Summary

As video games becomemore and more popular,and establish their place asone of the medium’s most popular genres,first-person shooterscan be played on a ridiculous variety of consoles. From 16-bit sprite-based shooting galleries to high-fidelity 4K gunfights,the FPS genrehas had its fair share of explosive titles.

From intelligently-programmed PC ports and multiplatform military-shooter releases to console-exclusive FPS powerhouses,the genre has found its home on a host of iconic gaming systems.

SNES

While the 1990s saw the first real boom in the first-person shooter genre, most of the genre’s titles were relegated to PC gaming. As such, due in large part to the power of the Super FX chip, theSuper Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES)saw many ambitious FPS ports.

While the SEGA Genesis accomplished some varying successes in the first-person shooter space, SNES ports ofid Software’sDOOMandWolfenstein 3Dsaw the console become a 16-bit home to these legendary shooter franchises. While they were toned down, and accompanied by titles such asSuper 3D Noah’s ArkandFaceball 2000, FPS titles on the SNES were not just a novelty, but a genuinely enjoyable experience.

N64

Nintendo is not known by gamers as being willing to endorse realistic violence in titles for their platforms. However, with their exclusive partnership with Rare and pursuit of 3D graphical technology, theNintendo 64became home to multiple FPS masterpieces.

While Rare had previously worked with Nintendo on theDonkey Kong Countryseries, many gamers will know them best for the two first-person shooter masterstrokes they released on the Nintendo 64:Perfect DarkandGoldenEye 007.Both are seen aspivotal titles in the FPS genre’s jump to 3D, and they were also bolstered by other N64 titles such asTurokand the - until 2020 - exclusiveDOOMtitle,DOOM 64.

PS1

While the first-person shooter genre was still in its infancy, Sony’s disk-compatible fledglingPlayStationwas already synonymous with some gamers as a system for narrative experiences.

As such, when world-renowned cinematic director Steven Spielberg conceived of the originalMedal of Honor, its exclusive place in PlayStation’s library bolstered the console’s selection of titles and its popularity. Beyond popularizing the World War 2 shooter setting, the PlayStation was also home to one of theDOOMseries' most fan-loved ports, and even id Software’sQuake II.

Xbox One

While the PlayStation 4 sold siginficantly more units than Microsoft’s eight-generationXbox One, the latter’s home for some of the genre’s most iconic titles cannot be understated.

Both the PS4 and Xbox One played modern classics such asOverwatch,Titanfall 2, and MachineGames’Wolfensteinreboot series. However, with the Xbox One’s access to the Microsoft’s Game Pass subscription service, and its position as home to the iconicHaloseries, players can access not only the Xbox One’s generation of titles, but FPS games from the early years of the genre’s inception, along with everything in between.

Xbox (Original)

Although Microsoft’s launch of theXboxin 2001 saw it jump into the console gaming space as the ‘new kid on the block,’ the home console found its first-person shooter feet seemingly very quickly.

Launching alongside themodern FPS masterpieceHalo: Combat Evolved, Microsoft not only paved the way for a new generation of first-person shooters but became home to so many now-iconic titles. From id Software’s atmosphericDOOM 3, theTimeSplittersseries' experimental gameplay, and Microsoft’s burgeoning of the age of online gaming withHalo 2; Xbox quickly synonymized itself with the FPS genre.

The Best-Selling Console Of All Time Refines The Console FPS Experience

PS2

The first-person shooter genre had been establishing itself many years before thePlayStation 2’sMarch 2000 launch. However, many gamers attribute the sixth generation of gaming to when the genre came into its prime on home consoles.

The PlayStation 2 became the console home of various classic FPS franchises such asMedal of Honor,Call of Duty, andQuake.Beyond that, many iconic PC first-person shooters were exclusively ported to Sony’s second system, bringing FPS classics such asHalf-LifeandRed Factionto console gamers for the first time.

Xbox 360

Amid the seventh console generation, as first-person shooter franchises such asHalo,Call of Duty, andBattlefieldwere reaching their peaks, many gamers spoke about a feeling of’FPS Genre Fatigue'.While it was a grossly negative comment onthe oversaturation of the industryby FPS titles at the time, it also shows why theXbox 360was a fantastic place for some of the best examples the genre can offer.

From the aforementioned industry-defining heights ofHalo 3andCall of Duty: Modern Warfareto experimental titles likeBioShock,Half-Life 2,andFar Cry,the Xbox 360 was not only one of the best places gamers could play FPS titles at the time. It still is.

Xbox Series X

While theXbox Series X and Xbox Series Ssystems wereoriginally slated to launchwith the much-anticipatedHalo: Infinite, development struggles caused Microsoft’s ninth-generation console to launch without Xbox’s flagship franchise. However, in its original slating of the title, Microsoft made its intentions to turn the Xbox Series systems into the go-to place for FPS games clear.

FromHalo: Infinite’s expansion of the iconic series' gameplay formula andDOOM’s ‘rip and tear’ revival, to high-fidelity explorations of the genre withBright Memory: Infinite,the Xbox Series systems' FPS library is extensive. Add that to its ninth-generation titles, Microsoft’s focus on the Xbox Game Pass subscription service, and legendary FPS titles such asQuake,Borderlands, andSerious Samaall being present on the systems, oftentimes with significant performance and fidelity improvements. It’s hard to overstate just how robust the Xbox Series' library of FPS titles is, and it’s even harder to recommend any other console to an FPS fan of any level.