We already published the list of best original Xbox games of all time, now it’s time to discover the best original Xbox shooter games of all time.
With amazing titles available, the original Xbox definitely has a great library of shooter games.
So, if you’re a fan of both the original Xbox 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. James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing
- Release Data: EA Redwood Shores/EA Games, 2004
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Third-Person » Arcade
Everything or Nothing isn’t without a few faults, but it’s still a really great game.
While some may still hold nostalgia-filled memories for the classic first-person shooting of GoldenEye, Everything or Nothing does an amazing job of including a lot of different gameplay elements and making them work.
#24. Phantom Dust
- Release Data: Microsoft Game Studios Japan/Microsoft Game Studios, 2005
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Third-Person » Arcade
Phantom Dust is an easy game to recommend.
Essentially, the gameplay is a cross between the deck-building and card-collecting elements of Magic: The Gathering and the controls, speed, and environmental tactics of a shooter.
As it is, Phantom Dust is a unique and successful blend of third-person shooter, strategy, tactics, and fast action.
#23. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon 2: Summit Strike
- Release Data: Red Storm Entertainment/Ubisoft, 2005
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Tactical
With a solid presentation, a versatile multiplayer element, and a compelling single-player campaign, Ghost Recon 2 Summit Strike is just about everything you could want in a Ghost Recon 2 expansion pack.
With more maps, more missions, and more stuff to shoot, Summit Strike should definitely keep Ghost Recon fans happy and busy.
#22. Star Wars: Battlefront II
- Release Data: Pandemic Studios/LucasArts, 2005
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Arcade
If you already played the first game, you won’t be surprised to see the same maps in this one.
And while there haven’t been any radical changes made since the first game, Battlefront II remains a worthwhile choice for Star Wars fans looking for a good team-based shooter.
#21. Metal Arms: Glitch in the System
- Release Data: Swingin’ Ape/VU Games, 2003
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Third-Person » Arcade
Metal Arms: Glitch in the System is a much better action game than you might expect just from judging it by its unassuming main character.
If you can appreciate the visual style, and you can handle the cycle of frustration and repetition easily, you’ll find a surprisingly deep combat experience in the game.
#20. TimeSplitters: Future Perfect
- Release Data: Free Radical Design/Electronic Arts, 2005
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Arcade
All in all, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect makes for good, meaningless fun.
However, many of its modes don’t feel complete.
But still, TimeSplitters: Future Perfect is a remarkable package overall. It’s rich with humor, charm, and personality, and it’s got one of the most substantial replay values in a console title.
#19. Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy
- Release Data: Midway, 2004
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Third-Person » Arcade
Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy is a great game overall.
While it may look like just another third-person shooter with military overtones, the psi abilities are implemented so well that it’s even worth taking a second playthrough at the game once you’ve completed it.
So if you’re on the hunt for a new action game, Psi-Ops would fit the bill very well
#18. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow
- Release Data: Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft, 2004
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Tactical
All around, Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow is a great package that builds on the framework that was laid out by the original game.
The worst thing you can say about this release is that it’s essentially the same game as Rainbow Six 3, but since its predecessor was exceptional, it’s not a bad thing at all.
#17. Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War
- Release Data: Nerve Software/Activision, 2003
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Arcade
Return to Castle Wolfenstein is about as fun as they come.
The framerate is a bit troublesome at times, but not enough to really detract from the experience of shooting some Nazi and zombies.
While Wolfenstein offers a good deal of single-player and split-screen co-op play, the real bread and butter was the online support.
#16. Brothers in Arms: Earned in Blood
- Release Data: Gearbox Software/Ubisoft, 2005
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Arcade
In the end, it delivers a pretty similar experience to the first game, even going so far as to tell an overlapping story.
Of course, if you enjoyed Road to Hill 30, then Earned in Blood is definitely worth picking up, both for the tactical gameplay and for the high-class presentation of the story.
#15. Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon
- Release Data: Red Storm Entertainment/Microsoft Game Studios, 2002
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Tactical
In a crowded genre of similar action games, you’ll undoubtedly find Ghost Recon to be a welcome addition to the Xbox library.
It would have been nice if the game had updated graphics and better squad AI, but as it is, this is a great game nonetheless.
#14. Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne
- Release Data: Rockstar Vienna/Rockstar Games, 2003
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Third-Person » Arcade
The fact that Max Payne 2 essentially provides more of what made the first game so outstanding makes it a must for anyone who liked the original.
Like its predecessor, and in some ways even more so, Max Payne 2 is a remarkable production, and what it lacks in length it more than makes up for in quality and density.
#13. Max Payne
- Release Data: neo Software/Rockstar Games, 2001
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Third-Person » Arcade
Don’t worry about what it doesn’t have—you’ll relish this highly polished, tightly focused, graphically stunning shooter for what it is.
