Field guide · Irreverent, one liner and absurdist FPS games

Games like POSTAL: Brain Damaged and Duke Nukem 3D: irreverent comedy FPS games

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.

A grinning steam train bursting out of a brick tunnel while the player holds a typewriter submachine gun in Iron Curtain Call
In Iron Curtain Call, World War III is run like a customer service hotline and every weapon is a sight gag. Free demo on Steam.
The short answer

The nine games at a glance

Before first person shooters became solemn military simulations, games like Duke Nukem 3D and Shadow Warrior filled their levels with interactive jokes, sight gags and constant radio or protagonist one liners, a tradition that POSTAL: Brain Damaged revived with modern boomer shooter speed. As a solo developer in Istanbul building Iron Curtain Call, I wanted that same fearless comedic density without punching down: in my game, World War III is run by an automated customer service machine called the Supreme Chancellor, your shotgun is called The Diplomat, and Colonel Panic calls you on a rotary phone mid fight.

If you want fast retro movement paired with surreal sight gags and a grapple shotgun, start with POSTAL: Brain Damaged ($19.99, free demo on Steam) and Fashion Police Squad ($19.99). If you want the classic interactive level design and nineties action movie one liners that started it all, play Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour ($19.99), Shadow Warrior ($29.99) and Serious Sam 4 ($39.99). If you want open ended sandbox absurdity or talking alien weapons, play POSTAL 2 ($9.99), High On Life ($39.99) and Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition ($39.99). And if you want a 1930s rubber hose cartoon Cold War satire with a free Steam demo on Windows, macOS and Linux, play my game Iron Curtain Call (out 11 March 2027).

At a glance

The nine games at a glance

US Steam store prices, release dates, platforms and free demo availability checked on 8 November 2026.
GameComedy and gag styleCombat loopFree demo on SteamUS priceOut
Iron Curtain CallMy game1930s cartoon Cold War bureaucracy satireDash, grapple, parry and sight gag arsenalYes, free: Mission 1, about 15 to 20 minutesNot priced yet11 March 2027Free demo since 28 October 2026
POSTAL: Brain DamagedSurreal fever dream parody and one linersGrapple shotgun and slide kick boomer shooterYes, free$19.999 June 2022
Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour90s action movie parody and interactive propsBuild engine secret hunting and jetpack FPSNo$19.9911 October 2016First released in 1996
Shadow WarriorBuddy demon banter and martial arts pulpKatana combos and heavy firearmsNo$29.9926 September 2013
POSTAL 2Dark suburban errand sandbox satireOpen ended first person sandboxNo$9.992 November 2012
Serious Sam 4Deadpan B movie one liners vs screaming hordesMassive open arena horde shooterNo$39.9924 September 2020
High On LifeImprovisational talking alien weaponsComedic sci fi bounty hunter FPSNo$39.9913 December 2022
Fashion Police SquadWholesome runway satire and Tailor Made gunsColour matching retro sprite shooterNo$19.9915 August 2022
Bulletstorm: Full Clip EditionFoul mouthed space pirate pulpEnergy leash and boot kick Skillshot FPSNo$39.997 April 2017First released in 2011
Game by game

Each game, how its humour works and what it shares with POSTAL: Brain Damaged and Duke Nukem

Each card covers what kind of comedy the game aims for, how its combat plays when you mute the jokes, and its verified US Steam store facts on 8 November 2026.

Iron Curtain Call

My game

Play it if you want a 1930s rubber hose cartoon shooter where every weapon and boss is a Cold War gag.

I built Iron Curtain Call because I missed shooters where picking up a new weapon makes you laugh out loud. You freeze wind up tin soldiers with a giant Snow Globe grenade, electrocute them with an overdue Telegram, and listen to Colonel Panic tell you on the radio that he would send backup if you were not already the backup. Mission 1 is free on Steam for Windows, macOS and Linux, and a 60 second browser trial runs at /play/.

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

POSTAL: Brain Damaged

Play it if you want a genuinely great fast movement shooter wrapped in fever dream parody.

Hyperstrange and CreativeForge Games surprised everyone with POSTAL: Brain Damaged (9 June 2022, $19.99, free demo on Steam): underneath the surreal television nightmares and Corey Cruise voice lines sits one of the tightest grapple shotgun and slide kick boomer shooters on Steam.

Developers
Hyperstrange and CreativeForge Games
Publisher
Running With Scissors and Hyperstrange
Released
9 June 2022
On Steam
Windows (demo on Windows)
US list price
$19.99
Demo
Yes, free

Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour

Play it if you want the 1996 Build engine classic where every prop in the cinema or arcade works.

3D Realms’ Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour (11 October 2016, $19.99) remains a masterclass in interactive level design: you can shoot pool tables, blow up cinema projectors to reveal secret vents, shrink enemies with the Shrinker and step on them.

Developers
Nerve Software and Gearbox Software
Publisher
Gearbox Publishing and 2K
Released
11 October 2016
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$19.99
Demo
None on Steam

Shadow Warrior

Play it if you want wise cracking banter paired with directional katana combat.

