The first-person shooter renaissance shows no signs of slowing down, driven almost entirely by indie developers with a passion for retro shooters that explore all kinds of sub-genres as well. The Steam Next Fest February 2025 is underway and there are tons of exciting titles to try out and spend hours in.
Among these titles are plenty of shooters worth checking out, too. For your convenience, we have narrowed the long, long list down to five that really stand out. Here are our picks for the best FPS games that you need to try out during the Steam Next Fest February 2025.
Skin Deep
- Steam Demo
- Developer: Blendo Games
Blendo Games have been quietly working on Skin Deep with Annapurna Interactive that’s arguably their most ambitious title yet. It’s quite difficult to describe what this game is… it’s essentially an immersive sim where you’ll explore a compact but dense starship.
It’s your job to sneak around, take out space pirates, and save the cat crew. If that sounds confusing, I suggest you watch the trailer — or better yet — play the demo. It’s striking, hilarious, and incredibly fun. Oh, and there is shooting in this too if I forgot to mention that.
Twisted Tower
- Steam Demo
- Developer: Atmos Games
Twisted Tower is what BioShock would be if it wasn’t set in an underwater city, but an abandoned 1950s theme park resort instead. What sticks out to me is the level of detail when it comes to the enemies, the weapon effects, and the eerie levels themselves.
Bashing, shooting, and blasting fairy-tale mascots has never felt this satisfying and the carnival-themed weaponry is a highlight. The demo does a great job of setting things up and introducing players to the combat.
GLUM
- Steam Demo
- Developer: CinderCat Games
Okay, this isn’t technically a shooter, but a “First-Person Booter” instead. If you wanted more shooters, or melee action games to feature a style system, look no further. It’s funny, over the top in all the right ways, and lets you kick the life out of enemies.
GLUM also makes great use of physics and the style system encourages you to get creative. See a harmless chicken minding its own business? Well, now you can kick it, turn it into an explosive projectile, and send it flying towards your enemies.
UNYIELDER: PROLOGUE
- Steam Demo
- Developer: TrueWorld Studios
Outside of the blurry presentation, UNYIELDER: PROLOGUE is a seriously impressive first-person shooter with the bones for something special on the way. Its fast-paced gunplay action paired with a great sense of movement is reminiscent of DOOM, and a touch of Borderlands.
It’s a boss rush with rogue-lite mechanics, so every run tends to feel unique. I’m not fully sold on everything yet, but so far, this has been a blast that’s worth checking out. Just make sure to play at a higher resolution to reduce the blur as much as possible.
Total Chaos
- Steam Demo
- Developer: Trigger Happy Interactive
It can’t be a good FPS list without a proper horror title and Trigger Happy Interactive, the studio behind Turbo Overkill, is back with a survival-horror title that’s set on Fort Oasis, a crumbling wasteland with horrific creatures roaming around every corner.
Its black-and-white presentation only adds to the disturbing imagery and the wide section of era-appropriate guns and melee weapons are a treat to use. Like any good survival-horror game, inventory management and resource gathering play a big role in keeping you alive as you aren’t exactly powerful as the protagonist in Turbo Overkill.
What shooter did you enjoy during the Steam Next Fest February 2025? Let us know in the comments below and share your thoughts. If shooters aren’t your thing, maybe check out some wholesome cozy games during the Next Fest instead.
Published: Feb 25, 2025 4:56 PM UTC