17 Best Third Person Games That Will Take You On a Great Adventure

Best Third Person Games
Updated:
07 Feb 2017

Get ready for some action packed adventure in these 3rd person games

Third person action games are what we all love.  Travelling across the huge open worlds to defeat our enemies for revenge, save a damsel in distress, or just blow a bunch of stuff up.  Here are the best games to do just that in 2016.

17. Metal Gear Solid 5

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Vengeance is coming for the people who destroyed the Militaires Sans Frontieres in the form of Venom Snake.  All of his friends were killed and he wants revenge.  This tactical espionage game is the crowning glory of the Metal Gear series.  

 
Quiet is the real MVP

Venom Snake’s quest for vengeance will take you to Afghanistan and the Angola -Zaire border where you will search for the people responsible for killing your mercenary company.  The game rewards you for not killing people as much as possible as stealth is your main ally in completing tasks.

 
Venom Snake is back and better than ever

Probably the coolest addition is the reactions of enemies and their tactics.  If you use one way to go through the game the enemies will adjust with more numbers or better equipment.  Like to headshot them?  They are going to get helmets to protect themselves.  It’s a really awesome concept!


16. Tom Clancy’s The Division

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After a smallpox pandemic hits New York City, you’re put in charge of The Division, a task force set out to figure out who unleashed the virus on the city and why.  Along the way you’re going to have to deal with all kinds of thugs and psychopaths, the Rikers (escapees from Riker’s Island penitentiary), the Cleaners (flamethrower wielding sanitation workers), and many more.


 
Yep, that’s a flamethrower

When I play The Division it’s all about The Dark Zone.  This is an awesome multiplayer area where you can find awesome gear, mostly by stealing it from other players.  Be careful when you’re in there, because they will be trying to steal it from you too.  Co-op partners can betray you and try to steal your gear too.  It’s just an awesome mode that will immerse you in hours of gameplay.

 
Look at those beautiful graphics

The first of the three expansions has already been released with the next two to set to be released in the next few months.  These expansions open up all new areas to explore and add new modes to play.

15. Batman: Arkham Knight

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It’s one year after Batman saved the day in Batman: Arkham City.  Scarecrow decides it’s his turn to get vengeance on the dark knight.  After the city is evacuated, Scarecrow convinces all of Batman’s enemies to unite against him, with the help of the mysterious Arkham Knight.  

 
Who is the Arkham Knight?

The game revolves around stopping the Scarecrow and figuring out who exactly is the Arkham Knight.  You’ll travel all through Arkham City from the very start of the game, which means no loading times.  

 
Awesome

This game brings about one major change that makes it worth playing by itself: the Batmobile.  Summon it at any time and drive around scaring off enemies or just let them attack it and die to it’s many weapons, or get an upgrade that will cause enemy vehicles to attack your enemies.  The possibilities for destruction are endless.

14. Hitman

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Agent 47 is back and ready to take out every target put in front of him all across the world.  No matter how you go about it, through sniping, close range, or “accidental,” or my personal favorite: blow them all up, 47 will put all of his skills to the test.

 
Take out anyone who gets in your way

The game is being released differently than most games.  Instead of being released all at once, Hitman is coming out with one new episode per month starting in March 2016.  So far Paris, Sapienza, and Marrakech episodes have been released, with a special summer bonus episode in July.  It’s tough to wait, but it just builds up the anticipation.

 
Enter the world of assassination

Definitely a game to check out as 2016 rolls on, with three new episodes on the horizon.

13. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Blacklist

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The Fourth Echelon is back to save the day in Splinter Cell Blacklist.  This time Sam Fisher is tasked with bringing down the Engineers, a terrorist group hell bent on getting the United States to pull back all troops from other countries.

 
Terrorists don’t stand a chance

Sneak around and disable all your enemies, or go full blown Rambo on them, it’s totally up to you how you take your enemies down.  You are rewarded more for your stealth (with extra experience and money), but that doesn’t mean it’s the only way to stop those pesky terrorists.

 
Kill or spare your prisoners?  You decide

Interrogations are also back with the ability to torture prisoners if you’re feeling so inclined.  It doesn’t work quite the same as the previous game, but you still get the option to kill them after you get all the information you want.

12. Rise of the Tomb Raider

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The world’s sexiest explorer is back with a vengeance and on her way to Siberia searching for immortality in the city of Kitezh.  Battle the Trinity, an ancient order of knights who have survived to modern times with modern weapons, along with every imaginable animal you would find in the Siberian tundra, and even some supernatural enemies make an appearance.

