We already published the list of best PS1 games of all time, now it’s time to discover the best PS1 shooter games of all time.
With amazing titles available, the PS1 definitely has a great library of shooter games.
So, if you’re a fan of both the PS1 and shooter games, there’s a chance you’ll like this list.
And some of you may already know some of the games mentioned in this list.
#25. 007: Tomorrow Never Dies
- Release Data: Black Ops Entertainment/Electronic Arts, 1999
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Third-Person » Arcade
Tomorrow Never Dies isn’t a particularly bad game, but it’s definitely one you might want to think twice before playing.
It’s nowhere near the quality of GoldenEye 007, and it feels like a watered-down version of Syphon Filter.
If you love a good shooter game, either pick up Syphon Filter or Medal of Honor.
#24. Alien Resurrection
- Release Data: Argonaut Games/Fox Interactive, 2000
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Arcade
This game is hard, aiming can be a bit difficult and sometimes, Aliens will just run straight at you, stupidly getting blown apart.
For any Alien fan, this game really pushes the limits of the PlayStation system while delivering a somewhat accurate representation of the Alien franchise.
#23. Strikers 1945
- Release Data: Psikyo/Midas Interactive Entertainment, 2001
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Shoot-‘Em-Up » Vertical
While it by no means redefines the genre, it probably wasn’t trying to in the first place.
The developer’s take on the classic conventions strike as true as most modern attempts, and the fans of such games should welcome the results.
To some, shooters never get old. This is precisely the type of person that should check out Strikers 1945.
#22. Asteroids
- Release Data: Syrox Developments/Activision, 1998
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Shoot-‘Em-Up » Top-Down
Asteroids is 100 percent true to the feel of the original, with terrific new power-ups to spice things up.
And although this game will not likely to make anyone quit his day job, it’s fun to give a damn about high scores again.
#21. C-12: Final Resistance
- Release Data: SCE Studio Cambridge/SCEE, 2002
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Third-Person » Arcade
C-12: The Final Resistance is an enjoyable sci-fi shooter only held back by a couple of more serious quirks.
As it stands, it still has enough charm and fun moments to be recommendable, just so long as you can get over its problems.
#20. Delta Force: Urban Warfare
- Release Data: Rebellion/NovaLogic, 2002
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Tactical
While Delta Force: Urban Warfare isn’t particularly successful at what it tries to be, it’s actually a very competent first person shooter.
It’s also a great achievement on the PlayStation, although with a more powerful hardware and some more thought this could have been a far more engrossing title.
#19. Army Men 3D
- Release Data: 3DO, 1999
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Third-Person » Arcade
It’s obvious that there is a good game buried under all this, but with some major improvements, plus several more months of development time, Army Men 3D could’ve turned out a lot better.
Still, we haven’t seen enough commando-type war games like this, and it leaves us wanting more.
#18. 007: The World is not Enough
- Release Data: Black Ops Entertainment/Electronic Arts, 2000
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Arcade
Any newbie to stealth shooters will get a lot out of The World Is Not Enough, but veterans of the sneak-and-kill scenario will find it lacking innovation.
This title isn’t the best James Bond game, but if you’re tired of playing through Medal of Honor or Metal Gear Solid, it provides temporary relief for your stealth shooting addiction.
#17. Time Crisis: Project Titan
- Release Data: Flying Tiger Development/Namco, 2001
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Light Gun
There are some good ideas in Project Titan, and some of them are well executed.
Hardcore Time Crisis fans and those just looking for a good gun game would do well to pick up this game, but the old school presentation and lack of options will make this at best a casual game for most.
#16. Space Invaders
- Release Data: Z-Axis, Ltd./Taito Corporation, 1999
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Shoot-‘Em-Up » Vertical
Unlike the original Space Invaders, which consisted of standard slide-and-shoot action, this game is loaded with power-ups.
You can retrieve shields, double shots, timestops and energy boosts from the mother ship.
The original game had bunkers for defense in every wave while this version offers blockades that appear in some levels.
#15. Apocalypse
- Release Data: Neversoft Entertainment/Activision, 1998
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Third-Person » Arcade
Overall, Apocalypse is a really fun shooter with a great concept, but portions of it are poorly executed.
All in all, the developers really wasted Bruce Willis’ talents and missed an opportunity to do something extremely cool.
If they had set out from the beginning to make Apocalypse a one-man game, none of the major problems would even exist.
#14. Army Men: Air Attack 2
- Release Data: 3DO, 2000
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Third-Person » Arcade
Air Attack 2 is a disappointment, not because it is an bad game, but because it had the potential to be an exceptionally great game.
Given more time, the developers could’ve hammered out its graphical problems. As it is, Air Attack 2 stands as the Army Men game that could’ve been.
