Overwatch took the gaming world by storm when it first came out and stayed relevant for years. Blizzard started from the basics of a class-based FPS and took it to a whole new level by bringing fully voiced, charismatic characters to life with special skills like in a MOBA.
The hero shooter subgenre was very much solidified by Blizzard. Each character design is entirely different from the others, including playstyle and set of skills. Also, players can’t use the same hero during a match.
Although it was popular for quite a while, many players got tired of playing it every night and went hunting for something new. That said, most players don’t just drop their favorite genre, so it’s not unusual to see Overwatch players enjoying similar-but-different games.
If you are one of the players looking for another game, here are 10 awesome games like Overwatch. One of these will most likely satisfy your need to shoot some enemies stylishly.
Combots
| Genre: | First-Person Shooter, Hero Shooter, Free-to-Play |
| Developers: | HardEdge Games |
| Release Date: | July 8, 2021 |
| Find at: | Steam |
| Multiplayer: | Online PvP |
Combots is a free multiplayer robot war first-person shooter. This might not be among the best mech games on Steam, but it’s quite fun. It has 5 unique robots that allow you to experience the game in many different ways. However, it doesn’t stop there.
Compared to other class-based and hero shooters, 5 options don’t seem much. To be honest, it isn’t. The appeal of hero shooters is a vast roster with different personalities, abilities, and playstyles.
Fortunately, the initial choice is deceiving since Combot has a lot more to offer in that regard. You also have 21 items for loadout that result in many variations, making you able to create unique play styles out of the five base choices.
The game also counts with procedurally generated maps. They help make the gameplay feel fresh even when the visuals are similar in the background, and there are six different game modes. Finally, there are cosmetic items for you to decorate and give some personality to your robot.
Apex Legends
| Genre: | First-Person Shooter, Hero Shooter, Free-to-Play |
| Developers: | Respawn Entertainment |
| Release Date: | November 5, 2020 |
| Find at: | PlayStation Store, My Nintendo Store, Microsoft Store, Steam, and Amazon |
| Multiplayer: | Online PvP |
Apex Legends is a free-to-play battle royale game that came out in February 2019. The game is set in the Titanfall universe and features characters with unique abilities.
Apex Legends has been praised for its polished gameplay, beautiful graphics, and unique character design. Apex Legends is definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for a fast-paced, competitive shooter with a massive arena.
This game is a multi-award-winning first-person shooter. This is a great game, and it certainly helped to combine two of the most popular subgenres amongst FPS players: battle royale and hero-shooter.
The wide array of characters, strategic teamwork, and daring ideas are the things that boost the battle royale experience in this game. Fans of team based games like Overwatch will find a lot to love in this game.
Battlefield 2042
| Genre: | First-Person Shooter, Hero Shooter |
| Developers: | DICE |
| Release Date: | October 6, 2021 |
| Find at: | PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, Steam, and Amazon |
| Multiplayer: | Online PvP |
Alright, I know what you’re thinking. To be honest, I’d also find it weird to see Battlefield on this list, but hear me out.
Battlefield 2042 is a game that takes place in the near future. In this game, you have access to made-up weapons. Much like other battlefield games, you fight to maintain control over an unbelievably vast area.
However, unlike most Battlefield games you’ve played before, you select a specialist to play as. Specialists are characters with a few unique abilities. This is the only Battlefield game in which team composition and character knowledge make a huge difference. In fact, there was a lot of discussion regarding who is the best specialist in Battlefield 2042.
For instance, Mackey has a grappling hook that he can use to reach the higher ground. Sundance has a wingsuit that allows her to glide from a high point to pretty much everywhere else on the map.
If you play Sundance and are good at detecting flaws in the adversaries’ strategies and positioning, you will love playing this specialist. After all, you will be able to complete an objective and immediately go to the most advantageous area on the map.
The most significant difference between this game and Overwatch is that, unlike most hero-shooters and similar games, you play in a huge team against another huge team. So this isn’t a Battle Royale, and it isn’t a small team vs. small team kind of game, but it still has some things that make games like Overwatch and other hero shooters fun.