Flying Wild Hog’s Shadow Warrior (26 September 2013, $29.99, native on Windows, macOS and Linux) pairs Lo Wang’s constant back and forth with the demon Hoji with one of the best first person katanas on PC.

Developer
Flying Wild Hog
Publisher
Devolver Digital
Released
26 September 2013
On Steam
Windows, macOS and Linux
US list price
$29.99
Demo
None on Steam

POSTAL 2

Play it if you want an open ended sandbox where mundane errands turn into chaos.

Running With Scissors’ POSTAL 2 (2 November 2012 on Steam, $9.99, Windows and Linux) gives you a week of mundane chores, such as buying milk, returning a library book and cashing a cheque, in the town of Paradise and lets you complete them as peacefully or chaotically as you choose.

Developer and publisher
Running With Scissors
Released
2 November 2012
On Steam
Windows and Linux
US list price
$9.99
Demo
None on Steam

Serious Sam 4

Play it if you want deadpan action hero one liners while backpedalling from a thousand monsters.

Croteam’s Serious Sam 4 (24 September 2020, $39.99) keeps Sam Stone’s dry action movie delivery while throwing ratusan of screaming Headless Kamikazes and Kleer skeletons across giant European battlefields.

Developer
Croteam
Publisher
Devolver Digital
Released
24 September 2020
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$39.99
Demo
None on Steam

High On Life

Play it if you want guns that never stop talking and reacting to your choices.

Squanch Games’ High On Life (13 December 2022, $39.99) puts the comedic voiceover directly onto your weapons: each alien Gatlian has its own comedian voice actor, commentary track and traversal ability.

Developer and publisher
Squanch Games, Inc.
Released
13 December 2022
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$39.99
Demo
None on Steam

Fashion Police Squad

Play it if you want a bright 2.5D retro shooter where every gun fixes bad outfits.

Mopeful Games’ Fashion Police Squad (15 August 2022, $19.99) swaps gore for high fashion sight gags: you swing across Trendopolis with a belt whip, Tailor drab grey suits into bright colours with the 2DYE4 Carbine, and slap bosses with a wet sock.

Developer
Mopeful Games
Publisher
No More Robots
Released
15 August 2022
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$19.99
Demo
None on Steam

Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition

Play it if you want over the top sci fi banter and creative environmental kills.

People Can Fly’s Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition (7 April 2017, $39.99) pairs loud space pirate insults with its signature energy leash and boot kick Skillshot scoring system.

Developer
People Can Fly
Publisher
Gearbox Publishing and 2K
Released
7 April 2017
On Steam
Windows
US list price
$39.99
Demo
None on Steam
Why comedy FPS games need great gunplay

A joke only lands once, so the weapons have to carry the second hour

The reason Duke Nukem 3D, POSTAL: Brain Damaged and Fashion Police Squad hold up on replay is that their weapons are mechanical toys first and jokes second. A Shrinker, a grapple shotgun, a belt whip or Iron Curtain Call’s Snow Globe freeze grenade changes how you solve a room every single time you pull the trigger.

Questions

Questions players ask about games like POSTAL: Brain Damaged and Duke Nukem

Which games like POSTAL: Brain Damaged have a free demo on Steam right now?

Two games in this guide have a free playable demo on Steam right now: Iron Curtain Call (Windows, macOS and Linux, plus a 60 second browser trial) and POSTAL: Brain Damaged.

Is POSTAL: Brain Damaged an open world game like POSTAL 2?

No. POSTAL: Brain Damaged ($19.99) is a linear, high speed retro boomer shooter built around bunny hopping, slide kicks and a grappling hook shotgun.

Which comedy FPS games on this list run on macOS and Linux?

Iron Curtain Call (free demo) and Shadow Warrior ($29.99) support Windows, macOS and Linux, and POSTAL 2 ($9.99) supports Windows and Linux.

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 when we checked them

Every release date, US list price, platform flag and demo entry on this page was read from the official US Steam store API and Wikipedia/Wikidata on 8 November 2026.

  1. Iron Curtain Call, Steam store page
  2. POSTAL: Brain Damaged, Steam store page
  3. Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour, Steam store page
  4. Shadow Warrior, Steam store page
  5. POSTAL 2, Steam store page
  6. Serious Sam 4, Steam store page
  7. High On Life, Steam store page
  8. Fashion Police Squad, Steam store page
  9. Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition, Steam store page
  10. Humour, Wikipedia
  11. Satire, Wikipedia
  12. Duke Nukem 3D, Wikipedia
  13. Shadow Warrior (2013 video game), Wikipedia
  14. Postal 2, Wikipedia
  15. Serious Sam 4, Wikipedia
  16. High on Life (video game), Wikipedia
  17. Bulletstorm, Wikipedia

Try Iron Curtain Call free on Steam or in your browser

Download the free Steam demo on Windows, macOS or Linux, play 60 seconds in your browser with no install, or wishlist the full game ahead of 11 March 2027.

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