Best games
Best Shooter games of 2012
The 32 best Shooter games released in 2012, ranked from 23,151 critic and player ratings.
The best Shooter game of 2012 is Max Payne 3, with a critic score of 89/100 — 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: 2012.
- 32 games are listed on this page, carrying 23,151 ratings between them.
- Rankings are recomputed hourly; this one was last rebuilt on 28 September 2026.
Top 32
01
Max Payne 3
Max Payne 3 is a third-person shooter in which the player assumes the role of its titular character, Max Payne. A new feature to the series, introduced in Max Payne 3, is the cover system, which allows players to gain a tactical advantage, and avoid taking damage from enemies. To progress through the linear story, players take on enemies throughout levels. The game features interactive cutscenes which transition seamlessly into continuing gameplay; there are no loading screens across gameplay and cutscenes.
89
/100
02
A
Far Cry 3
Explore an island playground as stunningly beautiful as it is diverse – from mountain ranges to swampy grasslands and white sandy beaches. Fight your way through the island’s towns, temples, river ports and more. Encounter a diverse and realistic cast of characters, including one of Far Cry’s most notorious villains: Vaas Montenegro. Dive into this deep and enriching story where morals are questionable and hope is all but abandoned.
88
/100
03
Warsow
Warsow is set in a futuristic cartoonish world where rocketlauncher-wielding pigs and lasergun-carrying cyberpunks roam the streets. It is a completely free, fast-paced first-person shooter without hard graphical violence. Red stars instead of blood indicate hits and colored cubes replace guts as gib effects.
88
/100
Max Payne 3
Max Payne 3 is a third-person shooter in which the player assumes the role of its titular character, Max Payne. A new feature to the series, introduced in Max Payne 3, is the cover system, which allows players to gain a tactical advantage, and avoid taking damage from enemies. To progress through the linear story, players take on enemies throughout levels. The game features interactive cutscenes which transition seamlessly into continuing gameplay; there are no loading screens across gameplay and cutscenes.
89
/100
02
A
Far Cry 3
Explore an island playground as stunningly beautiful as it is diverse – from mountain ranges to swampy grasslands and white sandy beaches. Fight your way through the island’s towns, temples, river ports and more. Encounter a diverse and realistic cast of characters, including one of Far Cry’s most notorious villains: Vaas Montenegro. Dive into this deep and enriching story where morals are questionable and hope is all but abandoned.
88
/100
03
Warsow
Warsow is set in a futuristic cartoonish world where rocketlauncher-wielding pigs and lasergun-carrying cyberpunks roam the streets. It is a completely free, fast-paced first-person shooter without hard graphical violence. Red stars instead of blood indicate hits and colored cubes replace guts as gib effects.
88
/100
04
Halo 4
Halo 4 marks the start of an epic new saga within the award-winning Halo universe. The Master Chief returns in this award-winning first-person shooter developed by 343 Industries. Shipwrecked on a mysterious world, faced with new enemies and deadly technology, the Chief returns to battle against an ancient evil bent on vengeance and annihilation...the universe will never be the same.
88
/100
05
A
Hotline Miami
A top-down slasher/shooter with unlockable gameplay-altering masks and weapons, featuring a neon-flavoured electronic aesthetic, in which a hitman receives anonymous calls ordering him to travel to certain residences and crime dens and massacre those within, as he stumbles through unreal visions and inconsistencies without any answers to how, why or who.
86
/100
06
C
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive expands upon the team-based action gameplay that it pioneered when it was launched over 2 decades ago. CS:GO features new maps, characters, weapons, and game modes, and delivers updated versions of the classic CS content (de_dust2, etc.).
81
/100
07
Sleeping Dogs
Wei Shen, an young officer working for the San Francisco Police Department gets tasked to go back to his hometown of Hong Kong. In Hong Kong Wei is assigned to the Hong Kong Police Department, in a effort to take down the "Sun on Yee" Wei goes undercover in the triad to gather information and take them down, But the police soon become worried that he is getting attached to his "Friends" such as Jackie Ma. In this journey of Betrayal and High stakes, Will Wei become a "Red Pole" and join the high ranks of the Triads or be discovered by them and buried alive?
81
/100
08
Natural Selection 2
Natural Selection 2 is an immersive, multiplayer shooter that pits aliens against humans in a strategic and action-packed struggle for survival. It seamlessly combines shooter and RTS/strategy gameplay.
80
/100
09
Hitman: Sniper Challenge
Get ready to pull the trigger on a completely new chapter in the award-winning Hitman series. Be the ultimate assassin in the Hitman Sniper Challenge by testing your reactions, focus and skill in a stand-alone hit available only for Hitman Absolution pre-purchases. Unlock weapons and upgrades that can be carried over into Hitman: Absolution and compare your scores with other players around the globe using online leaderboards. Hitman: Sniper Challenge is a stand alone preview for Hitman: Absolution, which was exclusive to copies pre-ordered from GameStop or Steam. Now, it comes with the standard retail copy of Hitman HD Trilogy and the Hitman Collection on Steam, or if the Hitman: Absolution - Elite Edition is bought.
