A Love Letter to the Third-Person Cover Shooter

Let’s rewind to the late 2000s. The gaming world had a strange obsession with drab, grayish-brown colors. New games across all types were taking advantage of the power of the first next-generation consoles, but unfortunately, a lot of them also featured music by the band Godsmack.

Third-person cover shooters were the most popular game genre of the last decade. Games like Ghost Recon and Gears of War really defined this trend. Gears of War especially revolutionized gaming, and it’s easy to see why – it simply made sense to add cover to the run-and-gun gameplay we’d been used to.

This improvement initially made games feel much more realistic and enjoyable, even breathing life into otherwise average titles that used it. However, the trend abruptly ended. Third-person cover shooters have largely disappeared, and I’m trying to understand the reasons behind their decline.

4. The Disappearance of the Get Down

Where’s My Cover, Man?

There haven’t been many third-person cover shooters released in recent years. While games like Hitman include that style of gameplay, it’s not the main focus. Mind’s Eye, the Mafia remake, and Helldivers 2 (which is a multiplayer game) are a few others, but that’s about it. We used to get at least five games like this every year, and now it’s hard to even remember that many from the last ten years.

The cover-based shooter genre had become quite repetitive and felt a bit outdated, but its recent disappearance has made me realize how much I missed it. I even found myself enjoying a game called Mind’s Eye just because it reminded me of those classic titles. I really like this type of shooter, but lately, my only options have been replaying older games like Gears of War or playing Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, which came out seven years ago.

This update improved the game’s feel, making experiences more realistic and enjoyable. It even made previously lackluster games at least somewhat playable.

It’s really disappointing to see so few modern games prioritize skillful, tactical combat. Many would be much better if they did! Shooters, in particular, have become less engaging to play, and a key issue is that they don’t encourage or even allow players to strategically use cover.

3. Games That Thrived Behind Cover

Only Made Things Better

If you’re skeptical about my point of view, let’s look at some games that really benefited from this approach. Games like Gears of War are prime examples, but the Mass Effect series also used it effectively to create a more realistic feel for its futuristic combat. Mastering the cover system was key to how the gameplay improved, especially in Mass Effect 2.

Spec Ops: The Line was another fantastic game that really benefited from its cover system. It was a realistic and intense military shooter with a story that truly grabbed you. Without the cover mechanic, the game wouldn’t have worked as well. In fact, it set a good standard – even games that copied its style, like The Bureau, felt pretty solid. The Bureau, a Mass Effect-inspired game with fun storytelling and good use of cover, was an enjoyable experience thanks to its gameplay.

The rise of cover-based shooting has also benefited older games like Army of Two and Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, which I particularly enjoy. These games used cover naturally, making it feel essential when your character’s survival was at stake. Max Payne 3 is another great example. While the first two games were fast-paced and action-focused, the third aimed for a more realistic feel, so incorporating cover made the gameplay much more believable.

2. The Games That Missed the Boat

Why Have We Gone Backwards?

It’s surprising how many games still prominently feature guns. Despite a perception that gaming has become more sensitive and guns are less common, that’s not really true overall. While newer games might be different, there are still plenty of science fiction and fantasy shooters that rely heavily on gunplay.

The shooting mechanics in these games just aren’t very good. I enjoyed a lot of aspects of The Outer Worlds 2, but the combat was really frustrating. The levels are designed with plenty of cover, but it’s oddly unusable – you can crouch behind it, but your head still pops up, making you an easy target. It feels like the developers didn’t implement a proper cover system, and it completely ruins the immersion.

Taking cover was a common feature in games, and it felt natural when it was. It was especially important in games where the goal was to create a sense of real danger and make players feel like their character’s life was at risk.

I really enjoyed playing Starfield overall, but the combat is a major weak point. There’s a lot of it, and unfortunately, it just doesn’t feel good. It’s frustrating because the enemies use cover effectively, but you’re stuck with a very basic crouching mechanic. I’m hoping a mod will come out to improve the third-person shooting, as the lack of a proper cover system really holds it back.

Taking cover during a gunfight should be automatic in any game – it’s what you’d do in real life! It’s frustrating that Starfield, a game aiming for realism, has such clunky and unrealistic shooting. I’ve wondered about this for a long time and probably won’t get an answer, but hopefully, future updates will improve things.

1. We’re Bringing Cover Back

In 2026, Look to the East

I’ve really wanted to see a specific gameplay feature return to modern video games, and it looks like 2026 might finally deliver! Hopefully, upcoming games will show other developers how great this feature is and encourage them to include it regularly. The first game to potentially lead the way is 007: First Light, coming out soon. IO Interactive, known for the Hitman series, seems to have given me exactly what I was hoping for – classic third-person cover shooting gameplay.

The game features a lot of interesting elements, and that’s really the key. We don’t need shooting games to simply focus on constant gunfights, because that’s what led to so many similar games flooding the market. However, if a third-person shooter is going to include guns, it needs to be well-designed, and thankfully, 007: First Light is a recent example of a game that really gets it right. If it’s successful – and these games often are – other developers will take notice and likely incorporate those successful features into their own games.

Several games are planning to include this gameplay style this year, including the promising Blackwood, which is set to release soon. However, Grand Theft Auto 6 is expected to heavily feature third-person cover shooting and could popularize it again. This style of gameplay has been a key part of the Grand Theft Auto series since Grand Theft Auto 4, and it’s almost certain to return in the next installment, even though we haven’t seen much gameplay yet.

Considering how well Red Dead Redemption 2 handled cover, we can expect Grand Theft Auto 6 to have excellent cover mechanics too. While other games might do it well, none have the same proven track record as a Grand Theft Auto title. Each new GTA game essentially sets a new standard for the entire industry, redefining how games are played and experienced, and I anticipate the same will be true for GTA 6.

2026-05-09 16:41