A Love Letter to a Third Person Cover Shooter

Let me set the stage for you. It’s the late 2000’s, and the gaming world is covered in gray for some reason. Games of all kinds are coming out, incorporating the incredible power of next-generation consoles to the fullest, and many games featuring Godsmack music.

One type of game, however, seems to dominate. Whether it was in the Ghost Recon games, Gears of War, or anything in between, the third-person cover shooter was the genre of the decade. After Gears of War changed the game, everyone wanted in on the fun and for good reason. It just makes sense. Why were we shooting and running without cover for so long?

This has changed that to make games feel more realistic and more fun to engage with, making even the most low-level titles that use mechanics feel at least playable. But then, suddenly, it stopped. The third-person cover shooter is a relic of the past, and I want to find out why.

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Disappearing Down

Where’s My Cover, Man?

In terms of third-person cover shooters coming out in 2020, I can think of quite a few. Hitman has it, though it’s not the point of the game. And You’ve Got Mind’s Eye, a Mafia Remake, and, while it’s not a single-player experience, Helldivers 2. That’s all. We used to be fed at least 5 of these games a year, and now, you really need to think about games like these that have come out in the last decade.

It was the kind that was so full that it started to feel old, but then, will absence ever make the heart grow fonder in this case? It’s gone and seems to be gone for a long time. I’m not going to lie, I actually enjoyed the gameplay of Mind’s Eye because it felt like that gameplay I was referring to. I love cover-based shooters, but still, to get my fix, I’m forced to replay the old Gears of War games or play Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, which is 7 years old now.

The big shame about this is that many games could benefit from bringing this style of combat back to the fore, but we have somehow improved on this. Shooters are completely absorbed in the look of the game now, and the lack of ability to use cover is a big reason why.

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Successful Games Behind the Cover

It Only Made Things Better

If you think I disagree with this, let’s check out some games that have benefited the most from its use. There are the obvious ones like Gears of War, of course, but then there are games like the Mass Effect series, which used it to give some kind of realistic feel to a potentially long-term battle, and dropping the cover mechanic is what made the game series evolve with Mass Effect 2.

Another great game to use was Spec Ops: The Line, which was a solid, action-packed military shooter with an incredibly compelling story. The cover mechanic was needed here, or the game would feel stupid without it. It made even copycat games sound decent. For example, have you ever played The Bureau? It’s like Mass Effect (we need more of this) with a great cover mechanic and a fun story. The game made this game a great time.

It’s also a nod to other mid-2000s classics like Army of Two and one of my favorites, Ghost Recon: Future Soldier. The cover was everywhere, but it was used in logical games. In games that wanted you to feel like your life was literally on the line, this was necessary. Max Payne 3 is another one, despite the first 2 games being freestyle running and shooting, the third game was more realistic and therefore, it needs a cover mechanic to make sense.

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Games that Missed the Boat

Why Did We Go Back?

The most confusing thing about all of this is that games with guns are still very much alive. While some may think that we’ve gotten a bit more PC in the gaming space and that guns are being introduced less and less, that’s not really the case. Maybe that’s true of modern adventure games, that’s actually true, but we still have tons of sci-fi shooters and fantasy games with guns.

The problem is that the shooting in these games feels like garbage. For example, I liked Outer Worlds 2 quite well, but the combat was just terrible. There are levels set with tons of cover, but why can’t I put my back against any of them? I can duck my head behind cover, only to have my head exposed and get hit by snipers because Obsidian chose to go without a decent cover system. It’s the kind of mistakes that completely take you out of the experience.

Another good example is Starfield, which I also enjoyed a solid price. But the combat, which has a metric ton, feels terrible. It’s almost insulting to play because you know? Enemies are hiding! They have a cover system, however you, the main character of the game, are limited to crouching behind cover. I pray everyday that a mod will relieve me of how weak third person feels in this game due to the lack of a good cover mechanic.

It shouldn’t be something you have to think about adding or not. It should be normal. Have a gun, you will close. When faced with a firefight in real life, do you defend yourself? I feel like you are, so why do games like Starfield, which take a more sci-fi approach, have such bad shooting mechanics? It’s an answer I’ll never get to a question I’ve been asking for a long time. But reinforcements are on the way.

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We return the Cover

In 2026, Look East

I’ve been asking any god who would listen to this amazing mechanic to bring it back to modern games, and thankfully, in 2026, we have some games that can warn other studios that this shouldn’t be an option. This should be the norm. First up on the docks is coming in just a few weeks with 007: First Light. Leave it to IO Interactive of Hitman fame to give me what I want. Of course, this good-looking game features third-person cover shooting from a long time ago.

It has a bunch of other mechanics at play, but that’s kind of my point. We don’t need games to be a shooting gallery. That’s what caused the genre to become oversaturated in the first place. But if you’re going to have a game with a third-person perspective, it’s a necessity, and luckily, 007: First Light is one of the most important titles to understand the work in a long time. If that game is a hit, as it often is, other studios, big and small, will take notice and, of course, copy elements of what made it successful.

Other games using the mechanic are coming this year, with the spectacular Blackwood coming out in a few months, but there is one game that will undoubtedly feature third-person cover shooting in a big way, and which should be the impetus to start showing it off in a big way: Grand Theft Auto 6. Although we haven’t seen any gameplay of the Auto Franchise since then, the Auto Franchise has been playing a big role. 4 and will definitely be featured again.

If Red Dead Redemption 2 is any indication, Grand Theft Auto 6 will be next with some great cover art. Although the previous games mentioned can reinforce that aspect of the game, let’s be honest, it doesn’t have the pedigree that Grand Theft Auto 6 brings. When GTA comes out, it once again teaches the gaming world how to move, how to talk, and how the game should play. I expect nothing less from this.

Released

May 27, 2026

The ESRB

Youth / Blood, Language, Sexual Themes, Violence, In-Game Purchases