Ranking by genre

The best shoot 'em up games.

70 games compete in this selection. Hotline Miami tops it with 1,767 points: the ranking comes from player votes alone, and moves with every duel settled.

  1. 1 Hotline Miami 2012 · Shoot 'em up 1,767
  2. 2 Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number 2015 · Shoot 'em up 1,696
  3. 3 Alien Swarm 2010 · Shoot 'em up 1,683
  4. 4 Metal Slug 4 2002 · Shoot 'em up 1,553
  5. 5 Zombies Ate My Neighbors 1993 · Shoot 'em up 1,547
  6. 6 Ikaruga 2001 · Shoot 'em up 1,545
  7. 7 SuperHot VR 2016 · Shoot 'em up 1,542
  8. 8 Until Dawn: Rush of Blood 2016 · Shoot 'em up 1,542
  9. 9 Commando 1985 · Shoot 'em up 1,514
  10. 10 Battle City 1985 · Shoot 'em up 1,509
  11. 11 Not a Hero 2015 · Shoot 'em up 1,509
  12. 12 Halo: Spartan Strike 2015 · Shoot 'em up 1,501
  13. 13 Nex Machina 2017 · Shoot 'em up 1,497
  14. 14 Super Animal Royale 2021 · Shoot 'em up 1,496
  15. 15 1942 1984 · Shoot 'em up 1,493
  16. 16 Contra Force 1992 · Shoot 'em up 1,493
  17. 17 Postal: Redux 2016 · Shoot 'em up 1,493
  18. 18 Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris 2014 · Shoot 'em up 1,491
  19. 19 Asteroids 1979 · Shoot 'em up 1,490
  20. 20 Gradius 1985 · Shoot 'em up 1,485
  21. 21 Touhou Koumakyou: The Embodiment of Scarlet Devil 2002 · Shoot 'em up 1,483
  22. 22 Touhou Eiyashou: Imperishable Night 2004 · Shoot 'em up 1,481
  23. 23 Combat 1977 · Shoot 'em up 1,480
  24. 24 Resogun 2013 · Shoot 'em up 1,474
  25. 25 Defender 1981 · Shoot 'em up 1,470
  26. 26 1943: The Battle of Midway 1987 · Shoot 'em up 1,466
  27. 27 Dead Nation 2010 · Shoot 'em up 1,461
  28. 28 Helldivers 2015 · Shoot 'em up 1,459
  29. 29 Postal 1997 · Shoot 'em up 1,458
  30. 30 Hatred 2015 · Shoot 'em up 1,455
  31. 31 Super Stardust HD 2007 · Shoot 'em up 1,454
  32. 32 Space Invaders 1978 · Shoot 'em up 1,452
  33. 33 Cannon Fodder 1993 · Shoot 'em up 1,451
  34. 34 Xevious 1982 · Shoot 'em up 1,451
  35. 35 Salamander 1986 · Shoot 'em up 1,449
  36. 36 Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf 1992 · Shoot 'em up 1,448
  37. 37 Sky Force Anniversary 2014 · Shoot 'em up 1,446
  38. 38 Centipede 1981 · Shoot 'em up 1,441
  39. 39 The Deadly Tower of Monsters 2016 · Shoot 'em up 1,441
  40. 40 Assault Android Cactus 2015 · Shoot 'em up 1,441
  41. 41 Alien Shooter 2003 · Shoot 'em up 1,439
  42. 42 Donkey Kong 3 1983 · Shoot 'em up 1,438
  43. 43 Crimsonland 2014 · Shoot 'em up 1,433
  44. 44 Gun.Smoke 1985 · Shoot 'em up 1,429
  45. 45 Future Cop: LAPD 1998 · Shoot 'em up 1,427
  46. 46 Crusader: No Remorse 1995 · Shoot 'em up 1,422
  47. 47 Ruiner 2017 · Shoot 'em up 1,421
  48. 48 R-Type 1987 · Shoot 'em up 1,421
  49. 49 Galaga 1981 · Shoot 'em up 1,418
  50. 50 River Raid 1982 · Shoot 'em up 1,411
  51. 51 Geometry Wars 3: Dimensions 2014 · Shoot 'em up 1,411
  52. 52 Silk Worm 1988 · Shoot 'em up 1,407
  53. 53 Ikari Warriors 1986 · Shoot 'em up 1,407
  54. 54 Jungle Strike 1993 · Shoot 'em up 1,407
  55. 55 Strange Brigade 2018 · Shoot 'em up 1,400
  56. 56 Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime 2015 · Shoot 'em up 1,394
  57. 57 U.N. Squadron 1989 · Shoot 'em up 1,391
  58. 58 ShellShock Live 2019 · Shoot 'em up 1,387
  59. 59 Urban Strike: The Sequel to Jungle Strike 1994 · Shoot 'em up 1,386
  60. 60 Galaxian 1979 · Shoot 'em up 1,383
  61. 61 Alienation 2016 · Shoot 'em up 1,382
  62. 62 Aero Fighters 1992 · Shoot 'em up 1,379
  63. 63 Axelay 1992 · Shoot 'em up 1,376
  64. 64 Renegade Ops 2011 · Shoot 'em up 1,364
  65. 65 Buster Bros. 1989 · Shoot 'em up 1,348
  66. 66 Millipede 1982 · Shoot 'em up 1,346
  67. 67 12 is Better than 6 2015 · Shoot 'em up 1,332
  68. 68 Deadbolt 2016 · Shoot 'em up 1,331
  69. 69 Missile Command 1980 · Shoot 'em up 1,330
  70. 70 Top Gunner 1986 · Shoot 'em up 1,251

