7 Great Indie First-Person Shooters on Consoles

It does seem, at least in the AAA space, that there is a bit of a lull when it comes to first-person shooters. Not to say that there aren’t plenty of successful FPSs going around, but it seems most big budget shooters are aiming to be the next Destiny or Fortnite, while the Call of Duty juggernaut continues to steamroll its competition. In the indie space, however, there’s hardly been a better time to be an FPS fan. The boomer shooter – retro-inspired, fast-paced and with chunky polygons or Doom-style 2.5D – has been flourishing as the era for influences moves from the late '80s/early '90s to the late '90s and turn of the millennium. The one issue I see with getting boomer shooters, or indie shooters in general, to a wider audience is that most of them are PC exclusive at the moment. I understand why – multi-platform development is expensive, and the FPS works best with a keyboard and mouse. But there are some indie shooters on consoles that are worth checking out if you can’t bear to play another round of a battle royale or buy another Call of Duty.

Dusk

PC, Switch

Dusk is ground zero for the boomer shooter. It’s a tense and exhilarating gothic horror FPS which wears its Quake influence on its sleeve, and is every bit as good as the old-school shooters that inspired it. Developed by David Szymanski and published by genre leaders New Blood Interactive, Dusk paved the way for a new wave of indie first-person shooters. Unlike the rest of the games on this list, it’s not fully multi-platform, but there is an excellent Switch port, so if you have a Switch this is the place to start your indie FPS journey. Soon another game from New Blood, the Hexen/Heretic-inspired Amid Evil, will also be coming to Switch.

Fashion Police Squad

PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Switch

Fashion Police Squad from Mopeful games, which released on consoles earlier this month after debuting on PC last year, is a unique take on the shooter – instead of murdering enemies you will be killing their poor fashion choices. The man with the drab grey suit throwing suitcase at you needs to be shot with the 2Dye4 colourising shotgun, or stitch up a baggy suit with the sewing machine-like Tailormade rifle. It’s a goofy premise but essentially an FPS that is all about switching between weapons to hit the enemies’ weakness. It’s a rock-solid core and it’s the kind of high camp that will appeal to anyone who watches Queer Eye or Drag Race.

Prodeus

PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Switch

If you’re looking for something less glam and more gory, Prodeus, from Bounding Box Software Inc, could be for you. It is a blend of old and new – not just in its run-and-gun gameplay, but in its unique visual style. Prodeus has a blend of pixelated and HD graphics, which is really something you have to see in motion to appreciate. It’s a fast, furious and extremely bloody boomer shooter that was my favourite FPS released last year. As an added bonus, it’s currently available for Game Pass subscribers.

Gunfire Reborn

PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Mobile

If you’re looking for something you can play either solo or with your mates, Gunfire Reborn from Duoyi Games might be for you. It’s a roguelike dungeon crawling FPS with more than a hint of Borderlands in its chaotic gunplay and colourful graphics (if you’re like me and thoroughly over Borderlands’ brand of humour, don’t worry, that’s not there). Maybe it’s more roguelite, as you will upgrade your characters in between runs, as well as unlocking new characters and weapons while you play. A good choice if you want a quick FPS fix, and it's on Game Pass, too.

Metal: Hellsinger

PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series

If you’re on Game Pass and looking for another rhythm action game hit after Hi-Fi Rush, you can do a lot worse than trading rock for heavy metal with Metal: Hellsinger from The Outsiders. This is another frantic, run-and-gun FPS but with a rhythmic twist – you need to match your shots with the beat to optimise your damage and combo score. Increasing your combo will also bring in more instruments to the soundtrack, culminating with vocals from notable singers from bands such as System of a Down and Lamb of God. It’s a tricky balance to maintain, but there’s an option to automatically shoot to the beat and it still holds up as a quality shooter.

Severed Steel

PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series, Switch

Hey, want to do some cool Max Payne bullet time moves in first person? Slo-mo jumping, diving and sliding while gunning down enemies? Well, Severed Steel from Greylock Studio is the game for you. The movement system is slick and stylish, and you’ll be spending a lot of time in slo-mo so you can pick off enemies, steal their guns and dodge bullets with precision. If you combine this with a stark neon art style, it feels a bit like a real-time Superhot, which is a tough thing to do, but Greylock nailed it.

Bright Memory: Infinite

PC, PS5, Xbox Series, Switch

What I’m about to say about Bright Memory: Infinite, an expanded and reworked version of solo dev FYQD-Studio’s Bright Memory, might not sound like a compliment but it is. Bright Memory: Infinite feels like a PS3 game that I would buy cheap or rent from Blockbuster. The kind that got 7 out of 10s, and I had a 70% chance of enjoying it. Where’s the likes of Singularity and The Darkness these days? It’s here, that’s where. It mixes shooter and melee combat well, but is on the short side (2-3 hours). Which I don’t think is a bad thing, but your mileage might vary.

I hope you can find something here to draw you into the world of indie first-person shooters. There’s plenty to play, and you won’t need to buy another year’s Call of Duty or sink time into another live service game to get your FPS fix.

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