16 Games Like PlanetSide 2
Our list of games like PlanetSide 2 feature other shooters that have large scale battles, vehicle combat, sci-fi themes, varied classes or are free to play.
PlanetSide 2 is a free to play MMO shooter that launched in 2012 after the success of the 2003 original title. The game is unique for its ability to host thousands of players in continuous combat that involves not only infantry but also various vehicles. At the heart of these large engagements are 6 classes with their own abilities that belong to one of the three factions who again have their own strengths and weaknesses to utilise in the fight over the game continents. Classes include heavy assault, light assault, engineer, infiltrator, medic and mechanical assault.
Regardless of the class and faction you select though players will be treated to expansive and large scale combat. Balance is also a key element with everything having a counter option and underpowered factions receiving various boosts. Other mechanics include the standard iron sights of FPS titles, sprinting, regenerative shielding, day/night cycles and unlockable skills.
This collection of shooter games like PlanetSide 2 focuses on other titles where combat happens on a large scale, includes vehicles or is heavily linked to unlocking new items and abilities as you progress. Emphasis has been placed on titles that are free to play or offer a large community.
Warframe
Warframe is a free shooter available for PC and the PlayStation 4. It’s co-operatively focused and uses a third person perspective, the game gained lots of traction after a 2013 release. The game has a sci-fi twist with players talking control of a Tenno warrior who has come out of cryosleep after centuries. The world isn’t as they remember leaving it and now they find themselves at war on all sides (against three factions). As masterful warriors though this race has a few tricks up their sleeve...[Read Review]
War Thunder
War Thunder pushes the MMO space into an exciting direction with an impressive World War II offering that lets you take control of vehicles in large scale combat. With a free price tag, impressive visuals and plenty of gameplay depth War Thunder is a game that is worthy of your hard drive space. While visuals definitely don’t make or break a game they add a lot to your War Thunder experience from the very detailed aircraft and tanks to the breathtaking scenery that you’ll fight over there is a h...[Read Review]
Halo 3
Halo 3 continues the Halo series on the Xbox 360. The game launched in 2007 and is rated as the best-selling game in the series while also holding a top 5 spot on the Xbox 360 all-time list. The game is set in the same universe and setting as the previous Halo games with players once again battling the Covenant who consider humans an affront to their way of life and religion. The story once again revolves around Master Chief and his struggle to deal with the Covenant. Fans of the series will rec...[Read Review]
Titanfall 2
Revisiting the Titanfall universe with Titanfall 2 players can experience the game in both single player and multplayer as they once again command a massive mech on the field of battle. For this adventure Titanfall 2 is set in a region of space far from the core planet systems that Earth belongs to. In this region known as the The Frontier war has broken out between the IMC who wants control over the mineral resources in the region and the Frontier Militia that want their independence of the IMC...[Read Review]
Defiance
Defiance is set in the same universe as the science fiction television show with the same name allowing players to explore a large open world in third person. This gun combat focused MMO is available on both Windows and consoles and Defiance started its life as a paid title but as of 2014 entered the free to play realm at varying times depending on the platform. Players need not be familiar with the show for the full experience but of course it does help as you’ll encounter a number of main char...[Read Review]
Team Fortress 2
If you want a more casual first person shooter experience that is also free to pick up and play then Team Fortress 2 (TF2) will deliver on your desires. The game focuses on co-operative gameplay with emphasis on team based game modes and different characters that support each other in different ways. Team Fortress 2 is also considered one of the more balanced FPS games around. The core elements in the Team Fortress 2 are about as simple you can get and pits two teams against eachother across a ...[Read Review]
Halo 4
Halo 4 is the 2012 instalment in the science fiction shooter Halo franchise and continues to evolve on the foundations of the previous titles with new story and challenges for players to overcome. Starting this adventure four years after the events of Halo 3 players will need to be familiar with the current state of affairs to truly follow along with the Halo 4 storyline which focuses on the Forerunner planet of Requiem. Players join the story once again as Master Chief as Chief wakes from cryon...[Read Review]
