After winning the MOBA market with League of Legends, Riot Games went ahead and released Valorant to satisfy their FPS fans. The game mostly takes inspiration from the mechanics of Counter-Strike Global Offensive and mixes it with Overwatch’s heroes and abilities. In turn, you get an amazing game that feels not only fresh but also surprisingly familiar.
Since Valorant is only available on PC, console players are left wanting to play a similar game to it. The gameplay is extremely fun, and the unique mechanics can make the game feel addictive.
Riot Games took their time perfecting this game, which shows thanks to the overwhelmingly positive player feedback. Plus, it managed to make a massive impact in just a matter of a few years, even though Counter-Strike is still going strong.
If you have been playing Valorant and want to look for other games that are similar to it, look no further because we’ve ranked 15 games like Valorant.
Some of these games are extremely similar, while others only have some of the mechanics that Valorant has. With that said, let’s dive right in and take a look at all of these similar games so that you can quench your Valorant thirst.
Counter-Strike Global Offensive
Platforms: PC, Xbox 360, PS3
Release Date: Aug 21, 2012
Price: Free-to-play
It should come as no surprise that Counter-Strike Global Offensive, or CS: GO, tops this list. Valorant is essentially Riot’s take on the game, with extremely similar mechanics and the general feel of the gunplay and movement. Yes, they’ve also infused it with Overwatch’s hero system, where each character brings something new to the table, but at its core, Valorant plays a lot like CS: GO, and for a good reason.
Valve’s seminal shooter comfortably sits atop Steam’s most-played titles averaging a million players at any given time of day. Despite being a decade-old title, CS: GO continues to thrive with its polished mechanics, endless replayability, and a skill ceiling that requires constant practice and dedication.
CS: GO went free to play a few years ago, which has only increased its popularity. It features the classic bomb-defuse mode, which continues to entertain, and pushes players to innovate to this day.
Overwatch 2
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: October 4, 2022
Price: Free-to-play
Overwatch 2 is still one of the best games on the market, and the core mechanics are still as polished as ever. Despite a rocky launch, the biggest change from Overwatch 1 to 2 was that it’s now free-to-play. Blizzard understood that they needed to make this change to compete with the competition, and hence, the new pricing model. Yes, Overwatch 2 has a battle pass as well, but if you’re one that doesn’t exactly spend much on cosmetics, you can still enjoy every single gameplay aspect without paying a dime.
Like Valorant, Overwatch 2 features a 5v5 mode, but players need to play the objective and continue to respawn throughout the match. Each character is actually unique, with their distinct designs, personality, abilities, and movement. It’s no wonder that despite some disappointing decisions from the company, Overwatch 2 is still thriving, with tons of players joining every day.
Overwatch 2 relies heavily on teamwork, and players must understand and play their roles. Not every character has to score the most kills, and it’s important to prioritize the objective over everything else. Overwatch 2 continues the trend of the first game with exceptional performance optimization, server quality, and general support. The game can run quite well on a wide variety of platforms, and offers major scalability options on the PC version too.
Paladins
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: September 16, 2016
Price: Free-to-play
Paladins is another free-to-play team-based hero shooter that’s a lot like Valorant and Overwatch. It has similar modes to Overwatch as well, but unlike Overwatch, Paladins allows you to customize its characters using a deckbuilding system that essentially acts as modifiers. While both games have very similar character archetypes, Paladins has over 50+ heroes to choose from, making the count a bit higher than Overwatch and Valorant. The character count and modifiers allow for a lot of gameplay variety, making Paladins stand out.
The developers are still supporting the title, and new champions are added after a few months. It also has crossplay support, which allows players to team up with their friends across different platforms easily. Like Valorant, your team composition, communication, and understanding of roles are crucial for victory. While it’s far more fast-paced and not as punishing, Paladins has a lot to offer, especially with no entry fees and easy availability across multiple platforms.
Apex Legends
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: February 4, 2019
Price: Free-to-play
Respawn Entertainment wasted no time releasing their battle royale title back in 2019, and boy, did they deliver. Apex Legends is one of the most successful multiplayer games published by Electronic Arts and one of the biggest games on every platform it’s out on. Like Valorant, Apex Legends has many diverse characters, each with their abilities, both active and passive, a wide arsenal of weapons, and fast traversal mechanics, some of which were plucked out of Titanfall 2.
While the Battle Royale mode is still the highlight, recently, Apex Legends added an Arenas mode as well, where two teams of three take on each other in intense firefights with their abilities at their disposal. There is a Ranked version of this mode too, and limited-time events always keep things fresh for players looking to try out something new.
Apex Legends practically revolutionized how in-game communication works with its incredible ping system. Players can communicate with each other without the need for voice chat and ping practically any aspect of the game. Thankfully, more games picked this up and implemented their own version in their multiplayer experiences as well.
There is also a mobile version of Apex Legends available for both Android and iOS, which offers a shockingly similar experience on the go.
