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What are the best Shoot 'Em Up games on Steam?

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A shoot 'em up game (or a shmup) is a game where the player character engages in a lone assault, often in a spacecraft or aircraft, shooting large numbers of enemies while dodging their attacks.

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13 Games Considered

13 Options ConsideredPriceSteam RatingGenre
Enter the Gungeon
Very Positive–
Beat Hazard
Very Positive–
Jamestown
Overwhelmingly Positive–
Nex Machina
Very PositiveShoot 'Em Up
Drifting Lands
Very Positive–
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Enter the Gungeon

Slant Bot
Top Pro

Gameplay is balanced well

•••
Often in a roguelite game there can be the chance of getting delt a bum hand on any particular run, luckily Enter the Gungeon does not suffer from this issue as there is a good balance of the gunplay mechanics that sees any death by you as your own fault of not playing to your max ability. Never is...
Slant Bot
Top Pro

Cool collection aspect

•••
There are 190 guns available in the game that the player can collect through purchasing them in an in-game shop as they progress through the game. Most likely this will take multiple playthroughs with all four of the available characters, which means tons of playtime for those that like to collect...
Slant Bot
Top Pro

Satisfying replayability

•••
Thanks to the roguelite aspects of the game, there is randomly generated levels, which means fresh gameplay each time the game is played. There is also 4 different characters available in the game, each of which has a different boss fight at the end of the game as well as different characteristics...
Slant Bot
Top Pro

SHMUP like gameplay

•••
A lot of the shooting elements in this game revolve around SHMUP like mechanics. Players will need to doge a juke many bullets on screen at ones. Luckily there is a roll capability that allows the player to doge when in a precarious position. This roll feature though is not just some way to make t...
Slant Bot
Top Pro

Easily stay in the action of the game

•••
There are a few small features in the game that add up to making sure the player is never too distracted or pulled out of the action. Things like once a stage is cleared and all coins dropped by your fallen foes will be magnetically pulled to you, just to make sure time is not wasted running around...
Slant Bot
Top Pro

Unique tone

•••
The game is often silly with many humorous elements such as every character is based around being a bullet, that in turn own guns and fire other bullets. There is no mistaking that the game is about shooting, and the game is somewhat 4th wall breaking by taking advantage of this fact and hilarious...
Slant Bot
Top Con

Co-op feels tacked on

•••
Co-op in the game is only local (no online co-op at all), which limits who you can pay with. On top of this the way one has to go about starting a co-op game feels a bit unintuitive, which can be frustrating. Stages can also feel cramped when in co-op mode, meaning players bump into walls and obje...
Slant Bot
Top Con

High difficulty

•••
The game can be difficult, especially when first starting out. This may mean a lot of deaths and a feeling of no progressions due to having to start over a lot. While the game is not unmanageable for players who enjoy the games genres, it may be a bit of a turn off for newcomers.
Specs
Steam Rating:Very Positive
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Beat Hazard

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Slant Bot
Top Pro

Multiple ships/characters for replayability

•••
Several characters and their ships are available to choose from in order to change up the gameplay.
Slant Bot
Top Pro

Bragging rights through Steam achievements

•••
Players can compete with one another through Steam achievements in the game. There are global leaderboards where one can compare their score against all other players making for a good method to judge how good one is as well as allows one to have some bragging rights.
Slant Bot
Top Pro

Music based gameplay

•••
Use your own music to change gameplay and spawning enemies, which allows for endless replayability through the way it generates random content.
Slant Bot
Top Pro

Easily change strobe effects

•••
There is a setting in the game that allows users to change the strobe effects in the game, which may help those that do not enjoy the effects or find them medically dangerous.
Slant Bot
Top Pro

Multiple difficulty modes

•••
There are multiple difficulty modes in the game allowing for anyone's preferred skill level of gameplay as well as Insane, and suicidal if you really want to fail or experience a challenge
Slant Bot
Top Con

Default settings are very flashy

•••
The default strobe settings may not suitable for people with a sensitivity for strobe effects. Though this can be changed in the setting to lower how much strobing is going on in the game.
Specs
Steam Rating:Very Positive
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Jamestown

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Slant Bot
Top Pro

Starts off easy

•••
The difficulty curve is fair and can be scaled to suit your needs.
Slant Bot
Top Pro

Fun multiplayer mode

•••
To share the fun with your friends is easy through the multiplayer mode that is offered in Jamestown.
Slant Bot
Top Pro

Multiple ship/character choices

•••
There are several characters and their ships to choose from which allows for one to change the gameplay up.
Slant Bot
Top Con

Forced to play higher difficulty settings

•••
In order to unlock new levels you "have" to play the higher difficulty setting on all previous levels.
Specs
Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive
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Nex Machina

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Aubrey
Yoshiyuki
Top Pro

Difficult yet rewarding gameplay

•••
Nex Machina's bullet hell gameplay is fast-paced and challenging, with dozens of robotic enemies rushing at you while you use every skill at your disposal to survive and increase your score. Not only do you have to avoid enemies, but you also have to use your ability to dodge hazards on the fie...
Yoshiyuki
Top Pro

