While 2021 saw some big shooter franchises getting new releases, it was overall a hit-or-miss year for new releases in the genre as players tended to stick to popular live service games that continue to hold on to their audiences.
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Extraction
Extraction is a PVE-focused spin-off set in the Rainbow Six universe. Based off an older limited-timed mode in Rainbow Six Siege, Extraction puts players in the middle of an alien invasion that you and two other friends can fight off using the series’ signature tactical and methodical gameplay. Unlike Rainbow Six, which is primarily a PVP game, Extraction is a cooperative experience that utilises all of Rainbow Six’s mechanics like reinforcing, environmental destruction, methodical gunplay, and more.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chernobyl
The original Stalker was released way back in 2007 and paved the way for immersive-sim-like survival horror experiences. It dropped players into an irradiated hellscape crawling with mutants, enemy factions and anomalies, and then challenged them to survive with the barest of resources. Stalker 2 will retain the essence of its predecessor, while improving upon visuals, gameplay mechanics, AI behaviour, and more. Oh, and will be a free day-one release for Xbox Game Pass PC subscribers.
Destiny 2: Witch Queen
Bungie has no plans to develop a sequel to Destiny 2. Instead they’ll keep releasing yearly seasonal content, and this year we enter Year 5 of Destiny 2’s content drop. With the Witch Queen expansion, players will get a brand-new location to explore, a story-driven campaign as well as new weapons and game modes. Keep in mind though that even though Destiny 2 is a free-to-play game, the expansions – including Witch Queen – are not.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
If you love Borderlands, Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is your best bet till a new sequel comes along. The game’s a spin-off that takes place in the Borderlands universe and you play as Tiny Tina, an eccentric character introduced in Borderlands 2. Wonderlands will transport players to medieval times with a heavy Borderlands influence, so you’ll have to contend with magic, skeletons and dragons, but you’ll also have a ton of guns to shoot them with.
Redfall
After moving on from the Dishonored series, developer Arkane has now set its sights on a hero shooter of sorts that has players hunting vampires in a vast open world. Redfall will feature four-player co-operative play as you step into the boots of one of four vampire hunters. Each character will bring their special skills to combat, and given Arkane’s pedigree with open-ended gameplay, expect Redfall to provide a lot of replayability.
World War III
After Battlefield 2042 failed to provide that large-scale epic multiplayer experience, World War III could fill that void when it releases this March. World War III is currently in closed beta and even with server issues, the core gameplay is enjoyable, with dedicated classes, tons of customisation, dense maps that don’t feel empty, and balanced vehicular combat. And best of all, World War III will release as a free-to-play title.
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