Insurgency
Developer: New World Interactive | Release Date: January 22, 2014 | Steam Page: Insurgency | Original Game: Source Engine / Half-Life 2
The Insurgency series also started as a modification for Half-Life 2. The tactical shooter focuses mainly on realism and throws the player into the role of soldiers in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The high learning curve makes the game interesting and especially the teamwork in multiplayer is the heart of the game.
The Insurgency series received its latest installment in 2018 with Insurgency: Sandstorm, which introduced new game elements and modes. The series is particularly popular among hardcore shooter fans and is currently played simultaneously by about 3,000 players during peak times. The game is also available on Game Pass and consoles.
You can watch the trailer for Insurgency: Sandstorm here.
Fistful of Frags
Developer: Fistful of Frags Team | Release Date: May 9, 2014 | Steam Page: Fistful of Frags | Original Game: Source Engine / Half-Life 2
Fistful of Frags was built as a modification for the Source Engine, just like Insurgency. The game has now developed to the point where it runs without external tools and can now be downloaded for free from the Steam Store.
The Wild West shooter offers various modes with and against real players as well as bots. The game was released on May 9, 2014, and still has a small but active community that organizes itself through the Steam forums.
You can watch the trailer of the game here:
Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds
Developer: KRAFTON, Inc. | Release Date: December 21, 2017 | Steam Page: PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS | Original Game: ARMA 2
Just like DayZ, the story of PUBG started as a modification for the military simulation ARMA 2. In the sequel, ARMA 3, the PUBG mod then became truly famous and established the battle royale genre among many players. When the game was released as a standalone title on Steam in 2017, it immediately became a breakthrough. In just three days, the shooter generated over 11 million US dollars.
Now, PUBG is the game that has been played simultaneously by the most players ever and one of the most successful games of all time. The battle royale game has been expanded over time and is now also free to play on Steam. Continuous new maps, weapons, and updates keep the game relevant and ensure that even today, more than 600,000 players play the game simultaneously during peak times.
You can watch the cinematic trailer for the game here:
Even though many of the big shooters were once modifications for another game, there are still good representatives of the genre that were developed directly as standalone games. This year, new shooters are expected to be released that also have a lot of potential. Here you can read which ones are particularly promising: The 10 most promising shooters due for release in 2024