Responsive controls

•••
Since you only have a short window to dodge hazardous laser beams on the field and maneuver your character around swarms of enemies, it's great that the controls are tight and accurate. You can pull off dodges and risky swerves to save a human NPC with ease as long as you master the angles and...
Yoshiyuki
Top Pro

Great synthwave soundtrack

•••
Complimenting Nex Machina's speedy, chaotic gameplay, the soundtrack matches the sci-fi setting with hard-hitting, energetic synths and modulations. The electronic beats are catchy and fun to listen to while blasting through the game's metallic levels and robotic enemies. The tracks fit in...
Yoshiyuki
Top Pro

Boss battles truly test your skills

•••
At the end of each level are difficult boss fights that crank out bullets and beams in all directions that you have to dodge while dealing damage at the same time. The bosses are all different in design, such as a giant ape that lumbers around the field and throws obstacles at you, to a more statio...
Yoshiyuki
Top Con

The game is very short

•••
Your first playthrough will only take about an hour or two, which may not be worth it. There are plenty of new paths and secrets hidden across the levels, so a completionist playthrough will take about five or six hours.
Aubrey
Yoshiyuki
Top Con

Deaths can be too punishing at times

•••
In Nex Machina, you'll die after a single hit from an enemy, causing you to drop one of your power-ups, like your ability to dash three times in a row or increased weapon spread. You'll then have to return to the spot where you died to collect the power-up that you dropped. If you lose all...
Specs
Steam Rating:Very Positive
Genre:Shoot 'Em Up
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Drifting Lands

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Blue Revolver

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Serge.EXE
Top Pro

Several Soundtracks

•••
You can switch to different soundtracks in the options, or even mix and match the tracks.
Serge.EXE
Top Pro

Many Graphics Options

•••
You can tweek screen size, resolution, even rotation to suit how you play. There's even a Kiosk mode that presents the game like an Arcade title.
Serge.EXE
Top Pro

Mission Mode

•••
Completing challenges helps you learn and practice the mechanics of both this game and shoot 'em ups as a whole.
Serge.EXE
Top Pro

Tight and Focused Gameplay

•••
Enemy Waves are well designed and fun to shoot and dodge.
Know any negative aspects of this option?
Specs
Steam Rating:Very Positive
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Bullet Heaven 2

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Slant Bot
Top Pro

Multiple ships and character allow for changing up the gameplay

•••
Several characters and ships to choose from which allows for one to change up the gameplay.
Slant Bot
Top Pro

Free on kongregate

•••
No cost if you play the flash game, so no harm in trying.
Slant Bot
Top Con

Should have been named bullet hell

•••
Because there are so many bullets, you'd have to be a pro in order to finish this game on max difficulty.
Specs
Steam Rating:Very Positive
See 2 more Pros & ConsSee 2 more Pros & Cons

Mushihimesama

Endi Sukaj
Serge.EXE
Top Pro

Many customizable options

•••
The PC port of Mushihimesama is very tweakable. You can orient the screen for different monitor positions, expand the game window, move it around, have extra windows for displaying score, etc.
Serge.EXE
Top Pro

Finely balanced level design

•••
The levels are difficult and challenging, but never truly unfair. They encourage you to practice and increase your skill.
Serge.EXE
Top Pro

Bright and colorful

•••
Endi Sukaj
Serge.EXE
Top Pro

Many difficulty levels

•••
Allows players of all skill levels to enjoy the game.
Serge.EXE
Top Con

Moe Artsyle

•••
While not necessarily a Con, the cute anime artstyle and theme won't be to everyone's taste, especially if you're not a fan of bugs.
Specs
Steam Rating:Very Positive
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Dariusburst: Chronicle Saviours

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Serge.EXE
Top Pro

Many ship choices

•••
Different ships based on previous games in the Darius series, including game mechanics from those titles. This allows you to choose what playstyle you enjoy most. More ships available from different game series' via DLC.
Serge.EXE
Top Pro

Many many levels

•••
A ton of content, guaranteeing many hours of playtime.
Serge.EXE
Top Pro

4 player support

•••
Play with up to 3 friends at once. Powerful combination moves can only be done with more than 1 ship.
Serge.EXE
Top Pro

Dual Screen and Ultra Widescreen support

•••
If you have 2 monitors or a 21:9 resolution monitor, you can play using the full width of your setup, making the experience almost identical to the original arcade cabinet.
thermoplastics
Serge.EXE
Top Con

Expensive

•••
$50 is a lot for one game in the shmup genre, and it can cost even more when you consider the DLC.
Specs
Steam Rating:Very Positive
See 4 more Pros & ConsSee 4 more Pros & Cons

Crimzon Clover World Ignition

Serge.EXE
Top Pro

Well balanced and polished

•••
Crimzon Clover may have begun as a fan title ("doujin") but has become exceptionally well made with the release of World Ignition, on par if not better than many recent professional releases.
Jonathan
Serge.EXE
Top Pro