The game’s incredible technical accomplishments and its original play mechanics all combine to make it one of the very finest shooters ever made.
The Xbox may already have a superlative shooter in Halo, but there’s no substitute for Max Payne.
#12. Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict
- Release Data: Epic Games/Midway, 2005
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Arcade
Unreal Championship 2 is an easy game to like.
While the concept of a first-person shooter going behind the back may sound a little strange at first, Unreal Championship 2 pulls it off with ease and, at the same time, provides a fantastic new twist on an old favorite.
#11. Far Cry Instincts
- Release Data: Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft, 2005
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Arcade
Far Cry Instincts is a game that pushes the Xbox to its limits, but it also delivers stunning graphics and excellent gameplay.
Quite simply, this is a game that you have to play if you’re a first-person shooter fan and you own an Xbox.
#10. DOOM 3
- Release Data: Vicarious Visions/Activision, 2005
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Arcade
A definite recommend for fans of first-person shooters, Doom 3 tries to do some different things with the tried-and-true formula established in the 1990s and it largely succeeds.
You can see the influence of genres like survival horror in this title and, if you’re more into the scary, dark version of Doom, then this game will make you happy.
#9. Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack
- Release Data: Bungie/Microsoft Game Studios, 2005
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Arcade
An essential set of maps for Halo 2, the Multiplayer Map Pack was the first indication many gamers had that online and multiplayer was where the series’ future was.
An amazingly compelling multiplayer title even now, Halo 2 is one of the best games ever not just on Xbox.
#8. Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six 3
- Release Data: Ubisoft, 2003
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Tactical
The single-player and multiplayer portions of Rainbow Six 3 combine to make this a great game that’s easily recommended to Xbox owners looking for a realistic shooter.
The game’s core action is executed very well, and the variety of realistic weapons and locations should keep tactical shooter fans busy for a long time.
#7. TimeSplitters 2
- Release Data: Free Radical Design/Eidos Interactive, 2002
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Arcade
If you’re someone who can’t deal with split-screen multiplayer, then TimeSplitters 2 will probably feel like one gigantic missed opportunity to you.
But anyone looking for a solid, console-style first-person shooter with enough options to keep you playing for a long time will find that TimeSplitters 2 definitely does the job with style.
#6. Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30
- Release Data: Gearbox Software/Ubisoft, 2005
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Arcade
By bringing together the best aspects of squad-based shooters with the freedom of a more action-oriented game, Brothers in Arms offers a unique gameplay experience in the unlikeliest of genres: a World War II shooter.
Combined with a well-designed and thought-out multiplayer aspect, Brothers in Arms offers one of the best World War II gaming experiences to date.
#5. The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay
- Release Data: Starbreeze/VU Games, 2004
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Arcade
The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay deliberately approaches Hollywood-like levels of intensity, pacing, and sheer spectacle like few, if any, games ever have.
And if you’re mature enough to handle the game’s subject matter, then you’d be a fool not to play The Chronicles of Riddick.
#4. Half-Life 2
- Release Data: Valve Software/Electronic Arts, 2005
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Arcade
One playthrough of this game will tell you all you need to know about why people are absolutely obsessed with Valve’s dystopian sci-fi horror.
In any list of the best games ever made for any system ever, Half-Life 2 will invariably appear somewhere on that roster.
#3. Panzer Dragoon Orta
- Release Data: Smilebit/Sega, 2003
- Genre: Action » Shooter » Rail
Overall, Panzer Dragoon Orta is an outstandingly well-executed game, featuring gameplay that’s easy to grasp but rewards continued practice, a good story, and a lot of worthwhile extras.
While the gameplay itself couldn’t be called revolutionary, it draws on the conventions that once made shooters the most popular gaming genre in existence and refurbishes them with a few new twists.
#2. Halo 2
- Release Data: Bungie/Microsoft Game Studios, 2004
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Arcade
To say that there’s a lot to like about Halo 2 would be an understatement.
Despite a rather short campaign and a disappointing storyline, Halo 2 is an exceptional shooter that frequently delivers thrilling, memorable, and unique moments in its online, co-op, and single-player modes.
#1. Halo: Combat Evolved
- Release Data: Bungie/Microsoft Game Studios, 2001
- Genre: Action » Shooter » First-Person » Arcade
It’s one of the few first-person shooters that manages to transcend its genre, meaning that it’s not only an excellent first-person shooter, but it’s an excellent game, period.
Not only is this easily the best of the Xbox launch games, but it’s easily one of the best shooters ever, on any platform.
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See also: Best Gaming Chairs & Best Xbox 360 Games
Are your favorite games on the list?
Deciding which original Xbox shooter game is the best is no doubt a never ending topic, but it’s fun to do!