Gears 5

If you’re looking for: Great third-person shooting action with chainsaw guns
Available on: Xbox One, Series X/S, PC

Gears 5 (hey, developers The Coalition dropped the “Of War,” not me) is an easy recommendation if you’re into something more on the shooter side of the action genre’s multifaceted potential. While previous entries definitely fit more in the shooter genre, Gears 5’s environmental exploration lets you stretch your legs a bit and take in the scenery. But the shooting is still solid, and the cover mechanics have a satisfying feel that always seems to work well within Gears, even if it often feels derivative and uninspired when it’s copied in other games.

Perhaps one of the most impressive elements of Gears 5, however, is the wide variety of environments you’ll go through. From its beginnings in 2006, Gears of War often struggled with an inescapably dreary, muddy look typical of Xbox 360 games. But flash forward to today and you have lush, natural environments, snowy winterscapes, and the dirt, oil, and grime of abandoned machinery.