Blizzard's Overwatch is one of the biggest hero shooters in the industry. When it was released in 2016, players fell in love with Overwatch's diverse characters, multiple playstyles, and strategic gameplay. The game then used seasonal events, frequent updates, animated shorts, and a professional e-sports league to keep those players engaged while also attracting new ones. The game has managed to maintain an impressively large and dedicated player base all these years after its release, with many of the game's characters becoming iconic personalities.
Of course, many fans are also waiting for Overwatch 2 to release, which promises to drastically change the game and add multiple new heroes and maps. For fans who are waiting for the sequel, or who want to support the developers at Blizzard who recently staged a walkout over poor working conditions, there is a wide variety of other shooters that players can check out. Of course, when looking at Overwatch, its most defining features are its cast of characters that each boast their own loadout and abilities, as well as its strategic, objective-focused gameplay that requires teams to play smartly together if they want to be successful.
Team Fortress 2
Long before Overwatch was even a teaser at BlizzCon, Team Fortress 2 was alive and well as one of the industry's first hero shooters. The game features nine different classes for players to use when battling out over a massive number of objective-based maps. Some maps will feel familiar to Overwatch players, as they feature escort or capture objectives, while others offer other game modes as well. Each class also offers an entirely different way to play the game, like sniping, healing, building turrets, or disguising as an enemy player. Despite the game's age, Team Fortress 2 also still has a sizable player base that keeps on growing.
Team Fortress 2 also offers players a number of cosmetics to unlock as well as a PvE mode known as Man vs. Machine for players who want to take a break from the competitive online matches. However, players should also be aware that the game has struggled with bots recently, which has been frustrating for the game's community. The development team has already taken steps to help curb the issue, but it has not taken long for bots to return to Team Fortress 2. Hopefully, the team will be able to fix the issue soon so that the game's community can continue enjoying the game.
Valorant
The easiest way to describe Valorant is to say that it is a game made from combining Overwatch with Counter-Strike. Valorant features a number of playable characters that each have their own tactical abilities, while featuring an economy system and gunplay similar to that of Counter-Strike. The mix has proven to be quite popular, as many former Overwatch professionals made the jump to Valorant after the game launched its beta. Since, the game has continued to receive updates as it has grown, with players getting new maps and new operatives to shake up Valorant's meta.
Rainbow Six Siege
Rainbow Six Siege also features characters with their own loadouts and abilities, but it takes a much more grounded approach than previous games. Rainbow Six Siege features very strategic matches where an extremely low time-to-kill forces players to play intelligently and to take full advantage of their character's abilities. The game's high-speed fights may not sit well with all Overwatch players, but the great gun handling and fully destructive maps make the game worth checking out at the very least for Overwatch fans. Now is also the perfect time to give the game a shot, as Rainbow Six Siege is receiving a team deathmatch mode and a shooting range to help new players get acclimated to the game.
Paladins
Paladins is likely the most similar to Overwatch from the games on this list. When the game first launched many gamers disregarded the title as an Overwatch-clone, after some of its diverse stable of characters seemed to have similar abilities to characters in Overwatch. However, those same players failed to realize what sets Paladins apart from Overwatch. Paladins allows players to customize its heroes with a card loadout system, while also having maps and objectives that allow losing teams to make comebacks easier than they often can in Overwatch. This requires its heroes to be more versatile than in Overwatch, with every hero being viable on attack and defense as well as getting some sweet kills during a Paladins match.
For players who want to check Paladins out, the game is also free-to-play and features a seasonal battle pass system. New heroes are frequently added to Paladins, so the game is always changing for players to adapt to and try new things. The game is also on a variety of systems, so Overwatch fans can try it out regardless of what platform they prefer. However, new players will have to unlock heroes as they play unless they don't mind making a one-time purchase to unlock all current and future heroes.
Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville
Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville surprise launched in 2019, and is the third entry in the hero shooter spin-off franchise. While the series is a bit more kid-friendly and silly than Overwatch, the game does not skimp out on scale or depth. The game boasts a total of 22 characters for players to learn and master, each with slight variations and options for players to customize their loadouts further. It also features objective-based multiplayer modes as well as a PvE mode that allows players to play both zombies and plants while defending a base from AI-controlled hordes.
Players will likely find one or two classes on each side of the battlefield that they prefer, but every class has its own strengths and weaknesses to learn and master. There are a lot of different ways to play the game, especially for the more complicated zombies classes in Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville. Not all fans will enjoy the game's more quirky tone or odd game modes, but for players who do enjoy it, there is a lot of game to enjoy.
