Games Like Halo - 12 Best Sci-Fi Shooters to Play in 2026

Quick Answer: Destiny 2 is the closest match because it comes from Bungie and still has that shielded, weighty sci-fi shooting feel. Titanfall 2 is the best pick if you want a great campaign with even faster movement. DOOM Eternal is for you if Halo’s weapon sandbox is what you love most, but you want it meaner, louder, and mostly solo.

Why These Games #

Halo is not just “a sci-fi shooter.” Its magic comes from a simple triangle: guns, grenades, and melee. Its shields let you push forward, back off, and jump back into the fight. Its campaigns deliver big moments, and its multiplayer lasts because the sandbox keeps creating small, memorable stories. Then you add vehicles, alien war, and the feeling that one armored soldier can change an entire battle. This list starts with games that share that DNA most clearly. Feel comes first, followed by campaign strength, then multiplayer or co-op staying power. After that, the list stretches into games that chase the same fantasy from different angles, whether that means faster movement, heavier war, a bigger co-op grind, or pure single-player spectacle.

Top Picks #

1. Destiny 2 #

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Bungie’s 2017 online sci-fi shooter is the obvious first stop. This is the studio that made Halo, and you can feel that connection in the shields, the easy-to-read enemies, and the snap of the weapons. The big change is the structure: raids, loot, builds, seasons, and a lot more grind.

• Similar because: The shield rhythm, weapon feel, and sci-fi combat language come from the same lineage, with strong long-term multiplayer hooks.
• Different because: It is an online loot game with raids and seasonal systems, not a clean linear campaign like classic Halo.
• Best for: Players who want Halo-style shooting with long-term progression, co-op endgame, and PvP.

2. Titanfall 2 #

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Respawn’s 2016 FPS is still one of the sharpest sci-fi campaigns of its era. You wall-run, slide, double-jump, and call down a Titan, which gives the game a completely different physical feel from Halo. It ranks this high because it nails campaign pacing, heroic scale, and multiplayer depth.

• Similar because: It has strong sci-fi gunplay, a memorable campaign, lasting multiplayer, and a real “one soldier changes the fight” fantasy.
• Different because: Movement is much faster, with wall-running and mech combat replacing Halo’s steadier shield-duel rhythm.
• Best for: Players who love Halo campaigns but want more speed, verticality, and giant robots.

3. DOOM Eternal #

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id Software’s 2020 shooter takes the weapon-sandbox idea and turns it into a screaming combat puzzle. You are not hiding behind cover. You are swapping guns, managing ammo and armor, reading enemy types, and staying aggressive every second. It feels less like Halo and more like violent chess at 200 miles an hour.

• Similar because: It is built around weapon choice, enemy priority, and constant attack-defense decisions in a sci-fi arena.
• Different because: There are no Halo-style shields, vehicles, or big multiplayer focus; it is faster, harsher, and mainly single-player.
• Best for: Players who want pure weapon-sandbox intensity and a brutal solo campaign.

4. Splitgate #

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1047 Games built Splitgate as a free arena shooter with a very clear pitch: Halo-style duels with Portal-style portals. The jumping, map control, weapon timing, and clean sightlines feel deliberately familiar. The portals keep it from feeling like a museum piece, because every angle can suddenly become unsafe.

• Similar because: The arena pacing, weapon control, jumping routes, and duel structure are extremely close to classic Halo multiplayer.
• Different because: Portals completely change positioning, and there is no big campaign side to match Halo’s story mode.
• Best for: Players who miss old-school Halo arena matches and want a free game to play with friends.

5. Apex Legends #

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Respawn’s 2019 free battle royale lives in the Titanfall universe, and that connection matters. The guns feel excellent, movement is smooth, and fights reward quick decisions. It is not Halo’s arena format, but if you want polished sci-fi shooting with squad pressure, Apex is still one of the best.

• Similar because: It has strong weapon feel, fluid movement, a sci-fi setting, and the same broader universe as Titanfall.
• Different because: It is a hero-based battle royale with no single-player campaign and a much heavier focus on team composition.
• Best for: Players who want competitive squad play, high mobility, and free-to-play sci-fi gunfights.

