Best Pixel Art FPS Games (2024)

The first-person shooter is among the most saturated video game genres in the modern day, recently enjoying a resurgence in the boomer shooter subgenre. This sub-genre is particularly notable for its use of pixelated textures and 2D, pixel-art sprites.

While not all first-person shooters in this niche make use of 2D characters in 3D environments, many of them do. These are just a few excellent examples of modern shooters with an old-school, pixelated look.

8 Fashion Police Squad

An Old-School Arena Shooter Without The Gore

• Platform(s): PC, Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch
• Released: 2022
• Developer(s): Mopeful Games
• Genre: FPS

This old-school arena shooter features a rich and vibrant pixel-art style, with 2D directional sprites for its various enemies and an arsenal of pixelated weaponry. Fashion Police Squad, if its name didn't give it away already, takes a humorous approach to its theme, setting, and light narrative. This, along with the lack of gore, allows it to stand out in an increasingly saturated genre.

Fashion Police Squad isn't the most complex or expansive entry in the resurgence of boomer shooters, but it provides a light-hearted experience with fluid movement controls and vibrant art direction. For fans of retro-styled arena shooters that don't mind the tongue-in-cheek tone and theme, Fashion Police Squad is worth a shot.

7 Project Warlock

A Combination Of Stylized Art And Expressive Battle Arenas

Project Warlock's enemies, weapons, and environments are all visualized with well-crafted pixel-art. Like many of the games it takes inspiration from, Project Warlock features 2D characters and props in 3D environments, allowing for a combination of stylized art and expressive battle arenas.

Thankfully, Project Warlock's visuals are given plenty of time to shine in the game's wide variety of distinct environments. The frequent changes in setting also ensure the game rarely gets stale, keeping things fresh from beginning to end.

6 Post Void

Psychedelic Action At A Breakneck Pace

This psychedelic action roguelike has players speeding through various rooms and corridors at a breakneck pace, taking out enemies as fast as they can on their way to the exit. To be successful, players must blast their way through each zone before the liquid in their idol runs out, representing a constantly-draining health bar.

Post Void's frantic, chaotic gameplay is only matched by its psychedelic, pixel-art style. 2D, pixelated sprites represent the various unhinged enemies in the game, as well as the player's skinny arms and arsenal of snappy guns. The environments are painted in pixelated textures, featuring a vast array of bright colors that can frequently be disorientating.

5 Prodeus

A Heavily DOOM-Inspired Retro FPS

This gory, heavily DOOM-inspired old-school FPS is packed with punchy gunfights and a low-resolution, pixelated art-style. Prodeus is incredibly old-school, despite its recent release, and follows the same formula of 90s shooters, tasking players with gunning down enemies to acquire color-coded keys.

Prodeus' 2D, pixelated enemies are plentiful, giving players plenty of reasons to use their arsenal of old-school weaponry. Furthermore, despite the environments using a variety of pixelated textures, atmospheric lighting prevents the screen from getting too messy.

4 Fortune's Run

A Combination Of Tactical Stealth And Fast-Paced Action

Fortune's Run is a strange game that's slow to start, but players that are patient with its slower pace will find a truly distinctive experience that offers a combination of tactical stealth and fast-paced action gameplay. The slower pace of the game, in comparison to other boomer-shooters, can likely be attributed to the game's implementation of immersive-sim elements.

Fortune's Run features expansive, industrial science fiction environments that are packed with pixelated detail. Furthermore, the game's character sprites, portraits, and weapons are all visualized in crunchy pixel art and pixelated textures.

3 Ion Fury

A Love Letter To Build Engine Games

Developed in the classic Build Engine (the very same engine used to make iconic shooters such as Duke Nukem 3D and Blood), Ion Fury is an inherently retro-styled first-person shooter. As a result, it's no surprise that its visuals are packed with pixelated sprites and textures.

While it's by no means a carbon copy of the games it's inspired by, the Duke Nukem, Shadow Warrior, and Blood influences are apparent from the get-go in Ion Fury. From the fun but somewhat limited arsenal of weapons, to the game's approach to level design and plethora of secrets, Ion Fury is a retro shooter through-and-through, with a pixelized aesthetic to boot.

2 Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun

A High-Octane Gore-Fest In The World Of 40k

This high-octane gore-fest is a fast-paced boomer shooter that puts players in the hulking shoes of an Ultramarine. Warhammer 40k: Boltgun features a variety of pixelized 2D sprites for both its enemies and the player's FPS rig.

As with all boomer shooters, Boltgun takes a great deal of inspiration from classic 90s shooters, both in its visuals and its gameplay. However, the faithfully recreated Warhammer 40k setting, excessive gore, and a chainsword allow Boltgun to stand out among the crowd.

1 CULTIC

A Blood-Inspired FPS That Pays Homage To Resident Evil 4

Taking several pages out of Blood's book is CULTIC, a faithfully constructed retro shooter with horror elements inspired by Resident Evil 4. CULTIC features the freedom of movement that fans of 90s shooters have come to expect over the years, though CULTIC's movement arguably feels more advanced than its influences.

CULTIC's gameplay is non-stop, action-packed fun with a dense atmosphere. This atmosphere is facilitated by strong art direction and an old-school approach to sound design and music. Sound effects are crunchy, matching the pixelated visual style perfectly. 2D sprites represent the player's FPS rig, as well as directional 2D sprites for the enemies, with a wide array of pixelated textures for the 3D environments that players explore throughout the game.