Halo 5: Guardians
The 2015 addition to the Halo franchise is here, Halo 5: Guardians once again follows the story of Master Chief in an impressive Xbox exclusive science fiction shooter. Set just under a year after Halo 4 players find themselves amidst the year 2558 and closely follows the paths of Blue Team a Spartan-II group of troops and Fireteam Osiris a band of Spartan IVs. All the usual forces are at play in Halo 5: Guardians with the Covenant returning, ancient lore, the current war and much more. Gameplay...[Read Review]
Destiny
Destiny might just be the most ambitious game yet combining elements from several genres into one and coating it in an extremely impressive science fiction setting. This setting looks breathtaking on both new generation and old ensuring all gamers can get a taste of the eye candy that Destiny offers. Set hundreds of years into the future Destiny is placed at the end of a Golden Age for the human race that has left them close to extinction with only a single Earth city remaining. Players will jum...[Read Review]
Call of Duty: Ghosts
Call of Duty: Ghosts is the 2013 addition to the popular first person shooter franchise and delivers the strong single player plot and solid multiplayer that the series is known for alongside the usual array of yearly updates to once again kick off the next Call of Duty franchise cycle. Call of Duty: Ghosts also served as an early release title for the next generation of consoles at the time (PlayStation 4 and Xbox One). In terms of the campaign you’ll find a fairly standard Call of Duty experie...[Read Review]
Titanfall
Titanfall is a first person shooter for Windows, Xbox 360 and Xbox One that pushes the genre into a different direction by introducing large mechanical machines into the FPS combat environment. With plenty of variety in the gameplay this 2014 addition to the FPS genre sets a new standard for high mech based action and deadly multiplayer which lead to a sequel in late 2016. Featuring basic single player campaign elements that introduce you to the setting of the world while providing an extended t...[Read Review]
Battlefield 3
Battlefield 3 is a FPS produced by Electronic Arts (EA) and pushes the Battlefield series further than ever before. The games focus is similar to previous instalments in the franchise with a focus on large scale multiplayer battles. Battlefield 3 was released in late 2011 and met with great reviews from critics and fans of the series citing graphics and multiplayer features as the core reasons for high scores. In Battlefield 3 players will experience a vast single player campaign with options to...[Read Review]
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is the 2010 game release in the Battlefield series. The game continues on the success laid out by the previous games in the series which its focus on a squad based experience. One of the most innovative additions to the game is the use of destructible environments which are found in both the single player and multiplayer modes. The game is generally considered to be one of the better multiplayer first person shooters of the day. In the single player story you will play...[Read Review]
Halo: Combat Evolved
Halo: Combat Evolved is the very first game in the popular Halo series and was a launch title for the original Xbox in 2001. The game is credited as a launching pad for the first person shooter genre, particularly on consoles. The game is set in the far off future in a war between humans and the Covenant, a technologically advanced alien race that believes humans are offensive to their gods. The one hope for the human race in this war is the cyborg super soldiers known as SPARTANs. In Halo: Comb...[Read Review]
Halo 2
Halo 2 continues the Halo franchise with an entirely new adventure to save the human race as the super soldier, Master Chief. While originally launching on Xbox in 2004 the legacy of Halo 2 continues to live on with a subsequent Xbox 360 and Windows release in the years following. As recently as 2020 the title was also included in The Master Chief Collection that provides fans access to Halo 2 on the Xbox One in a complete Halo bundle. Featuring a familiar science fiction setting of the first Ha...[Read Review]
Battlefield 4
Battlefield 4 continues the Battlefield series with impressive first person shooter gameplay in both the single and multiplayer environments. The game was one of the first titles available for the new generation of consoles (Xbox One and PlayStation 4). The games story takes a small step into the future and is set in 2020 as tension between the world’s largest nations reaches a new peak. The game is set in the same universe as the previous game with some returning characters and references to pr...[Read Review]