Best Shooter games See all
The rarest Shooter games See all
$699 
$658 $645 
$3500 
$526 
$828 
$531 
$531 
$637 
$1611 
$571 
$571 
$1018 
$1637 
$695 
$1532 
$828 
$850 Best Shooter games by console
Shooter tops to explore See all
Shooter games in video game history
The shoot-'em-up is one of the oldest genres in gaming. After Space Invaders in 1978, scrolling shooters (Gradius, R-Type) established power-ups and pattern memorization in the 1980s. Then came the Japanese 'bullet-hell' school, where the screen fills with fire: a demanding genre focused on scoring and performance.
Its peaks are revered: Gradius and R-Type defined the horizontal shooter, Radiant Silvergun became a cult work of art from Treasure and DoDonPachi pushed bullet-hell to its extreme. Ikaruga, Thunder Force and Deathsmiles complete a pantheon of craftsmen.
For collectors, the shoot-'em-up is THE collector's genre: tiny print runs, Japanese exclusives and Cave or Treasure editions reach spectacular values, especially complete. On RomWize, every shoot-'em-up is retested and re-rated for 2026, with its rarity index and collector value (loose, complete and new) by region; the 'by console' section above helps you explore the best, machine by machine.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best Shooter games?
RomWize's ranking of the best Shooter games is based on a dual score — the original-era rating and a 2026 re-evaluation — to highlight the titles that still stand out today.
Which Shooter games are the rarest and most valuable?
For every Shooter game, we track a rarity index and a collector value (loose, complete and new) by region. The 'rarest' section highlights the hardest titles to find.
On which consoles can you find the best Shooter games?
The 'by console' section ranks platforms by their number of Shooter games, so you can explore the best titles console by console.