Eight years after Battleborn and Overwatch battled over the newly coined multiplayer subgenre known as “hero shooter,” we are suddenly seeing a glut of new releases and major updates.
We’ve got details on the recent and upcoming hero shooters you may or may not have heard of in 2024.
But first — what is a “hero shooter?”
What is a ‘Hero Shooter?’
A hero shooter is a competitive, team-based multiplayer game that features distinctive characters instead of generic soldiers or custom avatars.
Though the genre wasn’t yet defined, Team Fortress, and particularly the explosive popularity of Team Fortress 2 in the mid 2000s, brought this new flavor to multiplayer shooters. Instead of everyone having equal access to guns and other weapons, players chose asymmetrical characters or classes to embody, with unique abilities.
But it wasn’t until a decade later that hero shooters truly became their own genre.
In 2016, two hero shooters, Gearbox’s Battleborn and Blizzard’s Overwatch, launched within months of each other. While they had their differences (Battleborn had an entire PvE campaign, for example), both games utilized a roster of 20+ distinct “heroes,” each with unique abilities, weaponry, and roles for competitive matches.
But there’s only so much game to go around for online multiplayer, and Overwatch quickly proved the much more popular game.
Overwatch Domination
True to Blizzard’s history, Overwatch became a genre-defining hit, and few others could compete.
Other me-too hero shooters came and went with little fanfare, such as Lawbreakers. The most successful attempts have been backed by other major studios, using a hybrid of the classic formula. Notably EA’s Apex Legends in 2019 (which is half hero shooter, half Battle Royale), and Riot Games’ Valorant in 2020 (which is very Counter-Strike-y).
Overwatch would launch new characters, modes, maps, and events through the years, culminating in an awkward switch to Overwatch 2 in 2022.
However, the sequel shift left many fans dissatisfied. The ambitious PvE gameplay mode was completely scrapped a year after its release. And new characters were locked behind the premium battle pass (which has only recently changed this year).
Just as it seems the genre may be growing stale, this year we’re seeing a sudden influx of hero shooters, some backed by major IP, and others with original worlds. For the first time years, genre fans can enjoy multiple new options.
Star Wars: Hunters
One of the most underrated Star Wars games in years, Hunters is a scaled-down hero shooter designed for mobile platforms and Nintendo Switch. But simplicity can also be a strength. Smaller maps and smaller teams (4v4) allow for more intimate matches. And it’s far easier to learn and counter a roster of only about a dozen characters (for now).
While it lacks the big-name characters of Star Wars lore, it features all the lightsabers, blasters, droids, and wookies you’d expect, along with fun maps such as Vader’s Castle, or Ewok Village.
Star Wars: Hunters is free-to-play, but locks most of its characters behind the premium currency. Players earn crystals slowly through playing, as well as through the Hunter’s Path, a slow but consistent progression that unlocks each hero in a set order. Other monetization includes the usual assortment of skins, victory poses, and emotes, as well as a premium battle pass (which includes the newest characters).
Release: Now
Platforms: Switch, mobile (iOS, Android)
ESRB Rating: T for Teen
Concord
[Update 9/02/24: Sony announced that Concord will be taken offline on Sept. 6, and players will receive refunds.]
Concord is a sobering reminder of how difficult it is to launch a live service, online-only multiplayer shooter, especially without familiar characters. Despite the backing of PlayStation Publishing, this original hero shooter from ex-Destiny developers is already floundering just days after launch.
Most hero shooters are free-to-play, with random loot boxes, battle passes, and/or premium skins. But Concord opted for a different route: a premium price tag that includes everything.
It’s a model that many online players dream about, yet the results are speaking for themselves. Concord has failed to drum up much interest in its original sci-fi world, and the price tag may be keeping too many players from trying it out.
Gameplay is similar to Destiny when it comes to guns, movement, and abilities — but perhaps Destiny’s PvP doesn’t translate very well to a traditional hero shooter model. Concord may have to go free-to-play, but it could be too little, too late in a crowded genre.
Release: Now
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5
ESRB Rating: T for Teen
Marvel Rivals
Boasting one of the most recognizable roster of any game in the genre, Marvel Rivals is the most Overwatch-like game of the bunch. The superhero shooter aims to iterate rather than reinvent, building on what made Overwatch a classic all those years ago: a dynamic roster, 6v6 gameplay, and tried and true objective-based game modes.
Rivals also features real-time environmental damage, and nifty team-up bonuses that reflect comic book history and themes. Team-up bonuses unlock new powers and bonuses for certain combinations, such as Spider-Man getting some symbiote enhancements alongside Venom, or Rocket Racoon riding on Groot’s shoulders.
Netease Games has nailed the presentation and art style — even the menus are dynamic and fun to navigate. And perhaps the best news: all heroes will be fully unlocked and free to play.
After a successful closed beta test, this hero shooter is ready for prime time when it launches later this year.
Release: December 6
Platforms: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S
ESRB Rating: T for Teen
Deadlock
From Sean Walker/The Verge
Don’t feel bad if you haven’t heard of Valve’s new hero shooter — it hasn’t technically been officially announced yet. After details began leaking a few months ago, Valve quietly put up a store page on Steam with a barest of details: “a multiplayer game in early development.”
According to leaks and a preview (which resulted in the author getting banned), Deadlock is a hybridization of hero shooter and MOBA, and has tens of thousands of invite-only playtesters under an NDA.
Deadlock has the hero shooter part with dozens of distinct characters with unique abilities. But the match is full of constantly respawning NPC troopers that march toward opponents in a lane-based map — exactly like a classic MOBA.
Valve has kept Deadlock under a tight lockdown. Will this be the next Team Fortress 2 or DOTA 2, or whimper into obscurity, as with Artifact? And more importantly, when are they going to announce the worst kept secret in gaming?
Release: TBA
Platforms: PC
ESRB Rating: TBA
