The Shoot 'Em Up Zone

Shooters about dodging waves, firing constantly, and clearing patterned enemy attacks.

Latest Standouts

Recent releases that landed well, newest first, filtered to games with enough reviews to trust the score.

Soulforge Lost Path - In ’Soulforge Lost Path ‘, become a legendary hunter slaughtering endless Corrupted Souls. Scavenge Sacred Remains to forge Exorcist Artefacts, manage limited inventory strategically, and uncover the world's festering corruption truth.
FISH - FISH is a Platformer Run & Gun Shooter where you play as an armed FISH violently exploring through multiple levels. The game features a funny, unique stylized artstyle that could get a chuckle out of you!
Ogre Chambers 2222 - SURVIVE in a transforming arena against ALIEN OGRES in this ROGUELIKE BULLET-HELL 💥 MODIFY your gun, make smart upgrade decisions and master your spaceship's controls to conquer the OGRE CHAMBERS !
Alien Strike: Blasting the Intruders - Slide, jump and shoot in 8 directions in this explosive Run 'n Gun for up to 3 players! Swap weapons in real time, activate insane specials and take on alien bosses in an action-packed invasion of retro mayhem!
Survivor Mercs - Purge the billionaires' robot army with your Merc squad! Fast-paced twin-stick action, frantic horde survival, tactical squad-building & tons of loot! Exploit game-breaking synergies to beat the M.E.G.A. Corp. bosses in ever-changing operations. Lock, load, and loot, Commander!
Nautical Survival - Captain an armed sea vessel to fight off hordes of oceanic terrors! Navigate between outposts to upgrade your boat, equip powerful weapons, manage your economy and hire crew members to your aid in this unique take on the survivors-like formula.
Haunted Lands - Slay grim cultists, infernal minions, and nightmarish creatures in this dark and bloody retro-inspired action platformer. Uncover secrets, acquire powerful artifacts, and face challenging bosses in the Haunted Lands.
Genome Guardian 2 - COMBINE WEAPONS in the microscopic shooter with macroscopic depth. BUILD YOUR NANOBOT from hundreds of parts. SURVIVE the microbial onslaught once more in this psychedelic dive to the Abyss, full of mutations, minerals, anomalies and powerup polyps. SHMUP mode turns it into a vertical shoot 'em up!
Sausage Hunter - Help a kitten armed with a blaster catch the magic sausage! Overcome obstacles, solve puzzles, and battle enemies in this thrilling platformer with hand-drawn graphics and pleasant music.
R.I.P. - Reincarnation Insurance Program - Welcome to the Reincarnation Insurance Program! This top-down roguelite shooter blends Diablo-style looting with Survivor-like mayhem. Face screen-filling zombie tides, use Divine Tech to liquidate them into ash, and farm god-tier gear to forge your OP build.

On Sale Now

Discounted 25% or more right now, limited to well-reviewed games, steepest cuts first.

Polygoneer - Test your reflexes in POLYGONEER, defend yourself from prolygonal shapes taht comes from everywhere, just hitting is not enough you need to match the right color shot to the polygon too! Are you ready for the challenge?
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Aug 24, 2017
80% 👍
of 1.8k
Cyberhunt - Cyberhunt is a retro procedurally generated twin stick shooter, that takes you back to the sweet to the sweet arcade machines era!
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May 19, 2017
85% 👍
of 2.9k
Planes, Bullets and Vodka - Fly through danger filled procedurally generated tunnels, avoiding thousands of enemies, on this throwback to the golden age of arcade games.
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Dec 13, 2016
85% 👍
of 3.0k
The Knight Witch - The Knight Witch is a metroidvania adventure game with fast-paced, shoot 'em up combat set in a beautifully hand-drawn world. Cast devastating card-based spells, forge close bonds, and make moral choices all in your quest to save your home and discover who's behind the War Golem invasion.
METAL SLUG 2 - “METAL SLUG 2”, the 2nd entry in SNK’s emblematic 2D run & gun action shooting game returns to the battlefield on the Steam gaming platform!
METAL SLUG - “METAL SLUG ”, the very first title in SNK’s legendary 2D run & gun action shooting game series where all began, returns to the missions on the Steam gaming platform!
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Jun 25, 2015
89% 👍
of 5.1k
METAL SLUG X - “METAL SLUG X”, one of the most highly praised titles in the series among Metal Slug fans for its refined balance and game volume, heads out to the Steam gaming platform!
METAL SLUG 3 - “METAL SLUG 3”, the masterpiece in SNK’s emblematic 2D run & gun action shooting game series, still continues to fascinate millions of fans worldwide to this day for its intricate dot-pixel graphics, and simple and intuitive game controls, heads out to the Steam gaming platform!
Larva Mortus - Larva Mortus is a fast-paced hack and slash top-down shooter. As an agent specializing in exorcism, you are tasked to hunt monsters of the supernatural in a dark, ominous, and randomly generated atmosphere full of undead, terrifying and demonic nightmares.
HYPER DEMON - HYPER DEMON is an FPS like no other. a pearl of lightning. a dream from the future. a drop of poison. a swan song. The faster you slay demons, the harder the game and the higher your score. There is an end. Will it see you?
The Citadel - The Citadel is a brutal first person shooter, and a love letter to classic games such as Marathon, Doom and Wolfenstein 3d. Descend into the depths of a dark citadel, and fight through 6 Episodes and 30 levels of action packed with 6 challenging bosses. Go forth, Martyr.
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Aug 5, 2020
93% 👍
of 3.0k
DEMON'S TILT - TURBO CHARGED PINBALL RETURNS! Now with bigger sprites, more baddies, more secrets & MORE BULLETS! Demon's Tilt pushes the limits of the Video Pinball genre with SHMUP & Hack N' Slash elements.

