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What are the best PC FPS games focusing on realism?

22

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Considered

532

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Recs.

Feb 5, 2024

Last
Updated

22 Games Considered

Best PC FPS games focusing on realism	Price	Steam Rating	Platforms
89 Arma 3	35 Euro	Very Positive	-
-- Project Reality	Free	-	Windows
-- Insurgency	$12.49	-	Windows, Linux, Mac
-- Insurgency: Sandstorm	$29.99	Very Positive	-
-- Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad with Rising Storm	$17.99	Very Positive	-

Arma 3

Top Pro

Best in class authenticity

ARMA 3 is built as a simulation-type game and features rather tactical gameplay with a slow pace. The developers use real-life military weapons, equipment and vehicles. Even some of the environments in the game are virtually indistinguishable from their real-life counterpart. ARMA 3's gameplay also encompasses more than a regular first person shooter, as military tactics such as water attacks, giving orders to squadmates and drone strikes are necessary in order to successfully complete a mission. Elements such as destruction are extremely important, as certain specific parts of a vehicle can be damaged. See More

Top Con

Controls are unique and can be a barrier

It's not as simple as ctrl for crouch. While many tactical shooters use a similar s=control scheme, ARMA takes a sharp departure from the norm. This is part of what enables it to have far more robust/tactical movement. See More

DevotedCharybdis's Experience

Many years I have battled epically in multilayer, co-op single player etc! One of the best series around... [SONAF] BLUE See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

Huge open maps

As ARMA 3 is an open-world experience, singleplayer missions are not as linear and take place in the same map area as the game's multiplayer mode. There are a couple of different islands to explore in ARMA 3, including Altis which has a size of over 100 square miles (270 km²). Stratis is the smallest island in ARMA but is still respectable in size but 7.7 square miles (20 km²). A new map - Tanoa - is scheduled to be included in the paid Apex Expansion pack, with a size of 38.6 square miles (100 km²). See More

Top Con

Steep learning curve

The tactical aspect of ARMA 3 is also portrayed in the somewhat difficult controls and steep learning curve of the game. For example, a lot of different buttons and keystrokes have to be remembered for all the different commands, equipment options and vehicle controls. There is no in-game tutorial, the only way to learn how the game works in by trial and error, a field guide or by using in-game hints. Tactical elements and strategies aren't explained in the game. See More

IntuitiveAmphiaraus's Experience

very fun, a bit hard to make your own missions but multiplayer is great See More

Top Pro

Huge amount of mods and add-ons available

The modding community of ARMA 3 is quite large, with multiple online communities and free tools provided by Bohemia - the developers of ARMA 3. At the time of writing, there are 115 mods available on ModDB and over 23500 mods in the Steam Workshop. See More

Top Con

Framerate isn't consistent

ARMA suffers from some framerate issues, with very variable results in both single- and multiplayer situations. Often the game will perform well in multiplayer, while dropping down to a severely worse framerate in a single player mission. Similar problems occur vice versa as well, which results in a very inconsistent framerate. See More

CredibleKresnik's Experience

i got ptsd AND LIGMA FROM THIS game See More

Top Pro

Steam workshop

So much content on the Steam workshop. You can get 200 GBs of mods in 2 days. See More

Top Con

Hard to set up missions

Top Pro

No player limit in multiplayer games

ARMA 3 doesn't impose restrictions on its servers, allowing for a true sandbox experience with a large population. Battles can be fought with hundreds or even thousands of players; multiplayer warfare is definitely large-scale. See More

Top Pro

Long single-player campaign

The average playtime for the single-player campaign (referred to as 'Main Story) of ARMA 3 clocks in at just under 20 hours, while a 100% complete playthough of the campaign averages 39 hours of playtime. See More

Top Pro

Underwater gameplay

ARMA 3 features underwater gameplay with diving gear and underwater weapons. Underwater gameplay is noticeably different, because it uses a third movement axis. See More

Insurgency

Top Pro

Has Operator mod

There is a mod that does place realism high in priority called Operator. It returns the realism decisions of Insurgency from alpha, and improves the tactical realism greatly. The realism is still limited by the core game mechanics however (eg: hitscan rather than bullet physics) See More

Top Con

Requires a good team

To truly play this game you need to use communication in order to plan out how to win accordingly. This is a task undertaken by groups of people that are familiar with one another over random people playing together. See More

