Best games
Best Shooter games of 1997
The 8 best Shooter games released in 1997, ranked from 1,607 critic and player ratings.
The best Shooter game of 1997 is GoldenEye 007 (1997), with a critic score of 96/100 — updated September 2026.
How this ranking is built
- Games are ranked on the aggregated critic score out of 100 imported from IGDB and Metacritic, never on Tier's own grades.
- A game only enters the ranking with at least 80 external ratings, so a single enthusiastic review never outranks a proven classic.
- Each game is ranked in one genre only, the one that defines it best, so the same title never tops two different genre charts.
- Community grades from F to S are shown next to every game, and only stated as a fact above 5 Tier ratings.
- Release window covered: 1997.
- 8 games are listed on this page, carrying 1,607 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 28 September 2026.
Top 8
01
GoldenEye 007 (1997)
GoldenEye 007 is a first-person shooter based on the 1995 James Bond film. The game features a single-player campaign with 20 missions across multiple difficulty levels, emphasizing stealth, varied objectives and mission-based progression. Players can use a range of weapons and gadgets while navigating diverse environments inspired by the movie. The local split-screen multiplayer mode supports up to four players and offers competitive scenarios such as deathmatch, team modes and character selection from the James Bond universe. The multiplayer component became widely recognized for its influence on console FPS design and is considered a landmark feature of the game.
96
/100
02
STAR WARS Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II
Whatever path Kyle Katarn chooses will change the face of the galaxy forever. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II continues the story of Kyle Katarn, a young mercenary that successfully infiltrated the Empire, as he embarks on a quest to discover his past and learn the ways of the Jedi. In order to protect the galaxy Katarn must confront his father's murderers, led by the Dark Jedi Jerec, and stop them from obtaining the mysterious powers of a "Valley of the Jedi", a focal point for Jedi power and a Jedi burial ground. As Katarn embarks on his journey to defeat the Dark Jedi he must also shape his destiny, by choosing to follow either the light side, or the dark side.
91
/100
03
Star Fox 64
The update to the 16-bit Super NES title continues the original's on-rails 3D shooting action on the Nintendo 64. Starring Fox McCloud, Peppy Hare, Falco Lombardi, and Slippy Toad, this new 64-bit version contains 15 plus levels, easy, medium, and difficult paths, forward-scrolling levels as well as full 3D realms, and a three-part multiplayer mode using a four-player split screen. In addition to plenty of Arwing action, the game introduces a new hover tank and even features a submarine level. The 8-megabyte cartridge also boasts voice samples from 23 different characters instead of the original's animal noises. Star Fox 64 was the first game to feature Rumble Pak support. A Rumble Pak bundle and standalone version of the game were sold. Released in Europe under the name Lylat Wars.
87
/100
GoldenEye 007 (1997)
GoldenEye 007 is a first-person shooter based on the 1995 James Bond film. The game features a single-player campaign with 20 missions across multiple difficulty levels, emphasizing stealth, varied objectives and mission-based progression. Players can use a range of weapons and gadgets while navigating diverse environments inspired by the movie. The local split-screen multiplayer mode supports up to four players and offers competitive scenarios such as deathmatch, team modes and character selection from the James Bond universe. The multiplayer component became widely recognized for its influence on console FPS design and is considered a landmark feature of the game.
96
/100
02
STAR WARS Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II
Whatever path Kyle Katarn chooses will change the face of the galaxy forever. Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II continues the story of Kyle Katarn, a young mercenary that successfully infiltrated the Empire, as he embarks on a quest to discover his past and learn the ways of the Jedi. In order to protect the galaxy Katarn must confront his father's murderers, led by the Dark Jedi Jerec, and stop them from obtaining the mysterious powers of a "Valley of the Jedi", a focal point for Jedi power and a Jedi burial ground. As Katarn embarks on his journey to defeat the Dark Jedi he must also shape his destiny, by choosing to follow either the light side, or the dark side.
91
/100
03
Star Fox 64
The update to the 16-bit Super NES title continues the original's on-rails 3D shooting action on the Nintendo 64. Starring Fox McCloud, Peppy Hare, Falco Lombardi, and Slippy Toad, this new 64-bit version contains 15 plus levels, easy, medium, and difficult paths, forward-scrolling levels as well as full 3D realms, and a three-part multiplayer mode using a four-player split screen. In addition to plenty of Arwing action, the game introduces a new hover tank and even features a submarine level. The 8-megabyte cartridge also boasts voice samples from 23 different characters instead of the original's animal noises. Star Fox 64 was the first game to feature Rumble Pak support. A Rumble Pak bundle and standalone version of the game were sold. Released in Europe under the name Lylat Wars.
