10 best first-person shooter (FPS) games to play on Xbox Game Pass in 2022

Some of the best FPS games available on the Xbox Game Pass (Image via EA & 343 Industries)
Some of the best FPS games available on the Xbox Game Pass (Image via EA & 343 Industries)

First-person shooter (FPS) games take a more direct approach to the action by putting players into the protagonist’s shoes. It results in them seeing the world through the character’s eyes and having a more intense experience during the gameplay and story.

FPS games generally take the form of military shooters, although different takes on the story and narrative are available. While some might be set in an open world, others provide replayable linear levels to progress through. Despite the variation in presentation, FPS titles’ core gameplay remains the same.

The Xbox Game Pass offers various shooters, among which many are FPS games, which users can get into, simply at the monthly subscription fee, on Windows PCs and Xbox devices.

Note: This article reflects the writer’s opinions.


10 FPS games to try out in 2022 from Xbox Game Pass Library

1) Far Cry 5

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This is one of the more recent additions to the Xbox Game Pass library. Far Cry 5 is the second newest game in the franchise and is set in a fictional county in the state of Montana in the United States.

Released on March 27, 2018, this FPS game sees gamers take on the role of ‘The Deputy,’ a customizable character, which was a first in this series.

Set in Hope County, they must keep the land and surrounding areas safe from the fanatical cult led by Father Joseph Seed. Believing that society is soon to collapse and a new beginning awaits humanity, Seed has collected numerous followers who have taken control of outposts across the open map, which players must liberate.

The gameplay is the best in the series, featuring some great gunplay and more options for melee attacks. Another first for the franchise is allowing users to fly planes to take to the skies and attack enemy bases.

They can also recruit locals to their cause and take on animal companions, which will obey commands and assist in taking out enemies.


2) Titanfall 2

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One of the most underrated games in video game history, Titanfall 2, was the second title in this series from developer Respawn and was released on October 28, 2016. It was an FPS game set in a fictional world in the Frontier, a collection of star systems in charted space.

There was a single-player campaign for the first time in the series, and Titanfall 2 saw gamers take on the role of Jack Cooper, a soldier from the Frontier Militia Faction. He is accompanied by his AI-powered Titan, BT-7274, a sentient robotic suit of armor that can act independently and be controlled from within by Jack.

While players will mainly be controlling Jack, they can sometimes take control of BT. As Jack, they have access to several weapons and parkour abilities. Meanwhile, they can utilize the Titan’s high caliber rounds and artillery systems in robot mode.


3) Crysis 3

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Crytek’s Crysis series came to a close with Crysis 3, launched on February 19, 2013. It was the last game in the series, after which it has been relatively dormant.

A new game titled Crysis 4 is currently in development, although no details regarding the story and plot are available.

In Crysis 3, users were given control of Prophet, an augmented soldier encased inside a high-tech nanosuit. Prophet fights the forces of the Ceph, an alien race that has since taken over the Earth, over the last two games and finally sees the hero try to take out the threat for good.

The title is primarily set in New York City, played as an FPS where gamers can utilize various weapons and suit abilities to take on the Ceph forces. It introduces a compound bow to the mix, which they can use to take out enemies stealthily.

Various suit modes can be used in multiple scenarios to give players the advantage, such as Armour, Strength, Speed, and Cloak.


4) Doom Eternal

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The 2016 Doom game was quite successful and led to a sequel titled Doom Eternal, released on March 20, 2020, for a number of consoles and PCs. The story picks up after Doom’s events, and the Doom Slayer returns to rip and tear demons apart, sometimes in actual hell.

This time around, the game’s primary goal is to kill the hell priests, Deag Nilox, Deag Ranak, and Deag Grav, to free Earth of the demonic presence which has overrun it. The main antagonist is an angelic being known as Khan Maykr, who aims to sacrifice Earth to resurrect her own species.

The core gameplay is mostly the same as the previous outing, with the over-the-top action and fun FPS gunplay balanced out with a good difficulty curve. This game adds a grapple hook, which can be used to grab enemies and in platforming sections.


5) Halo Infinite

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343 Industries brought back the Halo series to the spotlight with Halo Infinite, releasing this seventh mainline entry into the franchise on December 8, 2021. Set a few months after the events of Halo 5: Guardians, this title starts off the action with a cutscene that sees the Master Chief defeated by Atriox, a brute chieftain from the Halo Wars games.