Specs

Co-Op:8 Player Online / 8 PLayer LAN

Controller Support:Full

Top Pro

Engaging gunplay

Leaning towards being more realistic the gunplay is slow and measured, just as one would treat a real gun. This makes for an immersive experience due to how real it feels as well as how different it is from most FPS games. See More

Top Con

Realism lacks in many areas

While it is a game, and early on in the alpha there was a serious effort for realism (at least withing the limits of the core game mechanics; eg simple hitboxes and damage multipliers, no bullet physics only hitscan, no wounding), the game's design as since massively compromised those earlier realistic design decisions to make the game more accessible catering more to the more casual gamer (eg while body armor in the alpha was fairly realistic, it has since been nerfed and is now not very realistic at all). The weapon handling does feel satisfying. The gameplay is largely run and gun due to a lack of movement penalty to accuracy. See More

Top Pro

Everyone has a different class

When teams are set up the game does not allow multiple people to have the same class chosen for their character which makes for a great way to ensure teams are not imbalanced. See More

Top Con

Mic spammers

Top Pro

Easily play against friends, no matter the OS they use

The game works on Windows, macO and Linux, which means anyone can play the game against someone with one of these different operating systems. See More

Top Pro

Multiple game modes

Push, skirmish, occupy, unranked competitive and soon to come ranked. See More

Top Pro

Gameplay stays balanced thanks to no allowed class repetition on each team

The game doesn’t allow multiple people on the same team to have the same character class. This helps ensure the game remains balanced as no two players can have the same roll. See More

Top Pro

Easy VoIP support, as it is built in

Insurgency has Steam integration that allows for easy VoIP communication. See More

Top Pro

Slow and measured gunplay creates a more realistic atmosphere

In an effort to be more realistic, the gunplay is slow and measured. This makes for an immersive experience, both because of how real it feels and because of how different it is from other FPS games. See More

Top Pro

Mature community

Insurgency's players seem to be a lot more mature and respectful compared to what's commonly expected in online shooters making the communicating both on forums and in-game more enjoyable. See More

Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad with Rising Storm

Top Pro

Excellent tactical realism

Tripwire put real heart and soul into their shooters. You can tell by the details. Where many other games would stop short, tripwire will go the extra mile to get it right. See More

Top Con

Community id dying

Very few people still play this game on Europe, only 2-3 full server left at peak hours. See More

RealisticOmoikane's Experience

Red Orchestra 2 is a very niche and unpopular title that really deserves more attention for probably being responsible for the WW2 Comeback in the Realism Shooter Genre. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

BOTH a cover system and manual leaning

Excellent tactical control once you know and can properly utilize both systems. See More

CredibleKresnik's Experience

its sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cheeki breeki See More

Top Pro

Great weapon mechanics and handling

Top Pro

Realistic damage model

Critical zones like heart, make for a more nuanced damage model. And delayed death (eg bleed out) really adds to the tactical realism. See More

Top Pro

Teamwork is essential to utilize artillery

Squad Leaders spot artillery, while the commander calls it. See More

Top Pro

Gameplay is satisfying in both long range and CQB

Rising Storm

Top Pro

Helicopters are the best

The mechanics and the feel of flying a Huey transport or the Cobra are certainly very rewarding. By far, RS2 have the best helicopter experience you'll ever get in 2021 See More

Top Con

Can take a commitment to get used to the mechanics and get good

With the precision needed for shooting in the game as well as needing to learn the ins and outs of the skillful mechanics it may take a good while before one can get fully comfortable with the game, which may frustrate some as there will be a time commitment. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Co-Op:4 Player Online

Controller Support:No

Top Pro

Vietnam man

*Fortunate Son starts playing See More

Top Pro

Great level design

All maps are quite different from each other and feature good design of the defend and attack elements. This makes for good p=balance that is often not found in many multiplayer games. See More

Top Pro

Each team requires vastly different playstyles

Due to each side having different skills it will make for different tactics that need used depending on the team on is on. This makes for a great way to switch up the gameplay without having to leave the game. See More

Escape from Tarkov

Top Con

Steep learning curve

Still being in BETA as of 2020, the game requires constant updates, and all server wipes every 6 months or so. The saving grace is that the devs are in constant communication with the player base. There is no tutorial, but lots of player made help on youtube. See More

Top Pro

Satisfyingly complex

Complexity in upgrading your base, complexity in building a gun, pockets with pockets with pockets... See More

