Best Free Online Shooter Games You Can Play in Your Browser, No Download

Shooters are the biggest genre on PlayKovo after action and arcade, with more than 100 shooting games in the catalog. They are not all the same kind of game, though. Some need a keyboard and mouse, some are built for a phone, some drop you into a lobby with real players and some are single-player from start to finish. Here is how to pick one without opening five tabs.

If you want a classic tactical FPS

CS Lite is a stripped-down browser FPS on familiar tactical shooter maps. Move with WASD, aim and fire with the mouse, reload with R. It is desktop only, and that is the whole pitch: no menus to dig through, you load in and shoot.

Counter-Shooter Online is a team FPS with private servers, bot fill-in and a wide weapon selection. The bot fill-in matters: if a lobby is half empty, bots take the open slots, so you are not stuck waiting. Call of Battle and Standout Strike: Counter Attack are in the same family. Call of Battle is built around capturing and holding key positions on the map, and Standout Strike puts rebels against security forces with an emphasis on reaction time and teamwork.

If you want to play alone

Underrun is a single-player run through a hacked facility. You play a lone hacker-soldier, shoot rogue spider-bots and sentries, and reboot every CPU on the level to unlock the exit. Move with the arrow keys or WASD, aim with the mouse and hold the left button to shoot. Click once in the game window before you start so it takes your input.

If you want real players

Arena: Online Shooter runs team combat, capture-the-banner and free-for-all across sandy villages, cities and construction zones. It works on desktop and mobile. KS Zone Online is the online multiplayer sequel to KS Z, matched against real players, and LOLShot.io is a first-person shooter built around aerial movement and combos. Both are desktop only.

Multiplayer lobbies in browser games can be quiet at off-peak hours. If you land in an empty room, try another time of day or pick a game that fills with bots. Our guide on telling real players from bots in .io games explains what to look for.

If you want something faster and lighter

Color Brawls trades realism for bright colors and quick multiplayer arenas. Move with WASD or the arrow keys, shoot with left-click, and use the on-screen joystick on mobile. Paintballz.io is a paintball shooter where one hit tags a player, so the first good shot wins. It supports up to 18 players in team or free-for-all modes; we wrote a full Paintballz.io guide with modes, maps and controls. Obby: Battle Arena mixes third-person gunplay with an obby arena, and it also has its own controls and tips guide.

A shooter that is not really a shooter

Weapon Simulator 3D is a firearm simulator on a shooting range. You switch firing modes, reload, work the bolt and unlock guns by interacting with the weapon parts directly with the mouse or by touch. There is no enemy to defeat, so it suits people who just want to handle the guns.

Tips before you start

• Check the device tag. Many of the FPS games on this list are desktop only. If you are on a phone, filter for games that support all devices.
• Click inside the game first. Browsers need a click before they hand the mouse over for aiming. If the camera does not move, click the game window once.
• Lower the sensitivity. If a game has a settings menu, a slightly lower mouse sensitivity usually helps with early accuracy.
• Use headphones. Footsteps are a real advantage in the tactical games. Keep the volume at a level you can sit with for a long session.

If you are brand new to the genre, start with our aim tips for beginners, then browse the full shooting games category. Every game above runs in your browser with no download and no sign-up.