15 Tactical Shooters To Play If You Loved Ghost Recon: Breakpoint

Ghost Recon: Breakpoint has been out for a few years, and while its reception was mixed, Ubisoft’s tactical open-world shooter still has its positives. In fact, the Ghost Recon franchise alone has been one of the few to keep the tactical shooter genre alive. Now, we’re not going to pretend that the most recent iteration in the series has stayed completely true to its routes, but behind its massive Ubisoft open world is the blueprint for a good tactical shooter.

Still, if someone loved Breakpoint — or at least wanted to — there are a lot of games to tickle their fancy. Whether it’s because of the big open world, or the strong tactical gameplay, there are titles that have both in plentiful supply. So, with that in mind, here are some of the best tactical shooters like Ghost Recon: Breakpoint.

Updated on February 6, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: Ghost Recon: Breakpoint is one of the most engaging tactical shooters that players can get lost in. The strategy involved in taking out enemies is oddly hypnotic, and players who get invested in this gameplay loop will be more than elated with the act of taking down waves of enemies after struggling to down a single group in the early goings. Fans of Breakpoint would love to check out more games in the same vein that promote a tactical approach to a firefight.

15 Insurgency: Sandstorm

A Team-Based Tactical FPS With A Focus On Pulse-Pounding Close-Quarters Combat

It’s disingenuous to call Insurgency: Sandstorm a realistic version of Counter-Strike, but this comparison does make it clear what the game is all about. Players are a part of either the Security team or Insurgents, striving to take each other out in breakneck combat scenarios.

It’s important to strategize and take out the opposing team to attain victory. Insurgency: Sandstorm may have its caveats, but fans will easily overcome its faults and come to enjoy one of the best tactical FPS games on the market right now.

14 Hell Let Loose

A World War 2 FPS Where Tactics Play A Bigger Role Than One’s Shooting Skills

The fun that players can have in Hell Let Loose requires a while to attain. Players must go through a grueling learning phase early on where they get accustomed to the realism this experience strives to deliver.

Once players get used to that, they must learn to function as a team and formulate strategies to take out their opponents. Failing to do so will lead to embarrassing deaths that can suck the joy out of a game that’s really entertaining when everything falls into place.

13 Squad

A Team-Based Coordinated Assault Is Imperative To Be Victorious

Squad-based gameplay is a huge part of most tactical shooters, and it should be obvious that this title is no exception. Players should be well-versed in how to coordinate as a team if they want to excel in Squad.

Selecting the best combination of classes in a nine-man squad is imperative to secure a victory. It may take a few games to get into the groove of things, but players who give Squad a chance will be enthralled by its engaging gameplay loop in no time.

12 Ready Or Not

Players Step Into The Role Of A SWAT Officer In Sensitive Missions Where Planning Is Important

Those who are looking for something tactical and rooted in the “real world” should check out the Early Access title, Ready or Not. This in-depth and tactics-based first-person shooter has players venturing out alone or joining forces via cooperative play to handle a series of situations as members of SWAT. There are multiple issues to tackle, with events like raids, hostage situations, bomb defusing, and active shooters.

Anyone looking to step into the shoes of a SWAT officer and handle some of the things that they may be called to deal with on a daily basis could learn a lot from Ready or Not. It may not be superbly realistic to the real-world job at the end of the day but it’s a solid tactical shooter that is showing a lot of promise.

11 Payday 2

Carrying Out Bank Heists And Planning Assaults Is The Name Of The Game

One of the most engaging parts of tactical shooters is the idea that players need to be as planned and calculated as possible to carry out their mission. This is a concept that extends to Payday 2, although players may have a much easier time with “staying alive” than they would in other games thanks to its fairly arcade-style approach to combat. The tactics and planning stage in Payday 2 comes from the idea that players are roleplaying as criminals and must use their wits and skills to pull off successful heists on stores, compounds, and banks.

Payday 2 offers a lot of replayability thanks to its extensive amount of content and the fact that players can play online, cooperatively with other players makes the game even more entertaining.

Payday 3 is also available, and its gunplay is generally an improvement. That said, it is stripped down compared to its predecessor.

10 Escape From Tarkov

A Realistic Tactical Shooter Where Players Must Plan Their Movements Carefully

There is something supremely entertaining and invigorating about winning a tactical shootout. Those who play Rainbow Six: Siege know how exciting it can be to pull off a particularly difficult win against an opposing team, but the Operators in Siege have access to some pretty fantastic equipment, as well as their own subset of abilities. Anyone who wants the same hard-as-nails tactical fight against other players but is looking for something that’s purely gunplay-based might find a home in Escape from Tarkov.

The Battle Royale is incredibly tactical, with players using their wits, skills, and whatever equipment they can find to escape from areas overrun by players and AI.

9 Sniper Ghost Warrior 3

A Tactical Approach And Avoiding Direct Combat Is Paramount To The Player’s Success

Developed by CI Games, the Sniper Ghost Warrior franchise doesn’t have the best reputation, but it does get the tactical aspects of the genre right. The third entry in the series, which was released in 2017, offers a big open Soviet Georgia map that allows players to explore and attack. Though some budget issues hold it back from feeling like a living breathing world, it does offer a lot of choice in how missions are accomplished.

As the first open-world entry in the series, there are tons of side-quests available to work through as well. This means there’s also a lot of variety in terms of what needs to be done during missions, so the game hardly ever gets boring. Players just need a little bit of tolerance for cheesy writing and less-than-stellar visuals.