ExceptionalGyges's Experience

Extreme is the only term best to describe this gem of an FPS. If you enjoy being stressed, and having the overwhelming sense of paranoia, this is perfect for you. The mechanics are realistic for both combat and equipment. If you love to rush in and make lots of noise with guns on full auto; this is not for you. Play solo often,and don't get attached to "basic" equipment (stop hoarding and use the guns!) its the best way to learn the game! (Huge hint, AMMO type does make the difference from a 1 shot kill to you looking for a new instance). See More

Top Con

Overpriced

Top Pro

Skill-based and tactical

Although high level gear provides a better chance of survival. What you extract with is based on your level of skill solo, or as a group. Once you begin a raid every players loadout is up for grabs weather your level 0 or 70. Simply handing over your credit card will not gain you a thing. See More

CommunicativeAmurru's Experience

I had a blast in my time owning EFT, a little less than 24 hours in and I feel like I know most features in and out. The only problems this game has is its very, very, steep learning curve. The difficulty, added with the quests, factions, and looting, make it hard to soak up everything unless your willing to put a lot of time into the game. However, this is by far the most realistic shooting game on the market and though you get more benefits with the other editions, the initial standard price ($40) is good enough, you just need to work a bit more. See More

Top Con

No development plan

Game changes based on a whim and Reddit tears. See More

Top Pro

The details are good

The number of details and works they put into this game are countless. You can strip down a gun and basically "lego" it back with other pieces. See More

ExuberantBieggagallis's Experience

If your the type of Fps Gamer who prefers high level of difficulty, in exchange for in game satisfaction this game is for you. The best part about this game is that even without the best gear, you can always out play your opponent. FINALLY a game of skill that put an end to the ever annoying concept of pay to win. See More

Top Con

Poorly implemented

Endless bugs, errors, desynch, server crashes, hackers, et al. See More

Top Pro

Brutal gameplay

Even a well-equipped person can die to a single shot to the chest or head. There are many status effects that range from tremors to fractures, most do not go away on their own and may seriously hinder a player's ability to perform. See More

FriendlyFecunditas's Experience

I had fun. I also felt the fear inside the ambiance because we have to act like it's real life extraction mission. No places for errors. It makes me want to be more careful and be aware of the situation, the surrounding, the sounds. I cant wait to get back to Tarkov even if this game afraid me. Very addictive gameplay. Realism :P See More

Top Con

Too hard

Even at ''easy'' mode + ''low bots amount'' (scav) the game is still difficult. The developers could adjust the bots' difficulty parameters. See More

Top Pro

Fantastic gunplay

The high amount realistic modifications on firearms of all types is superb and adds another level of immersive game play. See More

RobustCottus's Experience

This game, as I play it throughout the days, with a top ARMOR (Level 6) and a top HELMET (Level 6), but still be able to get killed by a level 1 guy with a MOSIN or a Shotgun. Which is quite realistic as ARMOR doesn't protect your whole body, when he shoot in my leg, I can still die by being shot too much at my leg. It's weapon modding is what it make really hardcore of. You can add 5 flashlights in a night-time raid and kill someone's eye through the screen. See More

PracticalAgdistis's Experience

I played with my friend as a duo for a while, I did not like it at the start due to its very difficult gameplay, but after familiarizing myself with the different mechanics of the game such as ammo types and in-depth weapon modification, Escape from Tarkov has provided me with some of the most adrenaline-filled moments of my gaming career. See More

ReverentKiririsha's Experience

A long term asset-flip game with minimal functional development, minimal server infrastructure, no development plan, and an endless string of broken promises. If you are familiar with the development history of DayZ you know what to expect from EFT: years of 'beta' AFTER TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN REVENUE with the devs living a lifestyle and not developing the game. See More

ExcellentYuqiang's Experience

The most in-depth realistic experience in a shooting game. Nothing can beat it. See More

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Top Pro

Good dedicated server support allows for huge games

You can scale up to 200 players if a dedicated server is enabled. See More

Specs

Co-Op:Multiplayer

Top Pro

You can easily add a bots mod, in order to extend co-op play

You can get a mod that can be used if you host a server, adding bots to your team and that of the enemy, thus allowing for larger offline battles. See More

Top Pro

Great mods are available

Several Tactical Realism mods, and a fantastic Paintball mod that is sure to be a LAN gaming hit. (But you may need to set up a dedicated server for it). See More

Top Pro

There are a ton of modes to play, with multiple and varied game types, which should change up the gameplay enough to keep things entertaining

There are a number of game types to play in the game including Team Deathmatch, Free for all, Domination, Sabotage and Search and Destroy, making for lots of variation in gameplay. This keeps things fresh for the player as there is a lot to do and explore. See More