Filter, combine and travel back in time in the full ranking

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In detail

The best shoot 'em up games, what this ranking says

Hotline Miami leads this selection with 1,767 ELO points, ahead of Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number and Alien Swarm. The 70 games competing in it have played 4,652 duels.

This selection in figures
Games competing in this selection 70
Duels played by those games 4,652
Game in the lead Hotline Miami (2012)
Score of the leading game, in ELO points 1,767
Point gap between 1st and 10th 258
Best represented decade 2010s
Last reading September 18, 2026

The best shoot 'em up game of every decade

A selection is not read in one block: here is what leads each of its brackets.

The best shoot 'em up game of every decade
Decade Games competing In the lead ELO score Duels played
1980s 21 Commando 1,514 49
1990s 11 Zombies Ate My Neighbors 1,547 71
2000s 6 Metal Slug 4 1,553 77
2010s 27 Hotline Miami 1,767 413

What moved this week

The ranking changes with every duel settled. Over the past seven days, the score of 67 games in this selection moved.

What moved this week
Game Points gained in 7 days ELO score
Until Dawn: Rush of Blood +92 1,542
Axelay +61 1,376
1942 +60 1,493

The most contested match-ups

These pairs of games have faced each other more than any others in this selection.

The most contested match-ups
Wins Against Duels played Win rate
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number Space Invaders 6 83%
Hotline Miami Helldivers 6 83%
Hotline Miami Metal Slug 4 5 80%
Hotline Miami Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number 5 80%
Hotline Miami Resogun 4 100%

How this ranking is established

No jury, no press score, no sales figures: two games face off, players vote, and every vote updates an ELO score. This page is a view of the world ranking, never a standing kept apart.

Understand the method in detail →

FAQ

What players ask

What is the best shoot 'em up game?

According to community votes, the best shoot 'em up game is Hotline Miami, with 1,767 ELO points in the world ranking. It stands ahead of Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number and Alien Swarm, and its place is replayed with every duel.

How many shoot 'em up games are ranked?

70 games of this selection take part in the duels, and they have played 4,652 of them so far. The full site catalogue is much wider: only games kept for their fame enter the running.

Which shoot 'em up game is climbing right now?

Until Dawn: Rush of Blood is the strongest climb in this selection over the past seven days, with 92 ELO points gained. Over the same period, the score of 67 games in the selection moved.

Vote on a duel