After another six months, Chief is found by a UNSC pilot, and after a few linear levels and meetings with a new AI known as the Weapon, users are released into the new Halo and open world. The task is to take on the forces of the Banished, a splinter force from the Covenant, and retake control of the Halo ring.

Halo’s iconic gameplay, reminiscent of the Bungee era, returns with Covenant weapons and responsive FPS gunplay. The title also introduces a grapple shot, which increases the mobility of the 7-foot-tall spartan wearing half a ton of Mjolnir armor.

The single-player campaign is one of the best in the series, while multiplayer is as satisfying as ever.


6) Prey (2017)

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While mainly unrelated to the previous FPS game Prey, this 2017 remake was a completely different take and told an original story. Developed by Arkane Austin and published by Bethesda, this Prey was a sci-fi horror thriller game set inside a space station known as Talos I.

Gamers play as Morgan Yu, who suffers from amnesia, must discover how he ended up in the science facility and investigate the area. Stalking the station are lifeforms dubbed mimics, which can mimic ordinary artificial objects and attack any living creature.

Throughout this FPS, players will be equipped with numerous weapons with which they can dispatch mimics. The game provides a mostly open-world environment, which sees certain areas locked and requires access keys or hacking to unlock and explore.


7) Generation Zero

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From developer and publisher Systemic Reaction, Generation Zero is an FPS game released on March 26, 2019, for Windows PCs, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. This open-world game, set in 1989, offers co-op and single-player experiences, with the campaign played with up to three players or solo.

In an alternate post-apocalyptic history, Sweden has become overrun by murderous robots. Users take on the role of a teenage boy who returns to his home after an island population and finds the local population missing.

Surviving the Swedish wilderness, they must find a way to defeat the machines and locate any survivors.

The game’s main enemies are the robots, which come in various sizes and shapes.

Small drones can easily spot gamers, while scouts will engage them in direct combat. More giant mechs serve as tank-like beasts that require a lot of firepower to take out.


8) The Outer Worlds

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From Obsidian Entertainment, the minds behind Fallout: New Vegas came The Outer Worlds on October 25, 2019. It was described as Fallout but in space, which is entirely accurate.

Taking place in the Star System known as Halcyon, which consists of some planets and space stations, this FPS is also a role-playing title.

Players take on the role of an individual who has been in cryosleep, woken up by one Dr. Phineas Welles, and enlisted to help him free the Halcyon from corporate control. Dubbed ‘The Stranger,’ users can venture out into the game, set across a few explorable worlds and space stations.

Like Fallout, character attributes play a significant role in this FPS game, while a V.A.T.S.-like slow-motion shooting mode also makes a return, known as time dilation.

The title also offers new melee weapons, while most combat is meant to be played using ranged weapons.


9) Rage 2

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From Avalanche Studios and id Software comes Rage 2, originally released on May 14, 2019. This FPS is a sequel to Rage and is set in a post-apocalyptic world, where the protagonist must strive to survive amongst mutant creatures and human enemies.

As Walker, the last Ranger of Vineland, gamers need to fight the forces of the Authority, a group that has declared itself the new military power. When General Cross of the Authority kills Walker’s adoptive aunt, things get personal, and he sets out on a mission to bring down the martial law in Vineland.

Set in an open-world environment, players can kit themselves out in various weapons and melee tools and take on the wild deserts of Vineland. They have access to multiple skills and abilities through their Nanotrite suits.

An overdrive mode allows users to mow down enemies quickly and stay invulnerable for the duration.


10) Battlefield 1 Revolution

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EA had a tough time with Battlefield 4 & Battlefield: Hardline but eventually brought it back again with the next game in this FPS series. Battlefield 1, despite its name, is the tenth game in this series and was released on October 21, 2016, developed by DICE.

It was one of the modern Battlefield titles that were well-received. This FPS took action back to a World War 1 setting after the previous games had a more futuristic take on warfare.

The game offers multiplayer and single-player modes to play. The former provides numerous scenarios for players to battle each other in PvP matches.

Single-player campaigns contain six different stories, which users can play through in the form of war stories. Each story is self-contained and is told from the perspective of a different protagonist from the Allied Nations.

Compared to previous games, the campaign contains larger and more open environments.