6. Warframe #

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Digital Extremes has been building Warframe since 2013, and the result is enormous. You play as space-ninja war machines, sprinting, flipping, shooting, and slicing through co-op missions. It earns its spot because it delivers a huge power fantasy. You are not just surviving the battlefield; you are the problem everyone else has to deal with.

• Similar because: It shares the sci-fi power fantasy, fast shooting, co-op focus, and feeling of heroic strength.
• Different because: It is third-person, much more grind-heavy, and built around sprawling systems instead of Halo-style linear campaigns.
• Best for: Players who want huge free-to-play content, long-term progression, and flashy co-op sci-fi action.

7. Crysis Remastered #

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Crytek’s remaster brings back the classic nanosuit FPS: cloak, armor, strength, speed, and improvisation. The battlefields are wider than Halo’s usual corridors, and the fun comes from deciding how to crack each encounter. You can sneak in, throw a soldier through a wall, steal a vehicle, and then fight aliens later.

• Similar because: It has sci-fi combat, open battle spaces, armor-based offense and defense, vehicles, and alien threats.
• Different because: It is more of a single-player tactical sandbox, with stealth and suit powers doing the heavy lifting.
• Best for: Players who want open-ended sci-fi firefights and room to choose their own approach.

8. Wolfenstein: The New Order #

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MachineGames’ 2014 shooter is alternate-history sci-fi: Nazis won the war with impossible technology, and you are here to break the machine. It belongs here for campaign players. The writing has real bite, the guns hit hard, and the game lets you sneak or go loud without losing momentum.

• Similar because: It is a strong story-driven sci-fi shooter with big firepower and a lone-hero-against-the-war-machine feeling.
• Different because: It is alternate history, not space opera, and it focuses on single-player instead of multiplayer or vehicles.
• Best for: Players who value story, characters, and a punchy solo FPS campaign.

9. Gears 5 #

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The Coalition’s 2019 shooter is Xbox’s other big sci-fi war machine. It trades Halo’s first-person shield dancing for third-person cover, chunky rifles, brutal executions, and squad pressure. It ranks here because it offers a similarly broad package: campaign, co-op Horde, PvP, and plenty of military sci-fi spectacle.

• Similar because: It has sci-fi war, campaign, co-op, PvP, heavy weapons, and a strong brothers-in-arms feel.
• Different because: It is a third-person cover shooter, not a first-person shield-and-arena sandbox.
• Best for: Players who want sci-fi war with campaign co-op, Horde mode, and heavier tactical positioning.

10. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 #

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Saber Interactive’s 2024 hit gives you a giant armored soldier and then throws alien swarms at him until the screen looks like a war mural. This is guns and melee, not delicate dueling. The Halo link is the super-soldier fantasy, pushed into heavier, bloodier, and more absurd territory.

• Similar because: It has sci-fi super soldiers, guns and melee together, huge battlefield energy, and maximum heroic force.
• Different because: It is third-person, more melee-heavy, more swarm-driven, and not built around Halo-style shield duels.
• Best for: Players who want co-op sci-fi brutality and the feeling of being a one-person army.

11. STAR WARS Battlefront II #

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DICE’s 2017 Star Wars shooter is here for scale. It gives you ground troops, starfighters, walkers, heroes, and laser fire everywhere. The campaign exists, but the real draw is stepping into a massive space-opera battle. It does not move or duel like Halo, but it understands spectacle and vehicles beautifully.

• Similar because: It delivers sci-fi war, vehicles, heroes, massive battles, and that big space-opera sweep.
• Different because: It is Star Wars first, large-scale multiplayer second, and its gunplay rhythm is not Halo’s shield-based sandbox.
• Best for: Players who want vehicles, heroes, and huge sci-fi battles more than tight arena duels.

12. Halo: The Master Chief Collection #

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If you are searching for games like Halo and somehow skipped the older Halo games, start here. 343 Industries bundled Combat Evolved through Halo 4, plus Reach and ODST. That means you get campaigns, co-op, multiplayer, and the actual source of this whole taste profile.

• Similar because: It is Halo itself: weapon sandbox, shield rhythm, campaign co-op, vehicles, and classic multiplayer.
• Different because: Some entries are older, so the pacing and visuals can feel more classic than modern.
• Best for: Players who have not played the main series and want the best way to catch up.