Team Fortress 2
Platforms: PC
Release Date: October 10, 2007
Price: Free-to-play
This isn’t Valve’s only shooter on the list, and it should be no surprise why a game so old is on the list and so high. Team Fortress 2 is the one that really started it all and normalized hero shooters for other companies like Blizzard and Riot to expand upon. The game still has an active player base, and it’s because of how solid the mechanics are that it’s continuing to thrive despite so many other free-to-play games on the market.
Team Fortress 2 has endless depth, specifically because of its fixed character roster and roles. Each character actually feels distinct and has its place on the battlefield, with iconic designs and voice lines. Yes, the community is still dying for actual substantial updates, and we hope that Valve doesn’t completely abandon the game in the future.
If you’re looking for games like Valorant that can practically run on anything and offer hundreds of hours of content, a lot of charm, and some incredibly polished mechanics, Team Fortress 2 has you covered, even in 2023.
Rainbow Six Siege
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, PS4, PS5
Release Date: December 1, 2015
Price: $40, Game Pass, Varies based on content
Rainbow Six Siege originally came out back in 2015, but it’s a very different game from what it was initially. There are tons of operators that have been added over the years, and almost every single one added another layer of depth to the title. While Siege isn’t technically a “hero-shooter,” it essentially is with the way its operators function.
Siege’s default mode pits two teams against each other, where one team has to attack an objective while the other team has to defend it. Each operator has a unique ability or gadget that both teams need to account for, which keeps the game fresh, and knowing which operators complement each other in a particular map, or setup can sometimes be the deciding factor of how well a team functions as a unit.
Of course, that’s not everything because your skill as a player matter as much, and at times you might take out an entire enemy team on your own. Siege is brutal in its first few hours and can be quite frustrating, but if you play enough and really try to learn each operator and map, then there’s nothing like it.
Siege has native versions available for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S|X so you can expect higher framerate on those consoles as well. This is arguably Ubisoft’s most successful multiplayer title of the past decade, and for a good reason. Currently, in Year 7, with 60+ operators, there’s a lot to learn and experiment with.
Insurgency Sandstorm
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X
Release Date: December 12, 2018
Price: $30
Another tactical shooter to try out is Insurgency Sandstorm. Even though Squad features large-scale battles, Insurgency cuts it down to smaller teams of 12 or 8. Like Valorant, this is primarily a team-based FPS with precision-based gameplay that rewards skill. The developers have improved on the first game in every single way, and they keep adding new modes, too, the most recent of which is Defusal.
While the customization isn’t as extensive or colorful as Valorant, Sandstorm has a good variety of options for players to check out. One of the most impressive aspects of Sandstorm is its audio design. It’s truly immersive and creates a very tense atmosphere where you can hear every gunshot.
I highly recommend playing this with a group of friends because, despite its tense matches, it’s actually quite accessible to pick up and play. Learning each “specialization” is similar to learning different characters in Valorant, but there is obviously less variety.
Squad
Platforms: PC
Release Date: December 14, 2015
Price: $50
Squad is one of the best tactical shooters on the market and continues to impress with each update. Compared to Valorant, Squad features large-scale battles, with 50 players going against 50, but shares similarities with how much it relies on communication. Squad takes it further with VOIP support, allowing an even more immersive experience.
While players don’t have any sci-fi abilities, Squad still requires a lot of skill and teamwork to ensure victory. Players will have to make split-second decisions, manage their resources, and use fortifications to overcome multiple obstacles in very tense matches.
Hunt Showdown
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, PS4, PS5
Release Date: February 22, 2018
Price: $40
This might be an outliner, but I think that Hunt Showdown provides a similar experience to an extremely tense game of Valorant. Unlike a standard team battle, Hunt Showdown takes away most of the information that usual multiplayer experiences provide players and pits individual or teams of players in a tense PvPvE experience where everyone is mostly after a common goal.
Compared to many other titles, Hunt Showdown isn’t the most accessible pick but takes a lot of patience from players to fully appreciate and progress. It isn’t as much the gameplay that’s similar, but what both games evoke in players that can be shared.
Players have to take on bounties on a map, which is essentially a boss fight. Now, only one team has to actually fight the boss and collect the bounty, while others can pursue the team with it to secure a victory that way.
Titanfall 2
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X
Release Date: October 28, 2016
Price: $30, EA Play, Xbox Game Pass
It’s a bit hard to recommend Titanfall 2 over Respawn’s other mega-hit multiplayer title, but Titanfall 2 is still an excellent shooter that somehow never caught on. If you’re a fan of Valorant’s mobility, but want even more flexibility in your movement, then Titanfall 2 has you covered. While the player count is a bit low at this point, the community is quite welcoming, and learning the game is a lot of fun.
Titanfall 2 has plenty of online game modes, a fairly deep titan customization system with tons of options, and a vast arsenal of weapons that you can use against other players and titans. Dedicated players are still regularly playing, and we recommend interacting with the community to get the most out of the experience. It can be a bit daunting at first, but Titanfall 2’s multiplayer is rewarding the more time you put into it.
Just don’t expect the same level of support as you’re used to seeing in other multiplayer titles because the actual development of Titanfall 2 has been discontinued for a while now so that the team can focus on Apex Legends.