Freefall Tournament
| Genre: | First-Person Shooter, Hero Shooter |
| Developers: | y8.com |
| Release Date: | June 16, 2018 |
| Find at: | Steam |
| Multiplayer: | Online PvP |
I didn’t think much of this game when I first saw it, but I’m glad I tried it. If you’re a fan of Overwatch or similar games, I’m sure you will have a good time playing Freefall Tournament.
In this space marines team-based third-person shooter, players must work together to defeat the enemy team. The game is fast-paced, action-packed, and features a variety of unique classes to choose from.
In this game, you will see all kinds of futuristic, fun gear to work with. Do you want jetpacks, armor, guns, hammers, and swords? You got it. There’s room for everything, from aerial sniping to melee combat.
The game has 10 classes: Gunner, Tank, Tech, Scout, Blazer, Blaster, Shocker, Assassin, Commando, and Bomber. Each class has different looks and models, so besides choosing something that fits your playstyle, you also get to decide how it looks.
On top of all that, much like any class-based shooter, each class has different skills, abilities, and bomb types. Freefall Tournament is a third-person shooter, but it is by far one of the games that feel the most like Overwatch and its competitors.
Predecessor
| Genre: | Third-Person, MOBA |
| Developers: | Omeda Studios |
| Release Date: | December 1, 2022 |
| Find at: | Steam |
| Multiplayer: | Online PvP |
Predecessor and Fault: Elden Orb are third-person MOBAs that derive from Paragon, much like DOTA 2 and Heroes of Newearth derived from Defence of the Ancients.
They are both here taking the same spot because they use the same assets, look very much the same, and play somewhat alike.
Paragon always felt like it was the game you’d get if someone merged League of Legends and Overwatch. You can choose a hero with special skills and fight in 5v5 battles to control the map.
However, unlike Overwatch, the game used a third-person shooter perspective but played like any traditional MOBA. You had your towers, minions, items to buy, and a core that works like the Ancient or the Nexus. You win by destroying the enemies’ core or forcing them to surrender.
Predecessor and Fault: Elder Orb are both games that try to recreate the Paragon experience. They both have maps and items, but each developer has a different take on what made Paragon fun.
You can just go with the one that seems more appealing to you, but if you like MOBAs and games like Overwatch, chances are you will enjoy these games very much.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege
| Genre: | First-Person Shooter, Hero Shooter |
| Developers: | Ubisoft Montreal |
| Release Date: | December 1, 2015 |
| Find at: | PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store, Steam, and Amazon |
| Multiplayer: | Online PvP |
In Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege, one of the best FPS games for PlayStation 5, you will engage in a fresh kind of warfare. This game has an unmatched amount of destruction.
It also has a significant amount of gadgets and equipment you will use to prepare, assault, protect, and disperse in most situations.
Track adversary movement by utilizing the most recent technology. Destroy barriers to create fresh avenues of attack. Take over the floor or ceiling to make additional access points. There are so many ways to be effective in this game. You get to be creative when coming up with plans to achieve your goals.
The agents in this class-shooter game resemble the heroes from popular first-person shooters. Regarding playstyle, each highly trained special forces agent has something unique to offer.
Once you choose your favorite, or the one team needs, plan how to approach each combat scenario. When the match starts, use each lethal tool and weapon in your arsenal. Use your agent’s abilities and gadgets to track down, control, and eliminate your adversaries and their surroundings.
Paladins
| Genre: | First-Person Shooter, Hero Shooter, Free-to-Play |
| Developers: | Hi Rez Studios, Evil Mojo Games |
| Release Date: | September 16, 2016 |
| Find at: | PlayStation Store, My Nintendo Store, Microsoft Store, and Steam |
| Multiplayer: | Online PvP |
Overwatch was not the only hero shooter of its time. Paladins and Overwatch were in development pretty much at the same time and turned out to be very similar games. This is one of the many reasons this game is also considered a hero shooter like Valorant.
