Field guide · 9 games compared

FPS games with great boss fights: pattern telegraphing and arena duels

By Ekin, a solo developer in Istanbul (Whale Development Studios), maker of Iron Curtain Call. Published 8 November 2026; every price, release date and platform below was checked on 8 November 2026 against the US Steam store and the sources at the end.

Iron Curtain Call in first person: Major Disaster, a giant tin general boss with seventeen medals, takes a finisher in Rubbleton square
Iron Curtain Call, chapter 1, Rubbleton: Major Disaster, the multi phase boss at the end of the free Steam demo.
The short answer

Readable wind ups, not bullet sponges.

For years, first person shooters struggled with bosses because a narrow camera makes it hard to read wide attacks, turning too many final encounters into slow health bars behind cover. The shooters that solved the problem borrowed from character action games and 2D boss rushes like Cuphead ($19.99): exaggerated visual wind ups, dashes, grapples, parries and fodder enemies that drop health mid duel.

For the sharpest 1v1 duels in any shooter on PC, play ULTRAKILL ($29.99, free demo on Steam), DOOM Eternal ($29.99) and Turbo Overkill ($19.99, free demo). For giant mechanical and Titan boss arenas, play Titanfall 2 ($29.99), Atomic Heart ($59.99, free demo) and Roboquest ($24.99, free demo).

And if you want Cuphead style 1930s cartoon boss telegraphing inside a fast first person shooter, play the free Steam demo of my game Iron Curtain Call (out 11 March 2027 on Windows and macOS, demo on Linux too, plus a 60 second browser version): its 12 chapters pit you against 12 theatrical bosses, starting with Major Disaster at the end of Mission 1.

At a glance

All nine games, side by side.

Prices are US Steam list prices before any sale, read on 8 November 2026. Five of the nine games have a free playable demo on Steam right now.
GameStandout bossesBoss mechanicsFree demo on SteamUS priceOut
Iron Curtain CallMy game12 theatrical 1930s cartoon bosses (Major Disaster, Motherboard, Matryoshka)Exaggerated rubber hose wind ups, parries, dashes and melee health refillsYes, free: Mission 1, about 15 to 20 minutesNot priced yet11 March 2027Free demo since 28 October 2026
ULTRAKILLRival swordmachines, Gabriel, V2 and colossal bossesParry boss punches and projectiles back for full health and styleYes, free$29.993 September 2020Early Access
DOOM EternalMarauder, Gladiator, Khan Maykr and Icon of SinTraffic light stagger windows and fodder demons for mid fight ammoNo$29.9919 March 2020
Titanfall 2Apex Predators mercenary Titan duels (Viper, Ash, Richter)Swap Titan loadouts mid fight, dodge salvos and execute enemy mechsNo$29.9918 June 2020First released in 2016
Turbo OverkillCyberpunk bounty hunters, mechs and Maw synaptic bossesChainsaw leg slides, double air dashes and grappling hook verticalityYes, free$19.9911 August 2023
RoboquestMulti stage guardian machines at the end of every canyon actRail grinding, jump pads and weak point crits in solo or co opYes, free$24.997 November 2023
Atomic HeartHedgehog sphere, Belyash ape robot and the ballerina TwinsDodge roll rings, rising shockwaves and elemental glove countersYes, free$59.9920 February 2023
Warhammer 40,000: BoltgunLords of Change, Great Unclean Ones and Chaos TerminatorsPurge arena lock ins where heavy bolter crits and chainsword charges ruleNo$21.9923 May 2023
Cuphead2D benchmark: 1930s hand inked bosses across Inkwell IsleEvery attack telegraphed by frame by frame cartoon anticipationNo$19.9929 September 2017
Game by game

Nine games where the bosses are the highlight

Each card explains how the game makes boss attacks readable in first person and whether you can fight a boss in a free demo.

Iron Curtain Call

My game

Play it if you love Cuphead’s expressive cartoon boss wind ups and want to fight them in first person with dashes, grapples and parries.

One reason I chose a 1930s rubber hose cartoon style for Iron Curtain Call is what it does for first person boss fights: when a giant tin general like Major Disaster or a nesting doll like Marshal Matryoshka winds up an attack, their whole cartoon silhouette stretches and flashes before the blow lands, so you never take an unfair hit from off screen.

Across the 12 chapters you face 12 bosses, including the Motherboard mainframe, television host Chip Sellwell (whose attacks you parry on stage) and General Gridlock. Because tin fodder soldiers spawn or parts break loose, you can always punch for health or saw for ammo mid duel.

