Gaming’s Greatest Shotguns That Are Going Down In History

In the gaming sphere, and this particularly pertains to games that involve the use of guns, the Shotgun remains an icon among the masses, recognized for its sheer force and reliability in close-quarters combat situations. And the reason the Shotgun sees unparalleled popularity is thanks to the medium doing it true justice and then some, verily in the name of some games that carry out near-perfect use of this superb weapon.  

I decided to put together a list of games that feature the best iterations of the Shotgun, making the firearm supremely satisfying to incorporate. If you’re a fan of shooters, you have to give the forthcoming titles an honest shot (no pun intended). 

Iconic Games, Legendary Shotguns

Make sure that you leave a comment down below if you have a suggestion to make of your own for the write-up. 

1. Doom 2—Super Shotgun

Okay, so right off the bat, there’s just no question about whatever the best Shotgun in gaming is, because apparently, that title belongs to Doom 2’s Super Shotgun only. The sound, the power, the impact—it’s all put together in such a legendary manner, that you have a hard time looking and using any other Shotgun thereafter. Simply one of the most prolific firearms prevalent across the board in a game that’s equally a masterpiece. 

And to be fair, it’s not just Doom 2 that does the Shotgun justice. Newer iterations in the series, including Doom from 2016 and its sequel Doom Eternal, sport fantastic versions of the gun that are just a delight to use. Personally, I’ve spent a lot of time with the latter’s Shotgun variant, with one of the reasons for that being the absolutely mental Meat Hook attached to it, making the weapon even more fun.  

Over the centuries, mankind has tried many ways of combating the forces of evil… prayer, fasting, good works and so on. Up until Doom, no one seemed to have thought about the double-barrel shotgun. Eat leaden death, demon,” said Terry Pratchett, famous author and a fellow Doom fan. 

2. Borderlands 2—Conference Call 

A looter-shooter like Borderlands 2 has tons and tons of different weapons, but I’m glad to stumble upon the iconic Conference Call that knows how to stand out like heck. It’s an auto-firing weapon with a unique trait that amplifies the user experience with the firearm even more. Whenever you shoot from the Conference Call, the pellets coming out of the gun’s barrel will spawn more pellets by themselves. 

This special ability deals more hefty damage to enemies and makes the whole animation effect look super cool while doing so. 

3. Marathon 2—WSTE-M5 Combat Shotgun

Widely considered one of Bungie’s earlier brilliance, Marathon 2 is a classic first-person shooter, featuring a weapon called WSTE-M5 Combat Shotgun that you can actually dual-wield. That brings double the trouble, but while it does that, the overall experience of firing these weapons comes off as just second to none, with many players ranking it above Doom 2’s Super Shotgun.  

4. Unreal Tournament 2004—Flak Cannon 

Unreal Tournament 2004 is a seriously slept-on game from back in the day when it ran rampant, and the Flak Cannon? Oh, even better! The Shotgun cum Grenade Launcher is one of gaming’s greatest weapons, I kid you not, and is certainly going down in the history books for what it brought to the table. It’s loaded to the brim with power, of course, and is a seriously dependable machine that got you through the game’s higher-powered enemies. 

5. Gears Of War—Gnasher

The Gears of War IP rose to fame for reasons more than one, with some of its weapons and their design owing to the franchise’s success all the same. Now, the Gnasher has remained consistent throughout all Gears of War iterations, being a super sought-after firearm, especially in PvP gameplay modes. Oh, this makes me go on a trip down memory lane myself. Good times. 

6. Halo: Combat Evolved—Close Assault Weapon System

What a force to be reckoned with, in all honesty! Halo: Combat Evolved’s Shotgun, otherwise called the M90 Close Assault Weapon System (Shotgun) in technical terms, was quite the mess-maker back in the day, serving as the Spartan’s go-to close-range firearm for dealing with the Flood. It’s absolutely deadly at point-blank range, making it worthy of being regarded as one of the best Shotguns in the gaming world.