Hero shooter

In a hero shooter each player picks one of a cast of pre-designed characters with their own weapons and abilities, chosen for their role in the team. Teamwork and combining abilities matter more than individual aim alone, in first- or third-person.

Where the name comes from

The earliest use found is in Gearbox’s press material for Battleborn: on 18 September 2014 USA Today ran a preview headed “Battleborn introduces the ‘hero shooter’”. In 2020 Gearbox’s Randy Pitchford said Battleborn “spearheaded” the genre, though others credit Overwatch (2016) with making it popular. IGN still wrote of “the so-called ‘hero-shooter’” in April 2016.

Where the edges are

Credit is split three ways: Team Fortress 2 for the framework, Battleborn for the name, Overwatch for the popularity. IGN asked in 2016 whether these games are shooters first or hybrids with role-playing and MOBA games. Class-based shooters such as Battlefield 1942 and Team Fortress Classic came before any of them.

Key hero shooter games

Each game links to its article; the last column links to the source that puts it in the genre.

Related genres: MOBA, Battle royale, Looter shooter.

At a glance

Parent genre

Shooter

Name first found

18 September 2014, Battleborn press

Breakthrough

Overwatch (2016)

Sources

Checked November 3, 2026.

1. Hero shooter — Wikipedia
2. USA TODAY — USA Today
3. Are Battleborn and Overwatch Really Shooters First? — IGN
4. Hero Shooters: Charting the (re)birth of a genre — Game Developer
5. Randy Pitchford Says Battleborn 'Spearheaded' the Hero Shooter Genre — PlayStation LifeStyle