first-person shooters Archives

AppWizard

February 25, 2026

Devs behind GoldenEye, Perfect Dark and TimeSplitters are done with big shooters after getting burned by Embracer, so their next game is a Balatro-like twist on Scrabble—and you can try the demo now

Steve Ellis and David Doak, co-founders of Free Radical Design, are developing a roguelike interpretation of Scrabble titled Beyond Words. This project marks a departure from their previous work on first-person shooters, including the TimeSplitters series and Star Wars: Battlefront 3. Following the closure of Free Radical by Embracer in 2023, Ellis described the experience as "soul-crushing," leading him to prefer smaller team environments for game development. Both Ellis and Doak expressed a desire to work in more intimate settings, which influenced their collaboration on Beyond Words, initially a weekend project that gained traction among various prototypes they explored.

AppWizard

February 24, 2026

New $17 PC Game Bundle Contains 7 Top Tier Boomer Shooters

A new digital charity bundle features a collection of retro-inspired first-person shooters, known as "boomer shooters," including titles like Selaco, Cultic, and Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun. The bundle is priced at a remarkable value and will be available until March 10. The complete lineup includes: - Selaco - I Am Your Beast - Mullet Madjack - Beyond Citadel - Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun - Incision - Cultic The bundle supports marine conservation efforts focused on the protection of whales and dolphins.

AppWizard

February 17, 2026

Battlefield 6 Season 2 is all about ‘delivering the bread and butter of the game’ — but is it enough to bring players back?

Battlefield 6 is preparing for the launch of its Season 2 after experiencing a decline in player engagement, with fewer than 9% of its initial audience logging in daily. The release of Season 2 was delayed to ensure a polished experience, as its success could determine the game's future in a competitive market. Season 2 is expected to include enhanced gameplay mechanics, new maps and modes, and integration of community feedback.

AppWizard

February 16, 2026

Unreal Tournament 2004 Is Available For Free, And Has Just Got Its First Patch “In Over 20 Years”

In November 2024, the Unreal community, OldUnreal, released installers for Unreal Gold and Unreal Tournament, allowing free downloads from Archive.org with Epic Games' endorsement. Recently, OldUnreal has revived Unreal Tournament 2004, enabling players to access it for free through a direct download from Archive.org or via an installer on OldUnreal's website. A new installer was hinted at in December, and players can also download a significant patch (3374) from GitHub, which modernizes the codebase and introduces various improvements, including a new SDL backend for Linux and macOS. This is the first public patch for Unreal Tournament 2004 in over 20 years.

AppWizard

February 13, 2026

Marathon console players can turn off PC matchmaking if they want, but Bungie made a point to give everyone the same gameplay experience

Bungie's new title, Marathon, will launch on March 5, marking the company's first release outside the Destiny universe in over a decade. Players will have the option to disable cross-platform matchmaking, allowing PS5 and Xbox Series X/S users to avoid competing against PC players. Marathon will feature a mix of PvP, PvE, and PvPvE gameplay elements, but will not use matchmaking strategies from other titles like Arc Raiders. A server slam is scheduled for February 26 to preview the game. Sony has received positive feedback from playtests, which has informed adjustments to improve the game before its release.

BetaBeacon

January 26, 2026

Epic Games $800 Million Deal with Google

- Epic Games and Google have entered into a six-year, 0 million partnership involving joint product development, marketing, and technical collaboration. - The partnership includes closer integration of Unreal Engine, which powers Fortnite and many third-party games. - The judge raised concerns about how the partnership might affect Epic's legal demands in the antitrust lawsuit against Google. - Google has proposed changes to Android monetization, including new fee structures for in-app billing and web payments. - The outcome of the case could shape how monetization works across mobile platforms for years to come.

AppWizard

January 16, 2026

Best of Indie Legends BYO bundle from Fanatical brings top Steam PC games

Fanatical has launched the Best of Indie Legends Build Your Own Bundle for New Year 2026, allowing customers to select from 22 Steam PC games across various genres. The pricing tiers are as follows: 2 or more games for .50 each, 4 or more games for .25 each, and 7 or more games for each. Notable games include PlateUp!, a cooperative cooking game for up to four players, Pathologic 2, a survival game focused on stopping a plague, and the AMID EVIL & DUSK Double Pack for first-person shooter fans. Each bundle purchase includes a 5% discount code for future orders. The promotion runs until February 19, 2026, and game keys are limited.

AppWizard

January 7, 2026

Just when you think there’s no room for shooters to innovate, here’s one where your health is literally your framerate

FPS Quest links player health to framerate, causing framerate drops as the character takes damage. Players can upgrade weapons and manipulate the game environment to boost framerate and health, such as replacing a 3D gun with a 2D sprite or altering level geometry. One upgrade can increase framerate by 10 fps at the cost of removing structural columns, which eliminates cover. This mechanic encourages a balance between alterations and game stability.

AppWizard

January 6, 2026

This new FPS game uses your framerate as your health bar, so I’ll brb after I’ve bought a 240Hz monitor

FPS Quest is a unique meta game that uses framerate as a health bar, allowing players to navigate a low-framerate environment without the discomfort typically associated with performance issues. Players traverse dungeons armed with a shotgun, experiencing framerate dips as they take damage, but can restore it by defeating enemies or adjusting game settings. The game features mechanics such as demolishing walls and removing doors, which affect gameplay and map navigation. It includes roguelike elements, cheats, glitches, and customizable settings, encouraging multiple runs to unlock upgrades and weapons. FPS Quest is set to launch on Steam, with no announced release date yet.

AppWizard

December 30, 2025

CLOWN Defends AI, Praises His Minecraft Server & Takes A Shot At RICK RUBIN All In One Interview

M. Shawn "Clown" Crahan, the percussionist and creative director of Slipknot, has launched a custom Minecraft server called Vernearth, driven by a spiritual and creative necessity rather than financial gain. His gaming history includes experiences with various platforms and genres, and he views Vernearth as a significant artistic creation that combines music, coding, and personal culture. Crahan respects Minecraft deeply, having purchased it on its release day and watched its updates, and he finds it therapeutic for processing grief, including the loss of a child. He is open to embracing artificial intelligence, seeing it as a creative ally that can enhance his work, and believes that AI is an inevitable part of societal evolution. He suggests that younger generations may not share the same apprehensions about AI as older ones, emphasizing that life is moving forward with or without resistance to technology.