More so than any other genre, the Xbox 360 was known for its vast array of incredible shooters. While shooters had only truly started to find their footing on consoles during the Xbox and PS2 era, it wasn’t until the Xbox 360 was released that they truly began taking the world by storm. Some of the top-selling and best shooters of all-time released on the Xbox 360 throughout the console’s life cycle and forever changed how we would view single-player and multiplayer experiences within the genre.
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Before we dive into these fantastic titles further, it’s worth mentioning that some franchises could easily receive multiple entries on a list like this. Instead, we’ll be confining this ranking to just one game per series. With that caveat in place, these are the eight greatest shooters that released on the Xbox 360.
8. Portal
While Portal isn’t a shooter in the traditional sense, it’s without a doubt a landmark game for the genre. What was originally looked upon as just a bonus game thrown in with Valve’s The Orange Box, Portal went on to become a cultural phenomenon and completely reshaped conventions of what puzzle games could be.
Outside of the adoration for its antagonist GLaDos and praise for its writing (you couldn’t go anywhere in 2007 without hearing someone say “the cake is a lie“), Portal proved that shooters could be more than just running and gunning through endless corridors. Its ingenious puzzles and interesting world were later expanded upon in Portal 2, but the first game is the one that takes this spot on the list for its importance.
7. Left 4 Dead
Yet another game from Valve, Left 4 Dead was one of the most unique multiplayer shooters to come about on Xbox 360. Whether it be through its PvE or PvP modes, Left 4 Dead was a co-op shooter that emphasized teamwork more than anything, as it was only by collaborating with teammates that you could hope to survive the endless zombie hordes.
The best thing that can be said about Left 4 Dead is that it and its sequel, Left 4 Dead 2, are still being played at a high clip to this day. Other games, such as Back 4 Blood, have come about and have tried to provide a modernized version of the experience that Left 4 Dead provided, but many are still content with just going back to the first two games. Nearly 17 years after its arrival, Left 4 Dead has had an absurd level of staying power, and it doesn’t seem in danger of going away anytime soon.
6. Borderlands 2
Both the original Borderlands and its sequel, Borderlands 2, debuted on the Xbox 360, but the latter game is far and away the better of the two. Borderlands 2 refined the looting and shooting gameplay cycle from the first game to an incredible degree, which resulted in numerous competitors coming about in the ensuing years.
Other than its fantastic gameplay mechanics, though, Borderlands 2 also featured an excellent story and memorable characters, both of which resulted in Borderlands becoming a mainstream franchise. Even in the wake of Borderlands 3 and Borderlands 4 releasing, Borderlands 2 is still widely considered the best game in the series and is the template that all looter-shooters should look to follow.
5. Battlefield 3
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 was a fantastic game in its own right, but Battlefield 3 was the peak of the series on Xbox 360. Its enormous maps, destructible environments, and focus on teamwork led to Battlefield 3 boasting one of the most enjoyable multiplayer experiences that you could have during this generation.
Even today, EA is still trying to recapture the magic that Battlefield 3 had. Perhaps that’s why the publisher has loudly proclaimed that it’s trying to base the upcoming Battlefield 6 on Battlefield 3 more so than any other entry in the series. If the next Battlefield game can come anywhere close to what Battlefield 3 did, it’s going to be special.
4. BioShock
If I’m being honest, I think BioShock is the single best game on this entire list. Its story remains one of the best in all of gaming and its inventive mix of RPG and shooter systems wasn’t as common at the time of its release as it would become. Rapture also remains one of the most iconic video game locations ever created and is the gold standard when it comes to wholly original locales that are dripping with style.
What holds BioShock back just a bit compared to some others that are higher on this list is that it’s just a single-player shooter. While that’s not a bad thing by any means, its influence on the genre wasn’t as great as some others since it didn’t also boast a revolutionary multiplayer component. Still, BioShock is excellent; here’s hoping we get BioShock 4 one day.
3. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
It’s hard to pick one Call of Duty game from the Xbox 360 that best defined the franchise in this generation. This is where Call of Duty truly exploded and became a household name as sub-franchises like Modern Warfare and Black Ops both began here. Call of Duty’s ever-popular Zombies mode was also first featured in World at War. Everything that Call of Duty would become began with these games on Xbox 360.
If I’m going to pick just one entry, though, it would be Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. This was where Call of Duty revamped what the series had been by taking it out of World War II, which catapulted it to heights that no one anticipated. Beyond containing some of the most memorable campaign missions ever (“All Ghillied Up” is still an all-timer), Modern Warfare’s multiplayer was as addictive as it was influential. While there are other Call of Duty games that might be more popular, there’s no question that Modern Warfare is the most important and changed first-person shooters for years to come.
2. Gears of War 2
Nearly taking the top spot is that of Gears of War 2, which ends up being the only third-person shooter on this list. Despite having huge shoes to fill after the enormous success of the first game, Gears of War 2 improved and expanded on just about everything, which resulted in it being the height of the series.
Between its emotional campaign and fast-paced multiplayer, Gears of War 2 also added Horde mode. This co-op PvE mode led to Gears of War 2 being endlessly replayable and also inspired franchises like Mass Effect, Halo, and Call of Duty to take their own cracks at the format. Gears of War 2 gave players more bang for their buck than just about anything else that appeared on Xbox 360, making it one of the best shooters that the console had to offer.
1. Halo 3
Of course, Halo is at the top. What else could it have been?
Halo 3 was the entire reason to own an Xbox 360 in the early years of the console and is arguably the best game from Bungie’s original trilogy. Its launch was so gargantuan that it even spawned its own limited edition flavor of Mountain Dew. How many other games do you know of that can claim the same?
Beyond its stellar campaign and multiplayer suites, what sets Halo 3 apart and makes it easy to put at the top of this list is Forge. In a time when fan-created content wasn’t that prevalent, especially on consoles, Bungie gave players a toolset that allowed them to create their own unique maps and modes. The result was that Halo 3 quite literally never got old, as there always seemed to be something new to jump into. This limitless freedom, combined with a story that truly earns its “Finish the Fight” moniker, makes Halo 3 the benchmark for shooters that many developers are still trying to reach almost two decades later.
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