8 Tom Clancy’s The Division 2

A Looter Shooter Where Engagements Can Be Surprisingly Tactical

If players like that typical Ubisoft gameplay style, then Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 should already be in their collection. Released in 2019, this online multiplayer-focused shooter with RPG elements offers massive locations to explore and fight in. But it’s not all shoot and loot; In fact, the core combat gameplay does feature a healthy dose of tactics. Positioning is increasingly important on the battlefield and if someone is playing with a group, squad management will play a big role too.

Mix in an interesting story that sees the fall of mankind thanks to a smallpox outbreak, and the result is a pretty solid title that’s begging to be played for hours on end.

7 Gears Of War 5

Taking Cover And Strategically Taking Out Opponents Is Imperative To Survive Some Tough Shootouts

When gamers think about Gears of War, most probably think of burly men with incredible bass in their voice shooting Lovecraftian monsters with guns that feature chainsaws if they get too close. For the most part, that’s correct, however, the revolutionary cover-based combat that most games have been copying since the first game’s release on the Xbox 360 is probably the best part. Gears of War 5 offers that tried and true gameplay but makes everything feel that much bigger with a pseudo-open world that allows for some exploration, but offers some fantastic strategical elements that feel both familiar and new at the same time.

One could argue that this is the best game in the franchise, and they’d have a point. At the very least, it’s the most polished, and the first to take a step forward in terms of gameplay evolution.

6 Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

A Popular Tactical Shooter Where Tactics And Squad Management Is Imperative To Gain A Victory

While Ghost Recon has always been the “tactical” franchise under the Tom Clancy umbrella, Rainbow Six offered a tinge of that mixed with more squad-based gameplay. Siege gives players everything they could want from the Rainbow Six side of things while giving players a dash of that much-desired tactical gameplay by allowing gamers to set up defenses and attack strategies similar to what some game modes of Counter-Strike have offered for years.

With a strong online community and some inspiring gameplay, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege bridges the two franchises in a way we never saw coming, making it feel unique compared to what we’ve played from either series.

5 Counter-Strike 2

Players Step Into The Role Of A SWAT Officer In Sensitive Missions Where Planning Is Important

For players looking for a little bit of tactical gameplay, but a little more competitive edge, Counter-Strike 2 is the perfect option. While this game won’t offer wide-open worlds to explore, Counter-Strike has a fantastically strong online community making for some fast-paced and fun gameplay. Offering a wide variety of game modes pitting terrorists against counter-terrorist teams, players will need to be equal parts quick and tactical in how they go about taking out the terrorists or carrying out the terror.

Now, those new to the series may have a little bit of trouble keeping up at first, however, sticking with it is always worthwhile.

4 Star Wars: Republic Commando

A Tactical Shooter With The Star Wars IP That’s A Blast

There was a time, not too long ago, when the fine developers at Lucas Arts made their tactical shooter in the Star Wars universe. The result was this fantastic title that offered gameplay that saw players control a squad of Clone warriors as they traverse through familiar locations like Kashyyyk and Geonosis. With a heavy emphasis on character, Star Wars: Republic Commando has a pretty memorable cast, each of whom has their specialties that will help players make their way through the game. With players taking the role of squad leader, there is a bit of micromanaging when battle breaks out, but each character has enough anatomy to solve their problems some of the time.

In every way possible, Star Wars: Republic Commando was a major surprise in the best kind of way, and even almost 15 years later, it holds up extremely well. This is a title every fan of the genre needs to play.

3 ARMA 3

A Legendary Tactical Shooter With An Engine So Robust That Its Mods Have Become Standalone Games

Bohemia’s tactical shooter ARMA 3 has a focus on realism, and that works in its favor. With a map that spans 270 square kilometers, the game is massive and graphically, it’s stunning. The story focuses on a U.S. campaign on two islands in the Aegean Sea, as players take control of a corporal dealing with lone-wolf attacks and full-blown attacks. To take on these issues, players have access to an array of weapons, meaning there are multiple play styles to choose from.

The title has seen a lot of support too. With a number of DLC releases, ARMA 3 has an insane amount of content.

A Fun Third-Person Tactical Shooter Where The Mental Game Is As Important As Can Be

Developed by Zipper Interactive and published by Sony, SOCOM 4 U.S. Navy SEALs is everything a fan of the tactical genre could ask for in a game. Putting players in the shoes of an Ops commander in the middle of an all-out war zone, they must make battlefield decisions between stealth and chaos, direct their squad, and gather intelligence along the way. The title’s deep combat system sees players enter a mental game of chess with the enemy, trying to maneuver and outmaneuver the baddies on the other side of the battlefield.

It’s crazy to think this game was released in 2011, and Sony has not produced a sequel since, but the world needs more unique and high-quality content like this.

1 Sniper Elite 4

Long-Range Sniping That’s Both Tactical And Incredibly Visceral

Developed and published by the fantastic minds at Rebellion, Sniper Elite 4 puts players in the middle of the Second World War era Italy as an allied — wait for it — sniper. With massive maps for players to explore Sniper Elite 4 offers a lot of choice in terms of gameplay mixed with some incredibly intelligent design — that takes things like distance, heart rate, wind, and more into consideration before taking a shot.

That gameplay is propped up with equally impressive writing and visuals, making for one of the best sniper shooters of the last generation. Its successor, Sniper Elite 5, is also a very good game.