Fortnite
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, Android
Release Date: July 21, 2017
Price: Free-to-play
This is a game that needs no introduction but one that continues to impress us with each update. Fortnite is essentially the ultimate playground with such a ridiculous amount of characters now and their special moves. It’s highly accessible, well-optimized, and runs on practically anything. The recent Unreal Engine 5.1 update brought it up to modern graphics and boasts some excellent tech without sacrificing performance.
Like Valorant, if you’re playing Fortnite with a group of friends, you need to rely on constant communication and careful planning if you wish to reach the top. It also has a similar visual style, which is easy on the eyes and allows an absurd level of customization.
If the building aspect of the title kept you away, there’s now a building-free mode that plays like a traditional battle royale. It’s really fun, and playing with a squad is the way to go. What’s even better is that Fortnite has full cross-platform support, meaning you can play with your friends across different platforms without a problem.
Halo Infinite
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X
Release Date: November 15, 2021
Price: Free-to-play
One of 2022’s surprises was the return of Halo, with Halo Infinite. Halo Infinite’s multiplayer portion is surprisingly polished, and going free-to-play was the best move for them to amass a big audience. That, paired with Game Pass availability and crossplay support, makes Halo Infinite a seriously compelling package. While the numbers aren’t as huge as when it first came out, there’s still a lot of fun to be had in Halo Infinite.
If you’re a fan of the more tactical approach of Valorant that emphasizes quick reflexes and faster kills, then Slayer and Tactical Slayer are a blast and my personal favorite modes in the game. Halo Infinite runs quite well, too, and has a wide variety of options to customize too. Guns feel great, movement is polished, and melee attacks hit hard. The feel of the gameplay remains consistent with previous entries, but there’s a new level of polish that constantly impresses.
Its weakest aspect is the Battle Pass and the general lack of interesting player customization. If you can ignore that part, and focus on just the gameplay, then Halo Infinite is worth the free admission price.
Rogue Company
Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: September 30, 2020
Price: Free-to-play
If you’re a bit tired of first-person shooters, this might be the alternative to Valorant you’re looking for. Rogue Company has been out since 2020 and has amassed quite a bit of player over the years. It’s a third-person tactical shooter with tons of different characters to try out and customize. There are a bunch of PvP modes with 4v4 and 6v6 to try out, as well as Ranked play.
Characters have different gadgets that they can use, so again, if you’re a fan of Valorant’s reliance on team composition and understanding roles, then you’ll enjoy this too. If you’re a bit on the casual side, then there’s nothing stopping you either from taking it easy and making progress in unranked modes.
Rogue Company also features cross-platform play between all available consoles and PC. Additionally, it has cross-save progression so that you can pick it up anywhere, and your progress will automatically transfer. If you have a decent PC and are looking for games like Valorant, this game can actually look really good.
Gundam Evolution
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S|X, PS4, PS5
Release Date: September 19, 2022
Price: Free-to-play
If you’re a fan of the Gundam universe and like Valorant, this is a pretty solid 6v6 shooter to check out. We had a lot of fun playing it, and there’s a lot to like. Each suit offers something useful, and your team composition is critical. You need enough support units to ensure your heavy hitters are looked out for, and despite their support role, a lot of suits can stand on their own if you utilize them well. Working together is still vital, though.
There are a lot of nice movement mechanics and feels reminiscent of how these suits traverse in the anime too. Thrusters let you quickly cover ground, and you can dodge pretty fast in different directions and even remain afloat for a bit too. Mastering these movement mechanics is half the game, in my opinion, which is why Gundam Evolution fits in perfectly here.
The visuals are great, with each mobile suit beautifully designed, and the fact that it’s available on multiple consoles means you can get it for free practically anywhere.
Shatterline
Platforms: PC, Console Release in Feb 2023
Release Date: September 8, 2022
Price: Free-to-play
Starting off, we have a hero shooter called Shatterline, which is currently in Early Access on PC. It’s a fast-paced action title with tons of games mode, both cooperative and competitive in nature. If you were a fan of the exo suits in Call of Duty’s latter entries of the Black Ops franchise, you’ll have a lot of fun in this one. They’ve polished that gameplay, and for a free-to-play title, there’s a lot to work your way through. It has your usual PvP modes like TDM, Conquest, Plant-the-Bomb, and Escort, but also has a roguelike mode with some interesting enemies and modifications.
The reason it’s currently low on the list is that it’s an early access title, and there’s still lots to do. There are a few issues that players routinely face, and since it’s steadily growing in numbers, some cheaters have made their way into the game. Either way, we’re looking forward to the full release and want to see what they’ve planned next. Like Valorant, Shatterline has a bunch of unique characters, too, with specific abilities and perks as well, that can be further personalized with weapon modifications.
There you have it, these are the 15 best games similar to Valorant. You might prefer some of the games mentioned on this list more than others, so we would love to hear what game you like most. Let us know in the comments below if you found another game like Valorant as well!
Check out our other lists as well, such as the 10 best games like Minecraft and Genshin Impact.
