Many are overwhelmed when looking for the best sites to play online shooting games. Online gaming has evolved by leaps and bounds in the past few years. Consoles, PC software and mobile apps are just a few of the popular way people play online. Online shooting games, RPGs, puzzles and strategy are some of the exciting online games that await. There are plenty of options out there, and many of them won’t cost you a thing!

If you are looking to play online shooting games or other types, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Cost: Software for standalone PC games can run upwards of a hundred dollars. Playing online can require monthly subscriptions ranging from a few dollars to twenty or thirty dollars. However, there are hundreds of sites that let you play for free.

Platform Support: You’ll probably play online games from a desktop PC, laptop or mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet. Most online games support cross-platform technologies such as Java, Flash or HTML5 that will provide a consistent experience across a wide variety of devices. Some online shooting game requires a download that will depend on your device and operating system. This is true for other types as well. The best option is to look for sites that let you play online games right in your browser, regardless of platform or device.

Selection: Some sites are dedicated to a single game. Others may provide links to various third-party web sites. The most popular sites, however, feature dozens or even hundreds of locally hosted online shooting games you can play all from the same site. You may choose to look for sites that include the widest variety of different types, or you may opt for a site that focuses primarily on a specific category. Online shooting games and arcade style adventures are among the most popular and a good choice for beginners.

Game Categories: As mentioned above, many sites let you play online games in a variety of different genres. Action, adventure, role playing, sports; strategy and word puzzles are just a few common categories. Some sites offer even more specific thematic breakdowns, including options for those who prefer humor, zombies, online shooting games, cartoon style graphics, time-based challenges, racing and more.

Controls: Like much PC software, online shooting games are usually controlled using your keyboard and/or mouse. This is also true for other categories. However, unlike console, arcade and some PC games, most online games don’t support the use of traditional controllers, joysticks or other peripherals. Some programs designed for tablets or smartphones may utilize touch-screen controls, but this is more common with standalone apps and not often found in online games. Make sure to read the instructions prior to starting. Otherwise you will find yourself struggling to figure out how to play.

Electronic gaming has evolved dramatically in recent years. As data bandwidth, processing power and screen resolutions steadily increase; developers are keeping pace to provide more realistic and immersive Internet entertainment experiences. It is hard to imagine a world without the wealth of online games that today’s web surfers have come to expect, but the history of online gaming goes back well before the mainstream adoption of the Internet.

The first games to be played over computer networks were developed in the early 1970s. These were built on multi-user timeshare terminals at universities. The latter part of that decade saw the arrival of multi-user dungeons (MUD,) which later evolved into multi-access dungeons (MAD) and massive multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPG.)

In 1985, the game Islands of Kesmai was released for users of the commercial CompuServe computer network. With graphics made up of ASCII text characters, this multi-player RPG bore little resemblance to the games of today; but in many ways, it was a precursor to the modern MMORPG. The fantasy role playing battles of this game were among the earliest ancestors of today’s online fighting games.

Later in the 1980s, the first games were developed which used the Internet Protocol (IP) to communicate. In 1991, the game Neverwinter Nights was released for AOL subscribers. This is widely hailed as the first 3D graphical MMORPG. As the Internet grew in popularity among the general public, the 1990s saw an explosion of role playing, shooter, strategy and online fighting games with multiplayer capabilities. Some of the most notable are Doom, Warcraft and Quake.

By the year 2000, most commercial game software packages featured the ability to play online against other players. Although many of the most popular online games were designed for multiplayer action, developers were quick to take advantage of Internet technologies such as Flash and JavaScript to create single-player games as well.

The year 2002 saw the launch of gaming networks such as XBox Live and Steam. As social networks grew in popularity throughout the decade, companies such as Zynga jumped on the bandwagon to create casual games that users could play against their friends. Today, the options for online gaming range from commercial software packages, to social network gaming, to browser based games and even mobile apps.

Gamers no longer need to subscribe to expensive online services or purchase commercial software packages to play online. For those who want a convenient and fun gaming experience, there are plenty of sites that offer online fighting games and a variety of other challenges that can be played right now, right in your web browser.