 
He doesn’t look very happy to see you

The graphics in this game are awesome, taking the series to a whole new level.  Additionally, the game features a very cool day night cycle and weather system.  Certain animals (like wolves) only come out at certain times, so you’ll need to be careful how you travel and where.

 
Lara Croft isn’t afraid of a few skeletons

11. The Last of Us

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Take a stealthy stroll across post apocalyptic America in The Last of Us.  Widely considered one of the best video game stories ever, The Last of Us gives the player a chance to follow Joel on his journey with young Ellie to find an elusive group called the Fireflies.  Ellie is immune to the disease that has overrun the world turning most of the population into cannibalistic monsters known as the Infected.

 
Infected aren’t the only enemy you’ll be knocking out

The game has a many unique and fun features.  In addition to the usual long ranged weapons, players can pick up melee weapons like pipes and baseball bats to bash a few skulls before they break.  Health kits and molotov cocktails are among the items that can be crafted throughout the game to give you an advantage against any crazy monsters, human or otherwise, that try to end your progress.

 
That’s a lot of Infected to deal with

You can even get your stealth fix on, sneaking up behind enemies and sticking a shiv in their throat.  Listen Mode let’s you view where your enemies are so you can take them down silently without alerting anyone else.

The story is where this game really shines.  Ellie goes from an annoying hindrance at the beginning of the game to someone you really care about having at your side as the game goes on.  Not many games can truly create that emotional connection with a character, but The Last of Us excels at it.

10. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine

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The military planet of Forge World Graia has been attacked by alien Orks, it’s up to you to get rid of them and save the planet.  Just watch out for the Forces of Chaos that are waiting for you.  You’ll use both melee weapons and firearms to destroy anything that gets in your path, just like the tabletop game.

 
There is a huge array of weapons at your fingertips to demolish your enemies

The 2 DLC’s for this game are both awesome and really expand the game.  Not only were there new game modes and skins for your character, Multiplayer got 6 new maps!  The best multiplayer mode is the Dreadnought Assault.  Teams vie to get control of the Dreadnought, a super powerful machine with amazing weapons, in the center of the map, once a team does they get to use the Dreadnought to destroy their opponents and take over the whole map.  It’s awesome.

 
That Dreadnought is gonna destroy anything in its way

9. Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition

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Ever want to take on the Triad in Hong Kong?  Well this is your chance.  Take control of Wei Shen, a Hong Kong police officer, in an open world third person fighting game.  Wei Shen has some serious fighting skills and can also use the environment to eviscerate his enemies.

 
Use the environment to destroy faces

Since this is an open world game, you can travel wherever you want and do whatever you want.  Commit crimes, steal cars, help citizens, evade the police, help the police, it’s all at your fingertips.  

 
Handing out beat downs

Hong Kong is also alive in this game.  The graphics are amazing and there is action all over the city, with people everywhere and cars driving through the bright lights.  

The game plays like a Hong Kong cop drama movie, which is exactly why you need to play it.

8. Mafia 3

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On October 7, 2016 the famed franchise is back with a vengeance, I mean just look at that trailer!


This time you’re taking over the story of Lincoln Clay, and orphan and Vietnam War veteran in the fictional city of New Bordeaux (think New Orleans) in 1968.  Lincoln was part of the black mob in New Bordeaux, but the Italian mafia came in and murdered them all...except you and now it’s time for revenge.

 
We all love a good explosion

This is the first time in the series that the game will truly be open world, bringing about a wide range of possibilities.  Since it is set in 1968, we will be driving all kinds of old muscle cars something we haven’t seen in too many open world games.

This is one of the most anticipated games of 2016 and we can’t wait for it to finally arrive.

7. Spec Ops: The Line

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Spec Ops: The Line is all about confronting your demons.  Take the hero, Captain Martin Walker, through a sandstorm ridden Dubai facing the horrors of war.  Make sure to keep your two buddies Lugo and Adams alive because they will save your ass over and over again.

 
A buried city can’t stop you

Use the sand that’s all around you as a weapon as you cause sand avalanches to crush your enemies.  That isn’t enough?  Then throw grenades into the sand to blind your enemies or open up new pathways that you didn’t know was there.

 
Hallucinations or real?

The game is all about the relationship between the player, the player’s own mind, and his two comrades.  The game is very unique and is unlike anything I have played before.  A very fun and intriguing game that everyone should play.

