The best offline tactical shooter games for PC to play right now

Key recommendations

• Tactical shooters vary in form and style, from arcade combat to sci-fi realism and surrealism.
• Various hardcore mil-sim shooters offer patient and tactical gameplay in single-player offline settings.
• PC gamers can enjoy the best tactical shooters like
  Ghost Recon Wildlands
  and
  SWAT 4
  offline.

Shooters come in many forms, from arcade arena combat to cover-based movement, and from realism to sci-fi surrealism. Tactical shooters they are a sub-genre unto themselves, asking players to approach the game with patience, expecting realistic mechanics and a quick death if they shoot.

Even this shooter niche has its variations, with many hardcore mil-sim shooters opting for large-scale online battles such as Team and Hell break loose. Still, these tactical shooters offer patient, tactical gameplay in a single-player setting. These are best tactical shooters pc players can play offline.

8 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands

Open world tactical action

Ghost Recon Wildlands takes the tactical shooter series into the open world, a move that isn't always good for pacing, but certainly gives players a large playground in which to complete tactical missions. The shooting action is third-person and based on cover, enhanced by a competent stealth system and military gadgets like drones.

It's not the most realistic feel of tactical shooters here, opting for a fluid shooting action that benefits from tactical planning but doesn't always require it. That being said, there is plenty of offline content that players can access, including co-op as players can play with AI teammates.

7 Hidden & Dangerous 2: Courage Under Fire

Behind enemy lines

Launched in 2003, Hidden and dangerous 2 was a tactical shooter ahead of its time. The game focuses on the behind enemy lines operations of the British SAS during World War II. As such, it uses stealth and infiltration systems in its first-person and third-person gameplay.

There are disguises, real-time map planning, voice commands for the player's four-man squad, and the ability to take prisoners of war. There are a lot of complex systems going on in addition to the realistic shooting game mechanics. It even included some real-time strategy segments, really pushing the boundaries of what tactical shooters offered at the time.

6 Weapon 3

Putting your Sim into Mil-Sim

The WEAPON series is what many gamers think of when they hear the term tactical shooter. WEAPON 3still the latest main entry in the franchise, it offers the most extensive and varied version of this military simulation-style tactical shooter.

WEAPON 3 has an impressive single-player campaign with an option for co-op, comprising several mini-campaigns and missions. Objectives range from solo infiltration and espionage to commanding troop maneuvers to win battles.

There are also vehicles, scuba gear, underwater weapons and more than 50 weapons, all with different attachments. All these mechanics are supported by the simulation style of the game, with an attention to detail and realism, which means WEAPON 3 more than holds up for modern gamers.

5 SWAT 4

Calling The Shots

When it comes to tactical shooters, SWAT 4 it's a classic. Team-based tactical command, mission planning, and adherence to police protocol set many of the standards that developers use as a touchstone for what a tactical police simulation shooter should feel like.

Based on precedent SWAT their games too Police search predecessors, SWAT 4 puts players in the role of SWAT team leader with two tactical teams to command. The game focuses on non-lethal restraint and penalizes players for excessive use of force.

For players who want the feeling of planning a mission and guiding their teams to victory, few games offer the same sense of tactical control as SWAT 4. Thanks to (mostly) well-designed friendly and enemy AI, the game is still a joy to play offline today.

4 Sniper Elite 5

One man's army

The Sniper Elite the series takes a different approach to tactical and simulation, focusing on a story-driven campaign and a lone protagonist often facing overwhelming odds. The sniper-sim elements are, however, undeniably deep and Sniper Elite 5 in particular, it allows players to turn the simulation and realism aspects up or down to achieve their desired balance.

Campaign missions feature a combination of stealth and open combat and allow players to freely approach objectives within sandbox levels. Tactical planning is encouraged in open combat, and players will generally have an easier time if they can take out key targets and plan traps before revealing their position.

3 Six days in Fallujah

Hostile territory

Despite an extremely troubled development cycle, the 2023 release a Six days in Fallujah was well received by fans of mil-sim tactical shooters. The game features tactical team command in real-life situations inspired by the accounts of soldiers and civilians who were directly involved in the Iraq War.

The realism also translates to the look and feel of the game. The environments are well done and the weapon and ballistic effects are well simulated. The game captures the danger of operating in hostile territory, forcing players to be aware of threats from all directions, secure areas before proceeding, and be alert at all times.

2 Ready or not

Cops and robbers

Ready or not, by developer Void Interactive, is seen by many as the spiritual successor to SWAT series. Like those games, it puts players in charge of a SWAT team. Players can command their squads in tactical first-person shooter missions focused on non-lethal takedowns and arrests.

This game takes this idea a step further by having players manage a SWAT unit. NPCs have psychological states and can die on the field. It is up to the players to keep their team alive and maintain their psychological health to do well in the missions.

Ready or not it's a great game that enhances realism. Team-based tactical play is also critical to success. The gameplay and its enemy AI are challenging enough to effectively punish players who don't play methodically and use their team.

1 Brothers In Arms: Road To Hill 30

Team Command World War II

Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 stands out in the memories of many players for a different approach to WW2 shooters. Like the first game of Brothers in arms series, set the precedent for team-based tactical gameplay. Developers Gearbox were quoted at the time as saying they wanted to take a more mature and less theatrical approach to World War II storytelling in games.

This paid off. It wasn't the only tactical shooter of 2005, however, compared to the media Medal of Honor or Call of duty The story of World War II at the time, it certainly struck a unique tone. Also, the game commanding the team was well done.

Commanding two teams was relatively simple, even considering the controls of the gamepad it was designed for. The game takes care to reinforce the idea of ​​pinning down and flanking the player's enemies, creating tactical opportunities to do so and discouraging the player from lone wolves by giving them an unsafe, semi-realistic objective. Despite his age, Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30 it still remains a worthwhile tactical experience.