First-person shooters have been an integral part of gaming since the early '90s with games like Wolfenstein 3D and Doom. While many are into these games for the multiplayer offerings, they usually all come packed in with extensive single-player campaigns.
However, some of these are just way too short. The following games below made it onto the list for several reasons. Either they take six or fewer hours to complete, they end at what feels like the halfway point, or they lack any multiplayer offering, so the campaign's length simply is not enough to justify a full purchase. Most of these are great, too, making the short runtime especially unfortunate.
Updated April 24th, 2022 by Russ Boswell: There have been a lot of great first-person shooters released over the years, with many recent releases offering high-octane action, with thrills around each and every corner. Unfortunately, a lot of these releases also feature a fairly robust multiplayer system, usually something competitive to keep players coming back for more. But these types of titles usually feature some sort of campaign as well, and sometimes the campaign is a truly engrossing experience. Unfortunately, these storylines are usually pitifully short, as well. To give players a better look at some of the best first-person shooters with a severe lack of content, the following list has been updated with even more entries.
13 Star Wars Republic Commando (6 Hours)
There have been a lot of solid Star Wars games over the years, with many of them exploring what it's like to be a Jedi or to walk the path of a Sith within the expansive franchise's universe. But there are few aside from the Battlefront series that showcase what it might feel like to be a "side character" in the overarching Star Wars story. Star Wars Republic Commando was released in 2005 and gave players a chance to live the life of a Clone Commando.
Aside from being a great Star Wars game from a story standpoint, it's a solid first-person shooter, especially for its time. Players who haven't gone through this adventure should definitely give it a shot, but they shouldn't expect to spend more than six or so hours to get through the story itself.
12 Darkwatch (6 Hours)
The late 90s and early 2000s saw quite a few awesome first-person shooters released. Once the genre got its footing, companies were all trying to one-up each other to create the next latest and greatest when it came to shooters. Unfortunately, that meant that a lot of FPS titles from that era would fall into obscurity, which is a shame considering there were some absolute gems during this time period.
Take, for example, Darkwatch, which stands out as one of the better shooters from the early 2000s. It's gritty, tells an interesting story, and has a great grim-dark Wild West aesthetic that wraps around some solid FPS gameplay. Unfortunately, the adventure only lasts around 6 hours.
11 Homefront (4 Hours)
Homefront featured some of the best FPS gameplay to come from the early 2010s, with an action-packed storyline that showed what it may be like if North Korea had invaded and occupied the Western part of the United States of America. It's definitely one of the most engaging and entertaining campaigns introduced in a first-person shooter, which offers big upside to the Kaos Studios-developed game.
Unfortunately, the engaging campaign itself isn't very long. In fact, players that simply play through each mission without doing much exploration in each level will find themselves blazing through the story in as little as four hours.
10 Modern Warfare 2 (5 1/2 Hours)
Most assume Call of Duty campaigns to be short, but there was less of an expectation in 2009 when Modern Warfare 2 came out. At barely over five hours, most can beat the campaign in one or two sittings. It does not help that the story ends on a cliffhanger, either, which players waited two years to see resolved in Modern Warfare 3. Despite the short length, some levels feel inconsequential to the campaign's main narrative, particularly the levels set Washington D.C..
9 Black (6 Hours)
Before developing Black, Criterion was known for their cult classic Burnout franchise. Black continues this dedication to detailed destruction, only as a first-person shooter. It is also one of the best looking games of its generation. At only six hours and with no multiplayer, it was difficult to persuade some to spend fifty dollars back when it first released. Completionists might have fun scrounging for collectibles and beating it on higher difficulties, but it is low on content.
8 Portal (3 Hours)
Portal came in with The Orange Box back in 2007, a package which also included Half-Life 2, its two sequel episodes, and Team Fortress 2. Because of this, Portal's minuscule length is reasonable It also helps when every moment of the three hour story is pure bliss. Anybody yearning for more portal puzzle action can further satiate themselves with Portal 2, which boasts a longer story along and a separate cooperative campaign.
7 Halo 2 (9 Hours)
Nine hours is an average length for a campaign, but one expects a more definitive ending to a game than what happens in Halo 2.
Even though it was pretty clear at this point that Halo was going to be a huge series and a third game was inevitable, Halo 2's ending was too abrupt and unexpected. At least those with online capabilities could launch Xbox Live and take advantage of the game's legendary multiplayer suite.
6 Disruptor (4 Hours)
Long before making the best adaptation of Spider-Man and even before hitting the big time with Spyro the Dragon, Insomniac released a first-person shooter early in the original PlayStation's life called Disruptor. Being a decent FPS on the console was impressive enough, and the game was made more unique by the powers players use in addition to the guns at their disposal. The only drawback is the short length, with most being able to beat it in just four hours.
5 Duke Nukem Forever (9 Hours)
Once again, a nine hour campaign is nothing to be ashamed of. However, when it is the campaign for Duke Nukem Forever, one might have felt a little cheated by the short length. The game had a notorious development, taking over fifteen years to make and even going through one cancellation before being revived and finished by Gearbox. The finished product leaves much to be desired, but was not a total mess. Still, most consider Duke Nukem 3D the superior of the two.
4 Titanfall 2 (6 Hours)
Many say Titanfall 2 has the finest single-player campaigns the genre has seen this generation. Every level introduces a different mechanic, while at the same time they never feel gimmicky. The tightness of the story is also its greatest weakness. The fun is over almost as soon as it begins. As critically beloved as the game was, it did not sell up to expectations, making a sequel unlikely. The series lives on as Apex Legends, a battle royale set in the same canon.
3 Superhot (2 1/2 Hours)
Superhot is built on a unique mechanic. The enemies in the game world only move when the player starts moving. Stay still and time also remains idle. The main campaign is only two and a half hours long, though this time varies depending on one's skill level. The best way to play this game, however, is in VR, as the idea seems almost tailor made for the format.
2 Half-Life 2: Episode One (3 1/2 Hours)
Half-Life 2 was well worth the six year wait considering the advancements it made over its predecessor. To prevent fans from waiting so long for a continuation, Valve decided to craft episodes instead of a full-fledged sequel.
The first of these, Half-Life 2: Episode One, takes place immediately after the prior game, detailing Alyx and Gordon's escape from the ruined city. While only three hours long, it wastes no time in throwing the player into the action. This plan for episodes fell apart, since it took over a decade to receive a follow up to Half-Life 2: Episode 2.
1 Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon (4 1/2 Hours)
Maybe it is not entirely fair to criticize Blood Dragon for its short length. It is an expansion to Far Cry 3, after all. However, it is completely playable without downloading Far Cry 3, and its impressive quality and originality are why people bemoan its short length. Given the success of the '80s throwback title, many were hoping the DLC would spawn a full-length game sometime in the future, though it looks like this will not happen.