6. Grand Theft Auto 5

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Get pulled back into a life of crime in Grand Theft Auto 5.  You can only stay away from criminal activities for so long, and it has never been so thrilling to get back in.  Take control of 3 main characters and their interconnected stories through San Andreas and the city of Los Santos.  The possibilities are endless in this open world that is the largest of any game in the series.

 
That’s a crew I want to be a part of

This is the series that started the open world concept and it has continued to build on that.  You can create havoc all throughout the city by stealing cars, beating up hookers, running from the cops, anything you can think of is available.  Now they have added airplanes to the mix so it can only get crazier.

 
Yes that’s a solid gold plane and yes you can fly it

5. Sniper Elite 4

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It’s 1943, you’re in Italy, and it’s up to you to help the Italian resistance fight against the Nazi’s.  You’ll use your stealth tactics to sneak around and take out the enemy as quickly as possible, in maps that are twice as large as other Sniper Elite games.  There will also be missions at night, so be ready to evade and take out those lights.

 
Camouflage is your friend

This game is a true sniper’s paradise with maps growing not only in width but also in height.  It is now much easier to snipe long range targets since you can get up high and see them from much further distances.

 
Get up high to take down your enemies

The game also features cooperative and competitive multiplayer, which will bring a whole new wrinkle to sniping.

4. Alan Wake’s American Nightmare

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Alan Wake’s American Nightmare is an episode of the fictional TV show “Night Springs,” basically the Twilight Zone.  Alan Wake is back and this time you’ll attempt to stop the spread of the darkness and defeat your alter ego and nemesis Mr Scratch.

 
Fight off the people that the darkness has corrupted

This game brings a different spin to the third person shooter.  You will need to trust your flashlight to burn the darkness off of your enemies before you shoot them, otherwise they cannot be killed.  So make sure you have quick hands and can point that flashlight the right way, otherwise the darkness is going to consume you.

 
Aim that flashlight or else you’re gonna be toast

This game is a major change from the original because they brought in a bit of dark comedy to it.  I guess they thought the first game was too depressing.  So don’t be so hard on yourself this time around, it’s all in good fun.

3. The Witcher 3

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The final installment of Geralt of Rivia’s legacy plays out in The Witcher 3.  Use swords and magic to fight your way across the Northern Kingdoms on a quest to save the world and hunt a few monsters along the way.  You’ll come across faces you’ll recognize from previous games and meet new ones along your journey.

 
Battle Giant monsters as you cross the Northern Kingdoms

The game features an enormous map and over 100 hours of gameplay to complete the main story and all of the side quests.  Add in the 2 expansions and there are well over 125 hours of gameplay available.  

The Witcher 3 is widely considered one of the greatest games ever made both for its story and for it’s amazing graphics.  The visuals in this game are the best you’ll find anywhere, reason alone to play this game.

 
Epics battles set The Witcher 3 apart from its competition

2. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

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Take to the seas in this pirate themed Assassin’s Creed game.  There really aren’t enough great games set in this era so this is a refreshing change.  Swashbuckle all across the Caribbean Isles during the 18th century’s Golden Age of Piracy.  You’ll be recruited to join the Assassins in their battle with the Templars.
 
A merry band of brigands

The game is a big change from the previous titles just because you’re a pirate.  And you get a pirate ship.  It’s so amazing.  You can plunder other ships, hunt for sea creatures, or just look for islands to search for buried treasure.  You get to be a good old fashioned pirate.

 
Capture ships and make them your own

1. Dark Souls 3

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Fire Fades and only embers remain.  The third and final part of the Dark Souls trilogy is here and it is glorious.  The Age of Fire is coming to an end, but the Chosen Undead, Prince Lothric. Has abandoned his duty to relight the First Flame.  Now it’s up to you, a Lord of Cinder to defeat him and relight the flame yourself.

 
Epic Boss Battles

Dark Souls 3 is probably best known for its epic boss fights and invasion mechanic.  Feel like ruining someone else’s game?  Just invade them in real time and kill them, stealing souls from them and really making them angry.  Just watch out, because you can get invaded as well.  If you’re feeling friendly, you can join other people’s games and work together in jolly cooperation or have them join you.

 
Praise the Sun for jolly cooperation

Dark Souls 3 is definitely one of the best third person games ever.  With amazing graphics and intuitive online play, this is one that everyone should check out.

Enjoyed this article? Be sure to also check out:

The Best Third Person Shooters to Play in 2016

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Gamer Since:
1993
Favorite Genre:
MOBA
Currently Playing:
Dota 2, Hearthstone, Dark Souls 3
Top 3 Favorite Games:
Dark Souls: Prepare To Die Edition, DOTA 2, Mass Effect