From tank warfare, to battle royales, to popular free FPS games, here is our list to the best free shooting games on PlayStation, Switch, and Xbox.
What are the best free shooting games on console? If you’re currently asking yourself that question, then look no further! We’ve lovingly put together a roundup of the best free shooting games on offer that won’t cost you a cent – that is unless you can’t resist forking out for a flashy new skin or some epic DLC.
Whether you’re looking for something like a battle royale to test your nerves, or fancy putting yourself behind the controls of a tank, we’ve got a little something for everyone that won’t cost a thing. From big hitters like Call of Duty Warzone to cult classics like World of Tanks, there’s a lot on offer for all types of players. Our choices include a mixture of free Xbox games, free PS5 games, and even free Nintendo Switch games.
Best free shooting games on console
The best free shooting games on console are:
1. World of Tanks
World of Tanks brings team-based tank action to the forefront. If you’re into playing with historical WW2 tanks, then World of Tanks and its 600 tanks is the game for you.
With some complex gameplay mechanics to get your head around it’ll take some time to level up but if you’re looking for something to jump in and out, World of Tanks and its army of 110 million players awaits.
2. Enlisted
One of several WW2 games on this list, Enlisted is an MMO squad-based shooter from developer Darkflow Software that’s a real treat to play. You’re in control of up to nine soldiers and it’s up to you to route your enemy through a mixture of skill and technique as you battle across its wide selection of beautiful maps.
The game, which is available on, PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, is all about scale and realism, so expect to see hundreds of soldiers taking cover in a series of WW2 battlefields. To be successful, you’ll need to lead your squad into battle, either on foot, or by road or air.
3. War Thunder
Some like shooters where you’re in control of soldiers on the battlefield, others prefer shooting from inside the comfort of a combat vehicle. If you fall into the latter group, you’re going to love War Thunder, which sees you battling it out on land, in the skies, and in the sea, in tanks, planes, and warships respectively.
With so many options, it’s hard to believe it’s free-to-play but this game, which is available on both PC and console, is one of the standout free shooting games that’ll put you in the middle of some epic WW2 battles. You can’t do much better than that for vehicular combat.
4. Crossout
Crossout is a steampunk-esque MMO vehicular shooter where the machine you build plays a huge part in the game. Created by developer Targem Games, Crossout is set in a post-apocalyptic world where you fight to survive.
There’s a crazy amount of things to do in this game, with Targem offering multiple modes, team setups, and crafting possibilities. To win, you have to put together your own vehicle, swapping parts in and out as you go to improve your chances of success on the battlefield.
5. World of Warships
If you’re wondering whether World of Warships and World of Tanks are from the same place then you’d be right. Wargaming takes us to the high seas for this game – perfect if you consider yourself to be a good naval commander.
World of Warships, which has stunning visuals, is an all out deathmatch, featuring a suite of customisations options. If you fancy navigating turbulent waters, jump in.
6. Halo Infinite
Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is completely free to play on Xbox consoles and PC. While it’s a little light on content at times, the iconic and irresistible gameplay of Halo is enough to keep you hooked and before long, you’ll be ardently working your way up the Halo Infinite ranks.
If you also want to dive into Halo Infinite’s campaign, you can either pay for it or access it as part of your Xbox Game Pass subscription. Whether you stick to the free multiplayer or dig a little deeper with the main campaign, the latest instalment in this iconic series has a lot to offer.
7. Apex Legends
Apex Legends thundered into our lives in 2019 and quickly established itself as one of the best battle royale games out there. It’s a bit different from its competitors since it focuses on the game’s weaponry and its diverse roster of characters, who all have unique abilities and spots on our Apex Legends tier list.
While battle royale is it Apex’s core, it has expanded its offering to include lots of alternative game modes too, including unlimited respawn modes like Control. This is, without a doubt, one of the best free shooting games out there right now. Take a look at our Apex Legends classes guide to give you an idea of which style of play dinosaur game might best suit you.
8. Splitgate
What happens when you splice Halo with Portal? That’s the genius idea behind 1047 Games’ Splitgate. Available on both PlayStation and Xbox, Splitgate is an arena shooter that will certainly train your spatial awareness – think Dr. Kawashima, except you’re dodging bullets sent through portals instead of solving brain teasers.