Fight the first boss, Major Disaster, at the end of Mission 1 in the free Steam demo (Windows, macOS, Linux).

Developer and publisher
Whale Development Studios
Out
11 March 2027
Free demo out
28 October 2026
On Steam
Windows and macOS (demo on Windows, macOS and Linux)
US list price
Not priced yet
Demo
Yes, free
Gameplay trailer · 1:00 · Twelve chapters in sixty seconds. YouTube · Video page

Download the free Steam demoPlay 60 seconds in your browser, no download

Iron Curtain Call in first person: facing General Gridlock, a towering traffic and artillery robot boss in a suburban street
Chapter 7, Friendly Fire: General Gridlock, one of the full campaign’s twelve bosses.

ULTRAKILL

Best human sized 1v1 duels · Parry mastery · Free demo

Play it if you want a boss to move as fast as you do and test every movement trick you know.

Arsi "Hakita" Patala and New Blood launched ULTRAKILL on 3 September 2020 ($29.99, free demo on Steam). While giant bosses like the Corpse of King Minos let you parry a skyscraper sized fist, its true masterpieces are the mirror duels against V2 and the archangel Gabriel.

Every yellow flash tells you an attack can be punched back for a burst of damage and a full health refill.

The gold standard for high speed first person duels; see our games like ULTRAKILL guide.

Developer
Arsi "Hakita" Patala
Publisher
New Blood Interactive
Entered Early Access
3 September 2020
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$29.99
Demo
Yes, free

DOOM Eternal

Best arena boss loop · Fodder resource management

Play it if you want grand, multi stage boss arenas where you never run out of ammo behind a pillar.

id Software released DOOM Eternal on 19 March 2020 ($29.99). Bosses like the Gladiator and the Marauder demand strict spacing and green flash counter timing, while spawning minor demons around the perimeter so your chainsaw and Glory Kills keep your resources full.

Solved the classic FPS boss ammo problem permanently.

Developer
id Software
Publisher
Bethesda Softworks
Released
19 March 2020
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$29.99
Demo
None on Steam

Titanfall 2

Best mech boss duels · Viper in the clouds

Play it if you want each chapter to culminate in a duel against a named mercenary pilot and their custom Titan.

Respawn Entertainment’s Titanfall 2 (on Steam 18 June 2020, $29.99) structures its campaign around the Apex Predators: Kane, Ash, Richter, Viper and Slone. Fighting Viper’s flying Northstar Titan atop a speeding airship hull remains one of the best set piece boss fights in shooter history.

Read our single player FPS campaigns guide for more on its campaign.

Developer
Respawn Entertainment
Publisher
Electronic Arts
Released
18 June 2020
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$29.99
Demo
None on Steam

Turbo Overkill

Cyberpunk spectacle bosses · Chainsaw leg arenas · Free demo

Play it if you want multi phase boss fights that use every inch of a vertical grappling hook arena.

Trigger Happy Interactive and Apogee released Turbo Overkill on 11 August 2023 ($19.99, free demo on Steam). Its bosses force you to stay airborne with twin dashes, wall runs and a grappling hook while dodging sweeping laser grids.

Has a free Steam demo so you can test the speed right away.

Developer
Trigger Happy Interactive
Publisher
Apogee Entertainment
Released
11 August 2023
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$19.99
Demo
Yes, free

Roboquest

Best roguelite FPS bosses · Bullet hell patterns · Free demo

Play it if you want readable bullet hell boss patterns that you can tackle solo or with a co op partner.

RyseUp Studios released Roboquest 1.0 on 7 November 2023 ($24.99, free demo on Steam). Every act ends in a dedicated boss arena with grind rails around the walls, clear red telegraph zones on the floor and phase transitions that test your jump pad timing.

See our games like Roboquest guide for more stylized shooters.

Developer and publisher
RyseUp Studios
Released
7 November 2023
On Steam
Windows (demo on Windows)
US list price
$24.99
Demo
Yes, free

Atomic Heart

Best mechanical boss animations · Soviet machines · Free demo

Play it if you want bosses that transform, fold and unfurl like giant industrial puzzles.

Mundfish released Atomic Heart on 20 February 2023 ($59.99, free demo on Steam). Its boss encounters against the spherical HEDGIE (where you raise pillars from the floor to make it crash), the theatrical Plyusch and the Twins are visual showstoppers.

Plays closer to an action RPG dodge duel than a boomer shooter.