#13. Omega Boost
- Release Data: Polyphony Digital/SCEI, 1999
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Third-Person » Arcade
While initially more visceral than any similar game on the market, Omega Boost ultimately falls short in playability, style, and longevity.
With more levels and design variety, Omega Boost could’ve outclassed every other 3D shooter on the market.
With so little of either, however, Omega Boost is only a decent game at best.
#12. Forsaken
- Release Data: Probe Entertainment Limited/Acclaim, 1998
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Arcade
The PlayStation version of this title is by no means a pushover.
In fact, it’s a highly recommended title, especially since there is almost nothing much like it on PlayStation.
In fact, as long as you can handle turning over in circles and blasting the gears out of flying pods and droids, you will really like the game.
#11. Syphon Filter 3
- Release Data: Sony Bend/SCEE, 2001
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Third-Person » Arcade
Syphon Filter 3 is a good game. It is challenging without being completely impossible.
The developers didn’t dumb the missions down by telling you exactly where to go. It simply gives you tasks and you have to find out what to do and where to go.
However, the game will appeal most directly to die-hard fans of the series.
#10. Duke Nukem: Time to Kill
- Release Data: n-Space/GT Interactive, 1998
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Third-Person » Arcade
Duke Nukem: Time to Kill, places our main character in a Tomb Raider-style world, where players control him from a behind-the-back perspective as he runs, jumps, climbs, and flips switches much the same as any old Lara Croft would.
In short, it’s a great single-player experience.
#9. Point Blank 3
- Release Data: TOSE/Namco, 2001
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Light Gun
Point Blank 3 follows in the footsteps of its predecessors by providing equal parts twitch light-gun action and fast-paced logic puzzles.
For fans of the series, Point Blank 3 is a no-brainer, as it provides more of the same minigames fans have come to expect.
#8. Metal Slug X
- Release Data: SNK, 2001
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Shoot-‘Em-Up » Horizontal
What really separates Metal Slug X from the rest of the crowd is its humorous presentation.
For example, enemy soldiers laugh when you die but shriek in horror when they realize you’ve come back.
This skewed sense of humor, combined with its frenzied gameplay, gives the game a unique flavor and makes it one of the best side-scrolling shooters out there.
#7. Quake II
- Release Data: Hammerhead/Activision, 1999
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Arcade
In the end, the PlayStation version of Quake II falls under the same disclaimers as most other PC-to-console first-person shooters—if you own the PC version, don’t waste your time.
But if you’re looking for some good split-screen shooting action with a decent single-player mode to back it up, this version will make your day.
#6. Point Blank 2
- Release Data: TOSE/Namco, 1999
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Light Gun
This game is just as addictive as Point Blank, yet it has greater difficulty and strategy elements, along with the new modes, making the experience one step beyond mesmerizing and quite an authentic challenge.
Fans of Point Blank will certainly not be disappointed, and those who thought Point Blank was a bit too remedial will probably feel right at home.
#5. Syphon Filter 2
- Release Data: Eidetic/SCEE, 2000
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Third-Person » Arcade
The old cliche holds true here—if you loved the first, you’ll love the second.
But just beware of what you ask for. Syphon Filter 2 is more of the same, greater levels, more simplistic story, and more trial-and-error gameplay.
And despite all of those problems, the game is still near great.
#4. Medal of Honor Underground
- Release Data: Dreamworks Interactive/Electronic Arts, 2000
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Arcade
Like Medal of Honor before it, Underground provides the younger generations with a look back at a period of history that also deserves attention.
Also, it’s one of the better first-person shooters available on the PS1, and as such, fans of that genre and history buffs alike owe it to themselves to give it a shot.
#3. R-Type Delta
- Release Data: Irem, 1999
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Shoot-‘Em-Up » Horizontal
If you’re a big fan of the shooter genre, and you’re in the mood for another one, R-Type Delta will sooth your appetite.
And despite a handful of frustrating parts, R-Type Delta gives shooter fans exceptional gameplay, variety, and replay, in addition to carrying the spirit of the original on in style.
#2. Syphon Filter
- Release Data: Eidetic/SCEE, 1999
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Third-Person » Arcade
This hybrid of action/adventure/shooter and puzzler-solving aspects integrates well-balanced gameplay, FMV, and story plot lines like few before it.
In fact, it’s easy to say that while it borrows aspects from other games, it comes nowhere near close to feeling like any of them. It’s a game in its own right, straight and simple.
#1. Medal of Honor
- Release Data: Dreamworks Interactive/Electronic Arts, 1999
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Arcade
Medal of Honor has its share of flaws, but it has a ton going for it, too. Its numerous little touches add up to compensate for its problems.
It’s an excellent game and the closest thing you’re going to get to GoldenEye 007 on the PlayStation.
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See also: Best Gaming Chairs & Best PS2 Games
Are your favorite games on the list?
Deciding which PS1 shooter game is the best is no doubt a never ending topic, but it’s fun to do!