Easy to learn, hard to master

•••
The mechanics to the game are simple: A normal wide shot, and a focus shot which can also lock on to enemies to increase your multiplier. There is a bomb gauge which can be partially used to clear the screen, or once full can launch you into Boost mode, increasing your ship's power and score mu...
Serge.EXE
Top Con

Visually busy

•••
There are always a large amount of bullets and enemies on screen, making it sometimes difficult to be able to tell what's going on.
Specs
Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive
See 2 more Pros & ConsSee 2 more Pros & Cons

Deathsmiles

Serge.EXE
Top Pro

Simple, yet In-Depth scoring

•••
The scoring is based on item collection without much complexity. Learning when to collect the items or generate more is where the depth comes from, and learning it can also help novice players by granting Extends, letting them play longer.
Serge.EXE
Top Pro

Relaxed paced

•••
Compared to other Cave shooters, this game has a more relaxed pace to it, making it easier to recognize bullet patterns and enemy waves.
Serge.EXE
Top Pro

Variable difficulty

•••
Before every stage, you can choose between varying difficulty levels allowing you to tailor the game to your skill level.
Serge.EXE
Top Pro

Forgiving

•••
You get 3 bombs per life stock, which means you can make several mistakes with little to no penalty. It is also possible to be hit more than once per life stock.
Serge.EXE
Top Con

Moe Artstyle

•••
Similar to Mushihimesama, another Cave game, this game's artstyle will not be to everyone's taste. The art is also higher resolution since it's a horizontal shooter, making it more difficult to ignore.
Specs
Steam Rating:Very Positive
See 4 more Pros & ConsSee 4 more Pros & Cons

Eschatos

thermoplastics
HardwareHero
Serge.EXE
Top Pro

Beginner Friendly

•••
The learning curve starting from the easiest difficulty levels is very easy to follow. The bullet density starts off light and cranks up when you're ready to challenge yourself with a higher level of difficulty. This helps you learn about your hitbox. Also, 1UPs are quite plentiful, letting you...
HardwareHero
Serge.EXE
Top Pro

Amazing Soundtrack

•••
Both the original and arranged soundtracks for this game are absolutely fantastic and always a joy to listen to. This is very appreciated in a genre where you practice stages many times in order to improve your score.
thermoplastics
Serge.EXE
Top Pro

2 Different Modes

•••
Normal and Advanced modes play very differently. In Normal mode, your ship's power stays consistent through the whole game. Don't want to worry about powering up your ship? Normal mode is for you. Enjoy shifting between offense and defense depending on the situation? Advanced mode lets you...
thermoplastics
Serge.EXE
Top Pro

Easily accessible

•••
Eschatos used to be an Import-friendly Japanese only title for the Xbox 360, but now it is fully localized and easily accessible by anyone on Steam. Runs well on lower end machines as well.
HardwareHero
Serge.EXE
Top Con

Features unlocked slowly

•••
Many different options are locked behind a cumulative score. If you're just starting out, things can take a long time to unlock. This includes stage select.
HardwareHero
Serge.EXE
Top Con

Scoring is unforgiving

•••
Scoring is very simple to understand. By destroying enemy waves completely, you build up a multiplier. However, if you lose a life or let an enemy pass, your multiplier will drop by one. If a few ships make it through in a short time span, your multiplier can completely disappear which can be quite...
HardwareHero
Serge.EXE
Top Con

Normal mode is very simplistic

•••
For fans of more complicated systems, normal mode might be too simplistic. Your power doesn't change through the game, so you go through everything with a straight shot, a wide shot, and a temporary shield as well as bombs that drop from enemies. That's it - just 4 mechanics.
Specs
Steam Rating:Very Positive
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DoDonPachi Resurrection

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Monika
Serge.EXE
Top Pro

Many modes and difficulties

•••
There are almost too many features in this game to list. You will be able to play the content you wish at an appropriate difficulty according to your skill.
Monika
Serge.EXE
Top Pro

First official US release

•••
DoDonPachi DaiFukkatsu was released on Japan in the Arcades and on the Xbox 360, and then released in PAL regions as DoDonPachi Resurrection. While the EU version was region-free and thus could be imported, this is still a barrier to entry for many people. There is also a mode which was previous...
Monika
Serge.EXE
Top Pro

Classic Cave style

•••
The original DoDonPachi was Cave's debut and signature, essentially creating the Bullet Hell genre of 'Shmups. This game sought to Resurrect the title after a 6-year absence and is a fine example of core Bullet Hell gameplay.
Monika
Serge.EXE
Top Con

Near perfect port, but not 100%

•••
Like earlier Steam ports of Cave games, the code is taken from the Xbox 360 versions of the game which did not feature an in-game counter for bullets and enemies, but instead slowed down when the number of objects on screen taxed the hardware. Modern gaming PCs are much more powerful than an Xbox 3...
Specs
Steam Rating:Very Positive
Genre:Shoot 'Em Up
Controller Support:Full
Co-Op:Yes
See 3 more Pros & ConsSee 3 more Pros & Cons

26 Community Recommendations

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