5 Best Video Games Like Apex Legends

One of the most popular games in recent history is “Apex Legends,” which surpassed 100 million players in 2021. Launched in 2019, the game is a sci-fi first-person shooter with online battle royale gameplay that pits squads of three against each other. It’s free to play, with the game’s revenue derived from various types of microtransactions available to players to enhance their experience. There are several characters to choose from, each with their own unique abilities.

While “Apex Legends” is still worth playing today, there are some similar online shooters worth checking out, too. Some have a third-person perspective, while others are first-person. Some have you playing solo, while others have you as part of a team. What they have in common is that they’re a lot of fun and will all be appreciated by “Apex Legends” fans. Here are the five best video games like “Apex Legends” to keep the online shooter fun going.

“Apex Legends” technically takes place in the same universe as Respawn Entertainment’s prior online shooter franchise “Titanfall,” which began in 2014. The game received a direct sequel in 2016, “Titanfall 2,” which continues the story of a greedy megacorporation battling a resistance militia over resources on the interplanetary frontier. Among the sci-fi weapons used in this conflict are Titans, light mecha exosuits which are deployed on the battlefield armed with devastating arsenals. In contrast to the original game, “Titanfall 2” features a single-player campaign following a militia soldier’s role in the devastating war.

Compared directly to its eventual spin-off “Apex Legends,” “Titanfall 2” was a complete flop despite being a great game. Fortunately, developer Respawn Entertainment and publisher Electronic Arts have provided post-launch support refining and adding to the overall experience. The game maintains the frenetic action of its predecessor while dialing things up considerably, especially whenever a Titan enters the fray. An underrated sci-fi action game that really showcased what Respawn was capable of, “Titanfall 2” is the overlooked progenitor of “Apex Legends.”

When it comes to online battle royale shooters, “Fortnite” has become a worldwide force to be reckoned with. Launched in 2017, the game’s battle royale mode has players literally descend from a party bus to an island battlefield. As the playable area steadily shrinks, players battle each other to be the last standing, using a variety of weapons and vehicles to navigate the island and combat opponents. The game has a huge roster of characters to choose from, including rotating licensed characters, while seasons of content keep the experience fresh.

Originally a much darker game, “Fortnite” feels like a party shooter, moving at a brisk pace and with a largely irreverent tone. Epic Games has turned “Fortnite” into a full-on platform for a whole line of different gameplay modes and entertainment experiences. Even with this incredible growth, the battle royale mode at the core of “Fortnite” remains the game’s main draw. If you’re looking for another fast-paced battle royale action experience, this has definitely got you covered in full.

Released in 2020 by Riot Games, initially for PC before being ported to the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, “Valorant” is another first-person hero shooter like “Apex Legends.” Player characters, known as agents, can take on four different classes, each providing a different role on their team. There are several different gameplay modes to choose from and plenty of different weapons fueling the first-person action. Many of the multiplayer modes feature teams either planting bombs at specific sites on a map or trying to prevent the bombs from being planted and triggered.

Riot Games had previously developed and published “League of Legends,” and “Valorant” takes advantage of the lessons they learned regarding the esports scene. Since its launch, “Valorant” has moved to make esports more inclusive as the game has expanded its player base and available platforms. At first glance, the title feels like an evolution of “Counter-Strike” and its own team-based and bomb-centric first-person shooter gameplay. But really, “Valorant” is the synthesis of so many effective online shooter elements, from its hero shooter roots to its class structure and esports positioning, presented in a single package.

When Activision remade its popular “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare” trilogy, it released a standalone online multiplayer title alongside it in 2020: “Call of Duty: Warzone.” This title was revamped and relaunched in 2022, reflecting gameplay changes made for that year’s “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II.” Free to play and not requiring prior purchase of mainline “Call of Duty” titles, “Warzone” has its own battle royale mode like “Apex Legends.” There have been additional game modes included following its initial launch, like an extraction mode reminiscent of “Tom Clancy’s The Division.”

“Call of Duty: Warzone” is certainly the most grounded and gritty title on this list but it’s no less fun overall. There is still a sense of chaos in many of the gameplay modes and “Warzone” could’ve been even crazier with its original plans. Since its launch, Activision has continually refined and evolved “Warzone” into an expansive way to enjoy the franchise. The experience was briefly ruined for many when some players figured out ways to cheat, but Activision set up a team to deal with them, and the results were pretty hilarious — “Warzone” is on SVG’s list of games that punish cheaters in creative ways for a reason.

After launching the successful hero shooter “Overwatch” in 2016, Blizzard Entertainment replaced it with the sequel “Overwatch 2” in 2023. The game revolves largely around 5v5 online first-person shooter gameplay, giving players a wide selection of characters to control. Characters then take on different support roles or classes to aid their team as they combat the opposing team in various games. In contrast to its predecessor, “Overwatch 2” is free to play, relying on microtransactions to generate its revenue.

Blizzard has regularly rebalanced and updated “Overwatch 2” through season releases since the game’s debut. This means the entire “Overwatch” story is still unfolding in exciting ways that have kept players riveted. The game overhauls the original title’s core experience while retaining much of what made its predecessor so appealing. A fan-favorite hero shooter that continues to evolve with the times, “Overwatch 2” doubles down on the genre expertly to stay vibrantly relevant.