Top Pro

Minimal graphics' requirements allows the game to be accessible to just about anyone

This game was released in 2007 and is still played by thousands online. As it is an older game, you don't need high end hardware to play it. This is great for a lot of people as the requirements that need to be met for minimal settings is quite low. See More

Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege

Top Con

Not really that realistic

It's more realistic than CS:GO but not much past that, there are different operatives with extremely unrealistic abilities, like a full blown hologram replica you can use to move around, not really realistic but very fun nonetheless. See More

Top Pro

Destructible environments make for a lot of fun

Even though you can't raze buildings to the ground, you can make considerable amounts of structural damage to them. You can destroy walls, floors, and various other objects in the environment using gunfire, explosions, or by just slamming something with your weapon. This is a lot of fun, especially when you're new to this game since everything will seem so amazing. See More

RealisticOmoikane's Experience

i'm not really a fan, but i can see some merits in this game. but... this is NOT a realism shooter, just a Casual FPS. See More

Specs

Top Con

Stupid cosmetic systems microtransaction

The cosmetic is the dumbest in any Rainbow Siege game. It's literally a joke to see costumes of a military operative in the game. And not to point out, the cosmetic is meant for a unrealistic and reasonable immersion in the Tom Clancy shooter. It makes you feel like in Halloween party of a shootout, not to mention feminist operatives dressing as a feminist and fantasy type of task force that really ruins the feel of a tactical shooter game. See More

Top Pro

Great variety of playable classes

You can choose from 33-34 characters on each side (total of 67) to find the ones that suit your preference, or to explore new, unfamiliar aspects of the gameplay. As an example, there is Sledge who uses a hammer to break through walls, Smoke who can cut off or damage the enemy with toxic smoke bombs, Castlr who can baracade enterances, and Frost who can set up traps to neutralize enemies. Having such a wide variety of classes not only adds depth to the gameplay, but also keeps it interesting for a long time. See More

Top Con

Lacks single-player content

Rainbow Six Siege is mostly about competitive multiplayer, so it doesn't have a single player campaign, any meaningful storylines, or stuff do alone. If you don't enjoy playing versus other players, Rainbow Six Siege is not the game for you. See More

Top Pro

Excellent slow-paced gameplay

Rainbow Six Siege is unlike most modern FPS games. Instead of a super fast, twitch-based gameplay, it focuses on a very slow, methodical, and tactical approach to combat. You'll carefully navigate a building, peeking around every corner, using gadgets to scout out rooms, rappelling on walls, and listening to every sound around you. It's less about just shooting first and more about finding the enemy while staying hidden yourself, which is a refreshing change in the over saturated competitive FPS genre. See More

Top Con

Ranked play can be discouraging

Not only does Rainbow Six Siege have a very steep learning curve, requiring you to learn map layouts, classes, weapons, and various gadgets, it also has a pretty volatile and demanding community. Even though you can play in ranked matches when you reach level 20, you'll probably get your butt kicked and get promptly flamed by your teammates. This is mostly because of the expectation that you should know everything about the game before you play ranked matches, which is only around the level 60 mark. If you happen to make the mistake of trying them before then, it might leave you with a bad memory that prevents you from wanting to try ranked play again. See More

Top Pro

Rival teams have unique objectives and strategies

Rainbow Six Siege makes players' experience truly unique and engaging by giving both teams different perspective, tools, and objectives. Defenders have to hold their ground against enemy who can burst through walls at any moment. They can fortify the base using barricades and barbed wire, reinforcing doors and windows. The Attackers have to strategize, find the weakest spot in opponent's defence. See More

Top Con

Feminist and unrealistic operators

Update: This con is not longer applicable as Ubisoft has adressed this with numerous edits and fixes. See More

Hot Dogs, Horseshoes & Hand Grenades

Top Pro

Mini-games, scored/timed target practice w/ local and global leaderboard support

There are a few mini-games included that give some incentive to play after handling and exploring most objects in the game. There is leaderboard support, which also allows for some longevity for those that want to try to get to the top of the charts. See More

Top Con

No multiplayer

Single player only as there is no way to play this game with friends. See More

IntuitiveAmphiaraus's Experience

very realistic and funny, lots of memes and lots of realistic guns See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Top Pro

Active development, new weekly content and updates

This is an early access game that is being actively developed meaning new content and bug fixes frequently. See More

