7 FPS Games With the Most Realistic Weapons

When it comes to gaming, first-person shooters are some of the most popular titles on the market. One thing that makes an FPS game so compelling is its realism, so games in the Call of Duty and Arma franchises tend to lean more towards actual representations of weapons than others. Being a combat veteran, I’ve always appreciated the extra steps the devs take in creating games with realistic weapons. While combat isn’t exactly what you find in a video game, many excellent FPSs have incredibly well-made combat mechanics and weapons. I’ve looked through several dozen and found these seven that come as close to reality as possible, arranged in no particular order.

1) Gun Club VR

If you’ve ever wanted to play with real guns but don’t have the means or opportunity, Gun Club VR offers an excellent representation of legit firearms. The virtual reality game from The Binary Mill was released in 2018, and it’s one of the most realistic firearm sims ever made. The game includes a massive arsenal of weapons and simulated environments to enjoy, so it’s not an FPS with something like a campaign mode — it’s truly devoted to accurately representing as many guns as possible, ranging from pistols and assault rifles to shotguns and sniper rifles.

2) Arma III

The Arma series has always been especially good at its weapon design, and Arma III is one of the best. While it’s set in the near future and features futuristic weapons, the weapon visuals and mechanics are incredibly accurate. They include external ballistics and recoil mechanics that enhance realism, so they’re a lot like firing a gun IRL. You must properly zero your weapon, adjust fire to compensate for gravity, adjust your profile to reduce recoil, and more. It also favors trigger discipline, as rapidly depleting your magazine has a real impact on survival.

3) America’s Army

Back in 2002, the U.S. Army launched America’s Army, a free FPS designed to educate and enhance recruiting. I was an Army recruiter at the time, and while plenty of kids came in for copies of the game, it didn’t boost recruiting at all. Regardless, the game was developed to entice kids, and it isn’t a bad shooter. Realism was key to its development, so the weapons are all 100% as accurate as was digitally possible. The Army continued to update and release new versions of the game over the years, and it remains popular among players.

4) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare

The Call of Duty games’ devs have always focused on realistic weapon depictions, and while several titles within the franchise are great at this, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is one of the franchise’s best. It’s the first title to move away from a WWII setting to focus on what the title implies, drawing on ongoing conflicts around the world as inspiration for its plot and weapon depictions. To this end, the weapons are realistic and even feature some realistic attachments. Some are a little off the mark, but for the most part, Modern Warfare nailed its weapon realism.

5) Battlefield 1

The Battlefield franchise has a pretty good track record of realistic weapon depictions. It also features some great vehicle representations, but when it comes to weapons, Battlefield 1 is at the top of the pile in terms of realism. All of the weapons and equipment are modeled after real weapons, and one of the best is the Winchester Model 1897 pump-action shotgun. The Standschütze Hellriegel M1915 is also superbly recreated in the game, and the models look fantastic. There is some disconnect between how the game balances the various firearms and how they would function IRL, but otherwise, Battlefield 1 does an incredible job of weapon realism.

6) Squad

Squad was developed with realism in mind, and the military tactical FPS is all about showing realistic modern warfare. To that end, it pits the military against paramilitary factions across vast battlefields, requiring effective squad communication to move, shoot, and kill the enemy. Every weapon is highly detailed for accuracy and functions much as it does in the real world. The central focus of using squad-based teams for missions is as realistic as you can get, and each of the weapon models in the game looks spectacular, while their functions are as close to reality as a game can get.

7) Arma Reforger

As the Arma franchise continued, it only got more realistic, as Arma Reforger demonstrates. The game is a realistic tactical shooter that emphasizes accurate weapon representation, with highly detailed models and realistic functions. The game was developed as a test bed for the new engine being developed for Arma IV, and it works splendidly, combining as much realism as possible into an enjoyable open-world tactical shooter. I’m excited to see how realistic Arma IV will be, and if the previous games in the franchise are any indication, I won’t be disappointed.

What’s the most realistic FPS you’ve ever played? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

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