Developer
Mundfish
Publisher
Focus Entertainment, 4Divinity and Mundfish
Released
20 February 2023
On Steam
Windows (demo on Windows)
US list price
$59.99
Demo
Yes, free

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun

Warhammer 40,000 Greater Daemons · Retro arena lock ins

Play it if you want to duel towering Greater Daemons of Chaos with a roaring chainsword and heavy bolter.

Auroch Digital and Focus Entertainment released Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun on 23 May 2023 ($21.99). Its chapter finales lock your Space Marine into vast cathedral arenas against Lords of Change and Great Unclean Ones alongside waves of Chaos Space Marines.

Heavy, chunky gunfeel and unmistakable Warhammer scale.

Developer
Auroch Digital
Publisher
Focus Entertainment
Released
23 May 2023
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$21.99
Demo
None on Steam

Cuphead

The 2D telegraphing benchmark · Windows and macOS

Play it if you want the purest hand drawn boss rush ever made, even though it is 2D.

Studio MDHR released Cuphead on 29 September 2017 ($19.99, Windows and macOS). Because every boss attack is preceded by a distinct 1930s cartoon wind up and sound cue, it taught a generation of action designers how to make hard bosses feel fair.

Our games like Cuphead guide compares it directly with 3D cartoon shooters.

Developer and publisher
Studio MDHR
Released
29 September 2017
On Steam
Windows and macOS
US list price
$19.99
Demo
None on Steam
Questions

Questions players ask

Which FPS games have the best boss fights?

ULTRAKILL ($29.99, free demo) and DOOM Eternal ($29.99) lead for high speed 1v1 and arena duels; Titanfall 2 ($29.99) leads for mech boss set pieces; Roboquest ($24.99, free demo) and Atomic Heart ($59.99, free demo) lead for mechanical boss patterns; and Iron Curtain Call (free demo on Steam) brings Cuphead style 1930s cartoon boss wind ups into first person.

Can I fight a boss in the free Iron Curtain Call demo?

Yes. Mission 1 of the free Steam demo (Welcome to Rubbleton, on Windows, macOS and Linux) ends with the full multi phase boss fight against Major Disaster in the town square.

How many bosses are in the full Iron Curtain Call campaign?

There are 12 chapters and 12 bosses in the full campaign (launching 11 March 2027), including Major Disaster, the Motherboard, Marshal Matryoshka, Chip Sellwell and General Gridlock.

What PC and indie games are coming out in 2027?

More than one page can hold: Steam shows a lot of PC and indie games with a 2027 date, and dates keep moving. What we checked on Steam on 7 November 2026 are the shooters and the Mac action games, in two dated lists: upcoming FPS games and upcoming Mac games. Iron Curtain Call, our own cartoon noir shooter, is due 11 March 2027 on Windows and macOS, and its free demo is on Steam now.

What games release on 11 March 2027?

Among the shooters we checked on Steam on 7 November 2026: Blood of Rations (11 March 2027) and Iron Curtain Call (My game, 11 March 2027). We only checked shooters, so this is not the full set for that day; Steam’s own Coming Soon page has the rest.

What is a good new single player FPS I can play for free right now?

Iron Curtain Call has a free demo on Steam (Mission 1, about 15 to 20 minutes) and a free 60 second browser trial with no download. It is a single player cartoon noir shooter, and it is our game, so weigh that. For other free shooters, our list of free FPS demos on Steam holds the best rated ones.

Sources and verification

Every release date, US list price, platform and demo status on this page was checked on 8 November 2026 against the official Steam store pages and reference articles below.

  1. Iron Curtain Call, Steam store page
  2. ULTRAKILL, Steam store page
  3. DOOM Eternal, Steam store page
  4. Titanfall 2, Steam store page
  5. Turbo Overkill, Steam store page
  6. Roboquest, Steam store page
  7. Atomic Heart, Steam store page
  8. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, Steam store page
  9. Cuphead, Steam store page
  10. Boss (video games), Wikipedia
  11. Ultrakill, Wikipedia
  12. Doom Eternal, Wikipedia
  13. Titanfall 2, Wikipedia
  14. Roboquest, Wikipedia
  15. Atomic Heart, Wikipedia
  16. Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, Wikipedia
  17. Cuphead, Wikipedia

Take on Major Disaster for free today.

Download the free Mission 1 demo of Iron Curtain Call on Steam for Windows, macOS or Linux and fight the first boss today, or warm up with 60 seconds in your browser. The full 12 boss campaign arrives on 11 March 2027.

Download the free Steam demoWishlist and Follow on SteamPlay 60 seconds in your browser, no download