The best multiplayer shooters, according to Hacker News commenters
17 multiplayer shooters were recommended on Hacker News between November 2025 and October 2026. We rank them by how many separate people recommend each one, and 1 earns the Hacker Approved badge.
On Hacker News, the most recommended multiplayer shooter that earns the badge is Arc Raiders: 44 people recommended it, 7 had mixed feelings and 10 criticized it between November 2025 and October 2026.
Top pick
The most recommended multiplayer shooter with the badge. Each figure is 5 people. RecommendsMixed feelingsCriticizes One comment
Runs well on Linux and Proton
“Arc Raiders is a great example of a modern and popular multiplayer game that works with proton”
Comment from 3 Dec 2025 in “Valve reveals it’s the architect behind a push to bring Windows games to Arm” Multiplayer shooter that runs well on Linux and Proton, with few cheaters reported by many players. Critics point to poor performance and cheating.
All 17 multiplayer shooters, ranked
Select a column heading to sort. Mixed counts the people with mixed feelings, who count toward neither side. Approval share is recommenders out of recommenders and critics; the tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs. Months counts the months, out of 12, in which someone recommended it. Had for is the median time people say they have had or used it, shown when 10 or more said.
| Rank | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arc Raiders | 44 | 7 | 10 | 81% | 10 | — | Approved |
| 2 | Counter-Strike | 19 | 10 | 17 | 53% | 9 | — | — |
| 3 | Counter-Strike 2 | 18 | 8 | 17 | 51% | 9 | — | — |
| 4 | Marathon by Bungie | 13 | 2 | 13 | 50% | 8 | — | — |
| Tied 5 | Overwatch 2 | 12 | 9 | 21 | 36% | 8 | — | — |
| Tied 5 | Team Fortress 2 | 12 | 4 | 11 | 52% | 7 | — | — |
| 7 | Fortnite | 11 | 22 | 53 | 17% | 7 | — | — |
| 8 | Xonotic | 9 | 2 | 1 | 90% | 7 | — | — |
| Tied 9 | Squad | 7 | 0 | 1 | 88% | 6 | — | — |
| Tied 9 | The Division | 7 | 2 | 1 | 88% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 9 | Valorant | 7 | 6 | 20 | 26% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 12 | The Finals | 6 | 3 | 2 | 75% | 5 | — | — |
| Tied 12 | America's Army | 6 | 0 | 2 | 75% | 4 | — | — |
| Tied 12 | Left 4 Dead | 6 | 0 | 1 | 86% | 3 | — | — |
| Tied 12 | BZFlag | 6 | 0 | 2 | 75% | 2 | — | — |
| Tied 16 | Starsiege: Tribes | 5 | 0 | 0 | 100% | 2 | — | — |
| Tied 16 | Battlefield 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
How we rank
Rank is the number of separate people who recommend a product in a Hacker News comment between November 2025 and October 2026. Someone who praises the same multiplayer shooter in five threads counts once, in the column of their latest opinion.
A multiplayer shooter earns the badge when at least 10 people recommend it, recommenders outnumber critics at least 2 to 1 (mixed feelings count toward neither side), it was recommended in at least 4 of the 12 months and in at least 5 different threads, and no single thread supplies more than half of the people who recommend it.
Rankings are never for sale. We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. It never changes the order.
Counts come from Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 2 Nov 2026. How it works