87
/100
04
Quake II
Quake II is a first-person shooter video game developed by id Software and published by Activision. It is not a direct sequel to Quake, id decided to revert to an existing trademark when they were unable to agree on a new name that did not violate another company's trademark.
83
/100
05
Blood
You carved your soul to shreds in servitude to a dark god, but false promises and betrayal were your only reward. Now you have a score to settle and it will be measured in blood! Experience the madness in one carnage-soaked package! All the gore, all the unholy war! Zombies, gargoyles, hellhounds and blood-crazed hordes of horrors await! Crush loathsome evil of the mighty Tchernobog! Or condemn yourself to eternal damnation in this leviathan of unhallowed gaming action! Visit a dark near-future world populated by hundreds of bloodthirsty enemies. You'll engage in a nightmarish battle against the minions of an ancient god bent on wiping humanity from the face of the earth. With cultists, gargoyles, zombies, hellhounds, and an unholy host of other terrors, Blood immerses you in a world of horror unlike any you've experienced before.
82
/100
06
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter
A world where time has no meaning - and evil knows no bounds. Torn from a world long gone, the time traveling warrior Turok has found himself thrust into a savage land torn by conflict.
78
/100
07
Doom 64
You killed the Demons once, they were all dead. Or so you thought... A single Demon Entity escaped detection. Systematically it altered decaying, dead carnage back into grotesque living tissue. The Demons have returned - stronger and more vicious than ever before. You mission is clear, there are no options: kill or be killed!
76
/100
08
POSTAL
Welcome to Paradise… Arizona. They’re out to get you. Or are they? It doesn’t matter. You don’t have time to think, only time to kill. Blast, maim and fire-bomb your way through 17 unsuspecting locales, from a small town to a heavily guarded military complex. Don’t get too crazy – this killing spree is anything but senseless. Out here, strategy is key and the locals are packin’ - so take advantage of the third-person "premeditated" perspective that lets you see exactly who's cold and who's still able to pull a trigger.
56
/100
Quake II
Quake II is a first-person shooter video game developed by id Software and published by Activision. It is not a direct sequel to Quake, id decided to revert to an existing trademark when they were unable to agree on a new name that did not violate another company's trademark.
83
/100
05
Blood
You carved your soul to shreds in servitude to a dark god, but false promises and betrayal were your only reward. Now you have a score to settle and it will be measured in blood! Experience the madness in one carnage-soaked package! All the gore, all the unholy war! Zombies, gargoyles, hellhounds and blood-crazed hordes of horrors await! Crush loathsome evil of the mighty Tchernobog! Or condemn yourself to eternal damnation in this leviathan of unhallowed gaming action! Visit a dark near-future world populated by hundreds of bloodthirsty enemies. You'll engage in a nightmarish battle against the minions of an ancient god bent on wiping humanity from the face of the earth. With cultists, gargoyles, zombies, hellhounds, and an unholy host of other terrors, Blood immerses you in a world of horror unlike any you've experienced before.
82
/100
06
Turok: Dinosaur Hunter
A world where time has no meaning - and evil knows no bounds. Torn from a world long gone, the time traveling warrior Turok has found himself thrust into a savage land torn by conflict.
78
/100
07
Doom 64
You killed the Demons once, they were all dead. Or so you thought... A single Demon Entity escaped detection. Systematically it altered decaying, dead carnage back into grotesque living tissue. The Demons have returned - stronger and more vicious than ever before. You mission is clear, there are no options: kill or be killed!
76
/100
08
POSTAL
Welcome to Paradise… Arizona. They’re out to get you. Or are they? It doesn’t matter. You don’t have time to think, only time to kill. Blast, maim and fire-bomb your way through 17 unsuspecting locales, from a small town to a heavily guarded military complex. Don’t get too crazy – this killing spree is anything but senseless. Out here, strategy is key and the locals are packin’ - so take advantage of the third-person "premeditated" perspective that lets you see exactly who's cold and who's still able to pull a trigger.
56
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Shooter game of 1997?
GoldenEye 007 (1997) currently tops the ranking with a score of 96/100 across 197 ratings. Ranking updated September 2026.
How is this ranking built?
Games are ranked on their aggregated critic score out of 100, with a minimum vote threshold so a single glowing review never outranks a proven classic; the Tier community's own F-to-S grades are shown alongside each game.