10 Best First-Person Shooter Maps

First-person shooter (FPS) games have to make sure that their maps are enjoyable. Multiplayer is a primary factor in a lot of them. This means players will likely play the same maps hundreds if not thousands of times. Developers need to make sure that the maps are overall a well-rounded fun experience.

This list will primarily focus on FPS maps that are located in the multiplayer modes of various games. These maps will be based on many different factors. These factors include but are not limited to design, fairness in attacking and defending sides, and how iconic the map is for a franchise or specific game.

10. Clubhouse – Rainbow Six Siege

Rainbow Six Siege’s Clubhouse is something special. The setting taking place at a biker gang clubhouse makes way for a place where a bunch of ruthless thugs would hang out. The basement feels cavernous, and each room offers a different feel that stays within the theme.

There’s a lot to explore on both the attacking and defending sides in terms of tactical plays that can be made when planting and entering. The map has gone through some small reworks, and with the new operators that they added since its release, the defender to attacker side win rate is usually 50/50. Clubhouse is fun to play and worth learning as there are a lot of interesting tricks that can be done here. The map is kind of simple compared to other entries stylistically but offers a lot when it comes to playing a round where players don’t need to worry about being at a disadvantage.

9. Badlands – Team Fortress 2 

Team Fortress 2’s Badlands map is a recreation of a map by the same name in the original Team Fortress. The map might look bland at first glance, but has a lot to offer. The scenery changes with the bases, formations, and stylizations of the areas are interesting. The post-apocalyptic-looking backdrop is enough to make anyone wanting some Mad Max vibes in their games happy. 

Some of the other maps can feel unfair at times. People tend to camp spawns, but this map manages to make it so that this never feels like a problem. Playing Control Point as well as other modes on the map is nearly always enjoyable unless bots come in to ruin the fun.

8. Radec Academy – Killzone 2

Radec Academy in Killzone 2 is the school from which most Helghast soldiers graduate. It has a setting that feels active and alive as combat blows through its halls. It has spacious areas like a lecture hall that look more reminiscent of where a dictator would give their speech rather than a classroom. The academy gives the energy of total militarization. The spacious areas are contrasted by tight corridors.

The mix of tight and large areas makes it easy for players with any playstyle to adjust to the map. Overall, this is one of the most memorable and enjoyable Killzone maps. It’s great as far as aesthetic and build, but it doesn’t have as much pizazz as other maps on the list due to its somber tone.

7. Dust 2 – Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Dust 2 comes in as a recreation of a map that was made for the Half-Life mod called Counter-Strike. The map went through graphical changes with Counter-Strike: Global Offensive turning it into what players know now. The original de-dust map was not suited for competitive play, but creating Dust 2 and altering the layout changed that. It modified its old layout to the now popular four-square layout. This allowed for the map to become an option in competitive play.

Though an option on competitive, Dust 2 is now known by professional CS: GO players as a map that can’t be played as tactically as others. Even with its faults, Dust 2 is still one of the most iconic and most played maps in the world of competitive shooters. 

6. Rust – Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

There are a lot of Call of Duty games with even more maps, but Rust is a map that any Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 player will remember. It was a small map with a useful elevated center point. The map allowed for a lot of fun online and side-by-side play. A lot of people would use this map for customs–predominantly knifing-only matches. Rust was also frequently used to settled debates on ‘who was better’ since the small space allowed for great 1v1 matches.

The map’s industrial design and sandy backdrop made it a great area to pick off enemies. Players who were skilled at quick scoping or close-range combat could equally take advantage of its smaller scale. The map size also made it difficult for players who were trying to camp.

5. Fragmentation – Halo Infinite

For Halo players who like big team battle maps, Halo Infinite’s Fragmentation is one of the best. It is extremely balanced. The only unbalanced part of the map is that the canyon base spawn is at a disadvantage in that they have one less grappling hook near their spawn than their enemies.

There are a lot of interesting parts to the map. Players can go around unlocking giant beaming doors that lead into caverns with power weapons and power equipment. The sound design as well as the addition of animals scurrying around adds to the liveliness of the map. Fragmentation has a lot to offer in terms of gameplay with a ranging variety in the way players choose to take on battles.

4. Wake Island – Battlefield V

Wake Island has a long history as it’s one of the very first Battlefield maps to have ever been released. Battlefield V has Wake Island serving its highly chaotic island setting well. It’s a lot larger than in previous Battlefields which creates a more stable flow of combat. This makes it so the space around the map feels more balanced so that players don’t feel overwhelmed.

 The setting is also as gorgeous as ever with added terrain that make the island vegetation shine against the sun. All forms of combat seem viable and offer a constant flow of enjoyable combat on land, air, and sea. The map is phenomenal and something every FPS fan should witness.

3. Takodana: Maz’s Castle – Battlefront 2

Takadona: Maz’s Castle in Battlefront 2 is a castle that was introduced into the Star Wars universe with The Force Awakens. This map will have the attacking side capturing key points while they push deeper into the forest to reach Maz’s Castle while the defending side tries to hold them back. Once attackers reach the intricately designed castle, the large open areas of the forest turn into the tight corridors of the castle, offering a more constricted flow to combat.

Star Wars: Battlefront 2 is a weird entry on this list as it serves the function of both a third-person and first-person shooter, but the fact that this is one of the most astonishing maps in terms of range and diversity is undeniable.

2. Dorado – Overwatch 

Overwatch’s Dorado brings players in with catchy Latin music. The map’s setting looks more like the set of a high-budget romance movie than that of a AAA hero shooter when it starts. As players progress, the map begins to feel more like a heist. Then, the map switches up again when the bomb is led into a lab-like space. Every payload stop and corner is full of something new. While traversed, it tells a story through visual cues that players notice more and more with each game on the map.

Dorado is also a fairly balanced map with battle.net forums revealing that the map has a 49.66 percent win rate on attack and 50.6 percent on defense.

1. Pearl – Valorant

Pearl is the most astonishing map that Valorant has to offer. It’s a setting that feels as intricate as the gameplay. The map takes place in an underwater area whose coordinates indicate that it’s in Lisbon, Portugal. This is also further shown through the map’s complex architectural design that can be found in all of the buildings.  

This map is distinctive from other Valorant maps. It forces the player to constantly have their guard up with all of the corners placed around it. The map also makes it so that attackers are pushing down on defenders. This is a wonderful map mechanic that players can’t abuse. The only downside to Pearl is that playing on it feels complicated at first. After players learn the ins and outs of the map, it quickly grows on them and adds quaint energy to the tumultuous game.