Hidden Gems

Well-liked but under-played: strong scores, small review counts.

Contract Rush DX - Contract Rush DX is a hand-animated 2D Shoot 'Em Up, with multiple playable characters. Explore the world, collect powerful upgrades throughout levels, and unleash them to defeat difficult boss battles!
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Jul 30, 2025
100% 👍
of 270
Like Dreamer - A pop and cute bullet-hell shooting game from Cosmo Dreamer "Outside". Both beginners and experts can enjoy speedy and active playing.
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Jul 21, 2022
100% 👍
of 172
DEVIL BLADE REBOOT - An immersive pseudo-3D shoot 'em up experience that pushes the limits of pixel art. Push your score higher with the innovative Berserk System: the closer they are, the more points you get!
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May 23, 2024
99% 👍
of 829
Platypus Reclayed - 22 years after its first appearance, the iconic Platypus is coming back, featuring updated gameplay, new weapons and additional content. Get ready to dive into the heart-pounding action of this fast, frantic, and incredibly fun arcade-style shoot-em-up!
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Sep 17, 2025
99% 👍
of 667
fox soldier - "FOXSOLDIER"is an action RPG hardcore sci-fi adventure game with multiplayer competition as the core.Only use the left and right buttons of the mouse to operate the 4 action systems of shooting, long sword, kung fu and locomotive.
BLUE REVOLVER - Fight, fly, flourish! BLUE REVOLVER is a manic arcade-style shoot-em-up built for newcomers and psychos alike. Powerful special weapons cut through tough areas, while an adaptive difficulty system tailors the game to your skill level as you evade and counter a maniac environmental force!
Chicken Invaders 4 - They came without warning, squawking menacingly, their ruffled feathers darkening the sun. Invading intergalactic chickens, out to punish humanity for our oppression of their earthly brethren. Now they're back, and they're having Earth for dinner!
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Jun 6, 2014
98% 👍
of 612
Black Gunner Wukong - Wukong Survivors" is a TPS + ROGUE game where players control Sun Wukong and his friends, sweeping through all visible enemies and rescuing their captured master.
Neko Navy - Flying cats versus 10,000 soothing characters! What awaits them beyond all those furious midair fights...? Witness the world's most shocking ending for yourself!
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Jun 14, 2017
98% 👍
of 162
Maiden and Spell - Maiden & Spell is a magical girl battle game, set in a cutesy fantasy world. Select from one of eight young ladies to battle 1 on 1 with a friend, or fight your way through a series of bosses and learn the secrets of The Kingdom of Stars.
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Feb 24, 2020
97% 👍
of 964

Top Rated

Defining examples of the genre, all rated 85%+ across 1,000+ reviews.

The Void Rains Upon Her Heart - Help her heart battle tough bosses in this Boss Rush, Bullet-hell with rogue-like elements. Fight through several randomly chosen boss battles leading up to a final battle. Each defeated monster will give her random gifts that power up her heart. Don't let her heart break!
I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES 1N IT!!!1 - A top down twin stick zombie slaying shooter that you are sure to play again and again!
Voidigo - A vividly animated action roguelite focused on boss hunting. Unleash an array of diverse weapons and powerups to combat the corruption of the Void.
Star of Providence - Star of Providence is a top down action shooter with procedurally generated elements. Explore a large, abandoned facility in search of incredible power, fighting dangerous foes and gaining new weapons and upgrades as you progress.
TouHou Makuka Sai ~ Fantastic Danmaku Festival Part II - Touhou Makuka Sai ~ Fantastic Danmaku Festival part II is a danmaku shooting game, which is the second part of Touhou Makuka Sai. The repeat of incident is coming again. Can the girls going to the netherworld solve the mystery?
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Mar 18, 2019
97% 👍
of 2.6k
Mushihimesama - Battle huge "Koju" bugs in CAVE's beautiful fantasy shooter, Mushihimesama. Experience the thrill of bullet hell from the masters of the genre as you evade visually stunning shot patterns with thousands of bullets.
Shotgun Witch - Only armed with a double barrel shotgun, go through waves of hell spawns to get your book back! A bullet hell arena shooter!
Iron Meat - Iron Meat is a run-and-gun arcade shooter that immerses players in an apocalyptic future overrun by "The Meat," an iron-ravenous mass mutating everything in its path. Blast your way through retro-inspired stages and bosses to uncover the shocking horrors behind secret experiments on the Moon.
KUNKUN Defender - KUNKUN Defender is an FPS + tower defense game where players need to resist zombie invasions in different regions affected by a virus outbreak until a helicopter comes for rescue.
Nova Drift - Nova Drift distills the mechanical depth and strategy of an ARPG into classic arcade space combat. Control an endlessly evolving bio-mechanical ship, face legions of strange and deadly foes, and ride the wake of a dying star across the void.
Bit Blaster XL - Bit Blaster XL is a fast-paced, retro arcade shoot 'em up (shmup) inspired by the classic quarter-munchers of the ‘80s. Easy to pick up, hard to put down, boost, dodge, shoot, and chase high scores in this addictive, old-school action game!
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Jan 22, 2016
96% 👍
of 6.2k