Comparison Table #

Game	Similar because	Different because	Best for
Destiny 2	Shield rhythm, Bungie weapon feel, sci-fi combat, and long-term multiplayer.	It is a loot-driven online game with raids and seasons.	Halo fans who want progression, co-op endgame, and PvP.
Titanfall 2	Great sci-fi shooting, a standout campaign, multiplayer depth, and heroic scale.	It is faster, more vertical, and built around wall-running and Titans.	Campaign fans who want speed and mechs.
DOOM Eternal	Weapon sandbox, enemy priority, and intense arena combat.	It does not have a shield-duel rhythm, vehicles, or a major multiplayer focus.	Solo players who want high-speed combat mastery.
Splitgate	Classic arena duels, jumping routes, weapon control, and clean maps.	Portals transform positioning, and there is no Halo-style campaign.	Arena multiplayer fans who want a free option.
Apex Legends	Strong sci-fi weapon feel, smooth movement, and squad combat.	It is a hero battle royale with no single-player campaign.	Competitive players who want free squad-based shooting.
Warframe	Sci-fi power fantasy, co-op action, high mobility, and flashy combat.	It is third-person, grind-heavy, and much more system-dense.	Players who want huge free-to-play progression.
Crysis Remastered	Sci-fi armor, vehicles, open combat spaces, and alien threats.	It is more of a stealth sandbox than an arena shooter, and it is mostly single-player.	Players who like flexible tactics in wide battlefields.
Wolfenstein: The New Order	Story-driven sci-fi shooting and a strong lone-hero feeling.	It is alternate history, single-player focused, and does not offer a vehicle or multiplayer package.	Campaign players who want story and heavy guns.
Gears 5	Sci-fi war, campaign, co-op, PvP, and squad spectacle.	It uses third-person cover shooting instead of first-person shield combat.	Players who want campaign plus Horde-style co-op.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2	Super soldiers, guns and melee, alien war, and huge battlefield energy.	It is third-person, more melee-heavy, and more swarm-focused.	Players who want co-op power fantasy and brutal action.
STAR WARS Battlefront II	Vehicles, heroes, space-opera battles, and large-scale sci-fi war.	Star Wars spectacle matters more than Halo-style gun duels.	Players who want vehicles and huge multiplayer battles.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection	It is the classic Halo formula in one package.	Some entries feel older in pacing and presentation.	Newcomers who want to catch up on the real thing.

Filters #

Filter	Games
Closest to Halo's DNA	Destiny 2, Titanfall 2, Halo: The Master Chief Collection
For arena multiplayer	Splitgate, Apex Legends, DOOM Eternal
For the single-player campaign	Wolfenstein: The New Order, Crysis Remastered, Titanfall 2
For sci-fi war and co-op	Gears 5, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, STAR WARS Battlefront II

FAQ #

Which game feels the most like Halo? #

Destiny 2 is the closest overall, mainly because Bungie’s fingerprints are still all over the shields, guns, enemy readability, and combat flow. If you specifically miss classic arena multiplayer, try Splitgate. If you have not actually played the older games, Halo: The Master Chief Collection is the real answer.

Which of these has the best single-player campaign? #

Titanfall 2 is the easy pick. It is short, focused, inventive, and still one of the best FPS campaigns of its generation. If you want stronger character writing and a darker story, Wolfenstein: The New Order is excellent. For more open-ended tactical play, Crysis Remastered gives you more room to improvise.

Are there free games like Halo? #

Yes. Destiny 2, Splitgate, Apex Legends, and Warframe are all free to start. Pick Splitgate if you want arena duels. Pick Destiny 2 if you want Bungie-style shooting with loot and raids. Pick Warframe if you want a massive co-op grind that can eat your whole year.

I want the sci-fi war scale and vehicles. What should I play? #

For sheer battlefield scale, STAR WARS Battlefront II is the strongest choice here: ground fights, space vehicles, heroes, and huge Star Wars spectacle. If you want heavier squad warfare, play Gears 5. If you want the super-soldier fantasy turned into a wall of alien bodies, play Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.