80
/100
10
Cry of Fear
Cry of Fear is a single-player, horror modification for Half-Life 1 that brings you all the horrors you have always been afraid of. This is a free total converstion of Half-Life 1, which means none of the assets from Half-Life 1 have been used in this mod or any files from other people, it is a totally unique experience. Everything is made exclusively by Team Psykskallar, the Cry of Fear developers.
80
/100
11
B
Hitman: Absolution
79
/100
12
S
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
78
/100
13
TRANSFORMERS: Fall of Cybertron
78
/100
14
Sine Mora
77
/100
15
The Darkness II
77
/100
16
D
Spec Ops: The Line
76
/100
17
Super MNC
76
/100
18
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
74
/100
19
Gotham City Impostors
73
/100
20
Alan Wake's American Nightmare
73
/100
21
Syndicate (2012)
73
/100
22
Hard Reset Extended Edition
73
/100
23
Titan Attacks!
73
/100
24
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
71
/100
25
Receiver
69
/100
26
Binary Domain
68
/100
27
C
Resident Evil 6
67
/100
28
S
Sniper Elite V2
67
/100
29
Guns of Icarus Online
64
/100
30
Painkiller Hell & Damnation
64
/100
31
Medal of Honor: Warfighter
54
/100
32
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
44
/100
Halo 4
Halo 4 marks the start of an epic new saga within the award-winning Halo universe. The Master Chief returns in this award-winning first-person shooter developed by 343 Industries. Shipwrecked on a mysterious world, faced with new enemies and deadly technology, the Chief returns to battle against an ancient evil bent on vengeance and annihilation...the universe will never be the same.
88
/100
05
A
Hotline Miami
A top-down slasher/shooter with unlockable gameplay-altering masks and weapons, featuring a neon-flavoured electronic aesthetic, in which a hitman receives anonymous calls ordering him to travel to certain residences and crime dens and massacre those within, as he stumbles through unreal visions and inconsistencies without any answers to how, why or who.
86
/100
06
C
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive expands upon the team-based action gameplay that it pioneered when it was launched over 2 decades ago. CS:GO features new maps, characters, weapons, and game modes, and delivers updated versions of the classic CS content (de_dust2, etc.).
81
/100
07
Sleeping Dogs
Wei Shen, an young officer working for the San Francisco Police Department gets tasked to go back to his hometown of Hong Kong. In Hong Kong Wei is assigned to the Hong Kong Police Department, in a effort to take down the "Sun on Yee" Wei goes undercover in the triad to gather information and take them down, But the police soon become worried that he is getting attached to his "Friends" such as Jackie Ma. In this journey of Betrayal and High stakes, Will Wei become a "Red Pole" and join the high ranks of the Triads or be discovered by them and buried alive?
81
/100
08
Natural Selection 2
Natural Selection 2 is an immersive, multiplayer shooter that pits aliens against humans in a strategic and action-packed struggle for survival. It seamlessly combines shooter and RTS/strategy gameplay.
80
/100
09
Hitman: Sniper Challenge
Get ready to pull the trigger on a completely new chapter in the award-winning Hitman series. Be the ultimate assassin in the Hitman Sniper Challenge by testing your reactions, focus and skill in a stand-alone hit available only for Hitman Absolution pre-purchases. Unlock weapons and upgrades that can be carried over into Hitman: Absolution and compare your scores with other players around the globe using online leaderboards. Hitman: Sniper Challenge is a stand alone preview for Hitman: Absolution, which was exclusive to copies pre-ordered from GameStop or Steam. Now, it comes with the standard retail copy of Hitman HD Trilogy and the Hitman Collection on Steam, or if the Hitman: Absolution - Elite Edition is bought.
80
/100
10
Cry of Fear
Cry of Fear is a single-player, horror modification for Half-Life 1 that brings you all the horrors you have always been afraid of. This is a free total converstion of Half-Life 1, which means none of the assets from Half-Life 1 have been used in this mod or any files from other people, it is a totally unique experience. Everything is made exclusively by Team Psykskallar, the Cry of Fear developers.
80
/100
11
B
Hitman: Absolution
79
/100
12
S
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
78
/100
13
TRANSFORMERS: Fall of Cybertron
78
/100
14
Sine Mora
77
/100
15
The Darkness II
77
/100
16
D
Spec Ops: The Line
76
/100
17
Super MNC
76
/100
18
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
74
/100
19
Gotham City Impostors
73
/100
20
Alan Wake's American Nightmare
73
/100
21
Syndicate (2012)
73
/100
22
Hard Reset Extended Edition
73
/100
23
Titan Attacks!
73
/100
24
Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier
71
/100
25
Receiver
69
/100
26
Binary Domain
68
/100
27
C
Resident Evil 6
67
/100
28
S
Sniper Elite V2
67
/100
29
Guns of Icarus Online
64
/100
30
Painkiller Hell & Damnation
64
/100
31
Medal of Honor: Warfighter
54
/100
32
Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
44
/100
Frequently asked questions
What is the best Shooter game of 2012?
Max Payne 3 currently tops the ranking with a score of 89/100 across 1,131 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.