Environmental interaction is a hallmark of some of the best video games ever made. When players can mess around with objects in the environment it gives them an immediate feeling that their actions matter. The first-person shooters below are all notable for their great physics, both in the way enemies die and in how the world is malleable in numerous ways.

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They are not always realistic, but that is not always important. Of course, none of these games' physics systems would matter without great design to back them up. Considering how old some of these games are, it is impressive to see what they did with the technology available to them back in the day.

10 Half-Life 2

A Revolution In Physics Thanks To Ragdolls & The Gravity Gun

The source engine was revolutionary when it premiered with Half-Life 2. Not only did it present a whole new world of graphical fidelity, but so much of the environment was movable. The developers knew how fun this would be and included the Gravity Gun as one of the game's staple weapons.

The Ravenholm chapter takes advantage of this in full force as players are forced to sling objects in the environment into the zomie-like enemies instead of traditional weaponry. The game also uses its physics system for some of the puzzles.

9 Trepang2

Satisfying Ragdoll Mechanics & Weighted Weaponry

Despite the "2" in the title, Trepang2 is a new IP. However, it takes obvious influence from the mid-2000s first-person shooter series F.E.A.R., where movement plays a huge factor in gameplay and players can slow down time to line up shots and dodge bullets.

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The physics contribute to this constant momentum in combat as enemies fly back as they are shot and sometimes are torn into various pieces. The story offers plenty of opportunities for physics carnage, but their is also a simulator room in the game's hub that allows players to engage in more arcade-like modes focused purely on action.

8 Crysis

Destroy Environments With Immersive Physics

For a time, everyone was obsessed with how beautiful Crysis was. The graphics are indeed incredible but that's only a fraction of what makes this game so enjoyable.

Crysis built upon what developer Crytek was doing already with the first Far Cry, presenting mini sadboxes for players to explore and fight inside. Within the levels players could control vehicles and destroy much of the environment. It was extremely satisfying shooting a rocket at a house and watching the pieces fly outward.

7 Cold Winter

A Gorey PS2 Game With Interactive Environments

This PS2 exclusive first-person shooter was really pushing the console to its limit. Not only were the deaths gruesomely detailed with the ability to dismember bodies, but players could also manipulate much of the environment.

Players could pick up various objects and even kick over larger tables to improvise cover from gunfire. Cold Winter has a heavy feel to it and it makes every safe haven from gunfire feel important, so players would be wise to take advantage of the physics to give themselves a moment of respite.

6 Tresspasser

Ambitious With Interactable Environments, But Without Payoff

Most of the games on this list offer something of value beyond great physics. Tresspasser is the exception. The game is commendable for its ambition, but the execution falls flat for a variety of reasons.

The physics system is the main part of the game, allowing players to pick up almost any object in the environment and use it as a weapon. However, it hardly ever works, making the game almost unplayable. It is still interesting to admire the ambition and wonder what it could have been had the game been given enough polish.

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4 F.E.A.R.

First-Person Gunplay Influenced By The Matrix Mixed With Terror

F.E.A.R. does not have much in the way of interactive objects, but the way bullets interact with enemies is enough to warrant its place on the list. The way the character moves feels like something out of The Matrix,Max Payne, or a John Woo movie and the death animations reflect this hyper-stylized action.

Enemies fly into the air and bounce around the environment as players dispose of them. There is even a nail gun that can pin enemies to the wall and hang them in place.

3 Teardown

It's All About Destroying The Environment

This game is not about combat in the slightest and is more of a puzzle game based on destruction. The voxel graphics allow for intensely detailed destruction. Most of the game tasks players with destroying something or reaching an objective surrounded by destructible objects.

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The mere idea of being dropped into a destructible sandbox like this is enough fun on its own, but the pressure of real objectives gives the game an extra boost in quality.

2 The Finals

Destroy Opponents And The Environments

On its surface, The Finals does not look different from any other multiplayer shooter. That changes once one spends some time within the game, however. Environmental destruction plays a huge role in the ways matches play out.

This has been a part of FPS games in the past like Red Faction and Battlefield, but rarely has it been as dynamic and vital to the way a match feels. Different matches on the same map can go in so many different directions depending on how the players tear it up with explosives.

1 Half-Life: Alyx

Taking Immersive VR To The Next Level

Valve does not make a game unless they are confident it will bring about some sort of technological innovation. The first Half-Life used new tech to tell a story in a new way, the sequel brought about a new physics system far beyond what other games offered, and Half-Life: Alyx is one of the most detailed VR games ever released.

The world accounts for almost everything the player can do in the VR format to an almost absurd degree. In other FPS games, the interaction with the world is mostly through shooting and maybe an action button. Half-Life: Alyx knows players can now touch and feel the world.

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