Top Pro

Detailed physical firearms simulation and physics interactions

This is the core of the game, more a proof of concept as this is all in a sandbox with little to no goals. Interact with objects, see how they behave and load and fire weapons. See More

Operator Mod

Top Pro

One of the very few games with more realistic accuracy

So many games that tout "realism" as a feature completely miss one of the most important factors of tactical realism: accuracy (or rather inaccuracy). So many games give you laser accurate weapons, where even with pistols it's rather easy to get a 100m hit, on the head, standing, right after a sprint. Operator models far more realism in it's sway model, but at the cost of feeling very foreign (especially given that, realistically, most of such sway will be in sight misalignment, and Insurgency does not model that). Still, it's one of the most comprehensive attempts out there. See More

Top Con

Very small player base

Even being actively developed over the last 5 years, Operator mod still has such a low player base, that it's rare to find a multiplayer game outside of the weekly scheduled playtests. Perhaps the upcoming "beta" release will change that. See More

Top Pro

Tactical Realism is a Goal

Other games flirt with realism in certain ways, but Operator mod goes to great lengths to approach tactical realism. See More

Top Con

Still has some of the realism limitations that Insurgency does

Being an Insurgency mod, there is only so far that Operator can practically push the realism. It is a massive improvement over Insurgency's attempt at realism, but there are certainly holes in the paradigm stemming from limitations in INS (eg: bullets are hitscan). See More

Top Pro

Variety of shotgun loads

no1, no1 fcw, 0 low recoil, 00, 00 critical, 00 magnum, 000, tri ball, foster slug, sabot slug, etc. Very detailed shotgun realism. See More

Top Con

High learning curve

If you know a lot about tactical realism (how armors actually perform, calibers, tactical wisdom IRL) then the curve is much less steep, but for most players of tactical shooters, this much realism will be jarring, and will certainly take getting used to. But the gameplay is very good, and reading tha manual should be enough to jump in and do some damage. The game is encourages skill, and although non of the system dynamics are patterned/learned [eg CSGO recoil pattern], they do take high general mouse skills (controlling the random sway and recoil) to be exceptional. Tactics trump skill most times in Operator though. See More

Top Pro

Breaching

Locking doors, breaching charges, breach-able walls (map feature only certain spots), lockpick guns. See More

Top Pro

Realistic Armor

No way you are gonna scratch an enemy by shooting 9mm into a lvl3+ steel plate. Very nuanced armor with penetration system. See More

Post Scriptum

Top Pro

Awesome gunplay and balanced

Very well balanced game, with awesome gunplay and movement, very realistic recoil, gun movement, even behind walls or using places to place the weapon for reduced gun unintended movement, great sounds and graphics. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Mixed

Rising Storm 2: Vietnam

Top Pro

Realistic handling

Weapon Sway and Recoil are pretty realistic. The gun play is satisfying and challenging. See More

Top Con

Steep learning curve

Between massive complex maps, complex features, and identifying enemies... it will likely take a while to find a groove. However, it's approachable if just playing as a rifleman and running to the objective, shooting what you hope are enemies as you see them. Stick with your squad and shoot at whoever your squad mates are shooting at, and you can jump straight in. Beyond the basic, you really do need to RTFM. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

Team centric

Very hard to lone-wolf in this game. The game is full of teamwork required features that make the difference in matches. Commander coordination for support strikes and intel, squad based spawning mechanics, teammates replenishing ammo, etc. See More

Top Con

Server unrank bug

Causes random server crashes, has eluded the developers for years. See More

Top Pro

Robust damage model

Location based damage like RO2. Delayed death (bleeding) and first aid. These realism features really increase the tactical depth. See More

Top Pro

Good vehicle experience

The Helicopters in RS2 fly very well. It will take some time to get used to the controls, but the mechanics displayed are very realistic and satisfying to play. See More

Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis (re-released as ARMA: Cold War Assault)

America's Army Proving Grounds

Top Pro

FREE full game

No micro-transactions, development completely funded by US tax dollars. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Mostly Positive

Top Pro

Realistic movement

Leaning in and movement speed, weapon recoil and flashbang stun feel realistic. See More

Top Pro

Made by the US Army

Builds camaraderie just like in the military, engage and play online with both active duty soldiers and veterans. Has a sense of team building. Granted you could also see it as a propaganda tool but it sure does have its merits. Apparently the experience was good enough, that the US Army claims the Americas Army video-game franchise has led to increased interest in recruitment into the military. As a patriot it's good to see the US armed forces engaging gamers to serve in the military while also providing a free-to-play game. See More

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Specs

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