free shoot 'em up games on Steam.
6.9
1,170
473
78
players
4. Chicken Invaders Universe
A deliciously addictive core of finger-blistering shooting action, surrounded by delectable morsels of galactic exploration, spacecraft customization, and community competitions. Chicken Invaders Universe is a shooter, shoot 'em up and top-down shooter game developed and published by InterAction studios. Released on December 15th 2022 has received 3,490 reviews of which 3,181 were positive and 309 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.8 out of 10. The game currently holds the #4 spot among the most played free shoot 'em up games on Steam.
8.8
3,181
309
54
players
5. World of Shooting
A first-person shooting sports sim from the developers of World of Guns. Collect hundreds of realistic firearms and accessories, beat practical shooting and tactical training campaigns, set global high scores, and build your own ranges! World of Shooting is a early access, fps and shoot 'em up game developed and published by Noble Empire Corp.. Released on February 19th 2024 has received 642 reviews of which 500 were positive and 142 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.4 out of 10. The game currently holds the #5 spot among the most played free shoot 'em up games on Steam.
7.4
500
142
7
players
6. Deadswitch 3
Deadswitch 3 is a fast-paced 2D multiplayer shooter. Experience action-packed combat with hundreds of weapons and multiple solo and team-based game modes. Deadswitch 3 is a side scroller, shooter and pvp game developed and published by Wilkin Games. Released on May 07th 2021 has received 2,419 reviews of which 1,795 were positive and 624 were negative resulting in a rating of 7.2 out of 10. The game currently holds the #6 spot among the most played free shoot 'em up games on Steam.
7.2
1,795
624
3
players
7. Altitude
Now Available on PC, Mac and Linux! Altitude is a multiplayer, flight and side scroller game developed and published by Nimbly Games. Released on December 04th 2009 has received 1,907 reviews of which 1,753 were positive and 154 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.8 out of 10. The game currently holds the #7 spot among the most played free shoot 'em up games on Steam.
8.8
1,753
154
2
players
8. Shooty Skies
The creators of Crossy Road present Shooty Skies! Shoot, dodge, duck, goose and weave. Take to the skies! Shooty Skies is a free to play, action and indie game developed by and published by Mighty games. Released on March 06th 2018 has received 1,426 reviews of which 1,308 were positive and 118 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.7 out of 10. The game currently holds the #8 spot among the most played free shoot 'em up games on Steam.
8.7
1,308
118
2
players
9. Gun Devil
GUN DEVIL is an explosive platformer about rescuing your kidnapped hell wife from Satan's child, the Caramelized Dumbass and his Pimp Legion. Gun Devil is a side scroller, hero shooter and 2d platformer game developed and published by Agelvik. Released on August 02nd 2022 has received 1,486 reviews of which 1,433 were positive and 53 were negative resulting in an impressive rating of 9.1 out of 10. The game currently holds the #9 spot among the most played free shoot 'em up games on Steam.
9.1
1,433
53
1
players
10. Harbinger
Blast, slide, and tear through waves of monsters in Harbinger's retro-inspired combat, a free boomer shooter bringing '90s combat into the modern era. Fight through waves of enemies in brutal arenas and regroup at the tavern to upgrade your arsenal. Harbinger is a action roguelike, arena shooter and boomer shooter game developed by Dobrx and published by Dobrx and Split Signal. Released on October 03rd 2024 has received 647 reviews of which 620 were positive and 27 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.9 out of 10. The game currently holds the #10 spot among the most played free shoot 'em up games on Steam.
8.9
620
27
1
players