Boasting a boatload of devilishly dangerous weapons – many of which bearing a suspicious resemblance to those in Bungie’s own shooter – Splitgate continues to make for a great gameplay experience, despite 1047 ceasing active development on it in late 2022.
9. Fortnite
When Fortnite was released in 2017, it was responsible for bringing the battle royale experience to the masses. It’s become popular for its relentless supply of new content and crossovers with famous franchises from across the entertainment world, but at the heart of Fortnite remains some excellent gameplay.
You can play solo, duos, trios, or quads as you take on a map filled with 100 players all looking for the victory royale. And, if you don’t fancy playing on Epic Games’ ever-evolving island, you can head into Creative mode to enjoy some amazing user-generated content. Check out our Fortnite Creative codes guide for some great experiences.
10. Call of Duty Warzone
Call of Duty Warzone is one of the most popular free shooters and provides an amazing battle royale experience. Currently in its second iteration (although the ‘2’ has been dropped from its name now) Warzone offers a plethora of game modes across three amazing maps: Al Mazrah, Ashika Island, and Vondel.
If traditional battle royales aren’t your thing, Warzone boasts a Resurgence mode, which adds respawns to the BR experience, and it has an extraction game mode called DMZ. These see you sneaking past AI and human players alike as you try to make off with their loot – and if you ever find that too hard, we’ve got a guide on the Warzone 2 DMZ key locations that you can turn too. Our Warzone 2 VPN guide might also be handy in that it can help to get you into the easier lobbies.
11. Paladins
If Overwatch doesn’t quite scratch your hero shooter itch, then let us introduce you to Paladins. The brainchild of Smite developer Hi-Rez, Paladins is described as “a free-to-play, fantasy class-based first-person shooter”, which you can try for yourself on PlayStation and Xbox. A Nintendo Switch version was available for a time, though this was sunsetted in April 2023.
Before getting into Paladins’ 5v5 FPS gameplay, you’ll have to pick a hero from one of the game’s four classes – Damage, Flank, Frontline, and Support. Each hero comes with their own unique abilities, and can be further kitted out with loadout cards and items to customize them according to the needs of the game. Game modes include classics like Team Deathmatch, Payload, and King of the Hill.
You can read more about Paladins in its handy dandy new player primer here.
12. Warframe
Fed up of tanks, ships, and realism? What if you could play a game with ninjas in space? Surely not. Digital Extremes’ Warframe is just that.
In this third-person co-op shooter, players are part of the Tenno race awoken from a sleep and thrown straight into a solar system warzone. There’s a mix of mission-based progression and fast-paced multiplayer battles meaning there’s lots on offer, especially with the sheer amount of levelling up, crafting, and weapons to unlock.
13. Destiny 2
While Destiny 2 contains plenty of paid annual expansions and quarterly seasonal content, there is still an excellent free-to-play experience to be had in Bungie’s FPS game. You get access to plenty of PvE content and missions, and also have access to The Crucible, which is where Destiny 2’s PvP multiplayer action goes down.
With three subclasses (Titan, Warlock, and Hunter) that have various abilities across the five sub-classes (Arc, Solar, Void, Stasis, and Strand) and an enormous arsenal of weapons, there aren’t many shooters that boast this much variety. Depending on which class you pick, be sure to study our Destiny 2 Titan build, Destiny 2 Warlock build, and Destiny 2 Hunter build guides.
14. PUBG
While it’s earned a bit of an unfair reputation for being a bit old-fashioned, that couldn’t really be further from the truth with PUBG. Boasting more content than ever before, loads of amazing maps and modes, and some of the best third-person gunplay around, it’s definitely worth jumping into.
PUBG does lean into survival aspects a bit more heavily than the likes of Apex Legends or Fortnite, and is a bit harder to master, so if you’re a novice when it comes to shooters, it might be best to pick another battle royale from this list. If you’re up for the challenge though, PUBG is a blast.
So there you have it, the best free shooting games on console in 2023. Some of these are so excellent, they’ve even made it onto our best Xbox games and best PS5 games lists, and as they’re all free-to-play, you’ve got no excuse to dive in and give them a go. Happy hunting!