Unfortunately, for Paladins, Blizzard had a much greater budget, which resulted in a more visually attractive game that might have overshadowed Paladins when it first came out.
Paladins is a team-based shooter with a large roster of unique characters. Like in Overwatch, each character has their own special abilities and playstyle. The game also features a card system that allows you to customize your character by slightly changing your champion’s skills and stats.
While both are excellent games, most players will be drawn towards one or the other based on personal preference. Paladins went through a lot throughout the years, and some argue that it has become a much better game since it came out.
Team Fortress 2
| Genre: | First-Person Shooter, Hero Shooter |
| Developers: | Valve |
| Release Date: | October 10, 2007 |
| Find at: | Steam |
| Multiplayer: | Online PvP |
It seems that Team Fortress was the original class-based shooter, and Team Fortress 2 is the father of the hero shooter subgenre.
So much so that you can see many game modes in Team Fortress 2 that many people thought to be originally from Overwatch.
Team Fortress 2 is a team-based first-person shooter in which you choose a character before the match starts. Each character has a role and a few different weapons and abilities. Sounds familiar yet?
The game came out in 2007, 9 years before Overwatch came out. Although the characters all played differently, they didn’t have skills in the same way that Overwatch characters do.
For instance, Team Fortress 2’s soldier can rocket jump by shooting down and timing his jump correctly.
The Scout is the only character who can double jump, the Spy can become invisible, the Doctor can heal, and so on. The skills are there, but it’s nothing as dramatic as throwing giant twin dragons or ricocheting arrows at your enemies.
This game is fun, light-hearted, and certainly one of the best FPS games of its time. In fact, this game is excellent to this day and is certainly worth checking out, especially if you’re on the hunt for more games similar to Overwatch.
Valorant
| Genre: | First-Person Shooter, Hero Shooter |
| Developers: | Riot Games |
| Release Date: | June 2, 2020 |
| Find at: | Epic Store |
| Multiplayer: | Online PvP |
We are in a new era. Back in Blizzard’s golden age, all that came from that company was gold. Now, it seems that Riot is the one doing it. On top of being great, Riot Games’ products are all free to play.
Valorant is a 5v5 tactical shooter that takes place in a near-future world. From watching this game, one can infer that it is heavily inspired by Counter-Strike in many ways.
Riot’s shooter is a fast-paced, exciting game perfect for those who want a competitive, punitive First Person Shooter with a twist. The game has a unique cast of characters with special abilities and playstyles.
I was very surprised when Riot announced this title because it seemed so disconnected from everything else they were doing. However, they managed to surprise the world and show that Riot Games has the money and talent to do anything.
If you’re looking for a fast-paced, competitive FPS game, you’ll love Valorant. It’s tactical and challenging, with a variety of unique characters to choose from.
On top of all that, the graphics are surprisingly pleasant for a game made to run on most computers. If you’re a fan of games like Overwatch and you’re looking for a new title to sink your teeth into, Valorant is definitely worth checking out.
Quake Champions
| Genre: | First-Person Shooter, Hero Shooter, Free-to-Play |
| Developers: | id Software, Saber Interactive |
| Release Date: | August 22, 2017 |
| Find at: | Microsoft Store and Steam |
| Multiplayer: | Online PvP |
If you’re a fan of fast-paced first-person shooters with an emphasis on skill-based competition, you’ll definitely want to give Quake Champions a try.
Quake Champions is a return to what made Quake the father of multiplayer shooters more than 20 years ago. This game comes from id Software in collaboration with Saber Interactive.
However, there is one significant difference: the champions. Quake Champions combines the sinister world of the original Quake with the innovative and chaotic multiplayer of Quake III Arena.
Like Overwatch, Quake Champions features a diverse cast of characters with unique abilities that fit a number of play styles.
The game also features an exciting array of modes, including traditional deathmatch and capture the flag and more unique modes like dueling and Capture the Relic. If you’re hunting for more games like Overwatch, this game is a must-play.
