History Main / SentryGun

* The Engineer Monkey in ''VideoGame/BloonsTowerDefense'' series can deploy turrets within its attack radius, which can fire at bloons autonomously. Later upgrades lets the Engineer summon turrets that shoot different types of ammo, and the final tier upgrade makes them shoot rapid-fire plasma balls that self-destruct to deal even more damage when it wears off.

* ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack''. Han activates a small sentry gun, which drops out from the lower hull of the Millenium Falcon, against the snowtroopers trying to stop them escaping Hoth.

* ''Film/JudgeDredd''. In the Aspen Penal Colony, Rico's cell has several automatic guns guarding him. They can be activated or deactivated by the Warden's vocal commands. Rico takes advantage of this to escape by shooting the Warden in the throat with a smuggled pistol, so the guns no longer recognize his voice pattern and shoot him instead.

* ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' has the tripod guns that can be moved or knocked over with the Gravity Gun.
* ''VideoGame/HalfLife'' has HECU sentries, mounted on a tripod. There's also the Xen Sentry Cannon.
* ''VideoGame/Tribes2'' has players on defense farm these in massive numbers.
* ''VideoGame/SystemShock'' and its sequel used them, and let the player subvert them to his side by hacking.

** The first game has the Soldier's Scorpio Turret, that same turret as used by Crimson Lance engineers, and the massive coastal defense guns visible on some maps.

* ''VideoGame/GoldenEye1997'' has ceiling-mounted turrets, as well as guns on tripods in one level.

* ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'': Staring with ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare 2'', there are player-deployable autoturrets.

* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'': Games from ''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSun Tiberian Sun]]'' and beyond feature sentry guns. A rule of thumb is that sentry guns do not release soldiers[[note]]some defense structures have a crew[[/note]] when the gun is sold or destroyed. To further qualify the building as a sentry gun, it must be a small, low-tier defense structure with a turret. The Soviet Union (''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert2 Red Alert 2]]'' era) actually has a low-tier defense structure named the Sentry Gun [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin (appropriately enough)]].

* ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'' both lampshades and plays this straight. Most races/factions play this straight with the Listening Post structures and buildable defense turrets. Listening posts are structures used to defend requisition points and can be upgraded to automated guns of one sort or another, while the defense turrets are building/units that shoot at anything that gets close. The Orks, as ever, hang the lampshade: while their versions of the Listening Post and defense turret are guns manned by gretchen, so is ''[[MoreDakka every other building they get!]]''

** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'': "Core that shoots stuff" type, with floating crystals that shoot blasts of magic energy at you (and only you). Oh, [[InvincibleMinorMinion and you can't do anything about them besides running and juking.]]
** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'': Soul gem traps are the same, unless you remove the soul gem from its pedestal. Quickly solved by a well-aimed arrow or fireball.

* ''VideoGame/{{X}}'': Lasertowers are a cross between this and a KillSat. They're stationary objects deployed from a ship's cargo bay that are armed with a single powerful laser to destroy enemy ships. Unfortunately, their IFF sometimes gets glitchy and attacks neutral ships [[WhatTheHellPlayer with predictable results]], and they're actually fairly ineffective in their intended role in ''X3: Terran Conflict'' unless you drop a whole lot of them. (They become much more useful in ''[[ExpansionPack Albion Prelude]]'' thanks to a buff in damage and shielding.) ''X3: Terran Conflict'' introduces Orbital Weapon Platforms, which are, in essence, enormous station-sized sentry guns capable of mounting capital ship weapons.

* ''Videogame/PlanetSide1'' features "Spitfire" turrets (among other flavors), which are created by slapping an [[MatterReplicator ACE tool]] onto an outdoor flat surface. They're surprisingly dangerous, but can be avoided by crouch-walking so long as you avoid motion sensors. Bases have automated defense turrets mounted on the perimeter wall that shoot upon vehicles without a stealth system, and can also be manually controlled.%%Automatic turrets are an upcoming feature in ''Planetside 2''; currently all turrets are manually controlled.

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* ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'': Torbjörn can build a sentry turret to reinforce his team's defenses. He can upgrade his turret to level 2, and a level 2 turret is also powered up when he activates his [[LimitBreak ultimate]], Molten Core.

* In ''Film/Saw3D'', one of these planted by Hoffman takes out Gibson and two uniformed cops when they search around the office at the auto junkyard.

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* One of these takes out Det. Matt Gibson and two uniformed cops in ''Film/Saw3D'' as they search the office at the auto junkyard. [[spoiler:Planted by Hoffman as part of his strategy to infiltrate the police station and kill Jill Tuck.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E11HomerTheVigilante Homer The Vigilante]]", some citizens of Springfield add automated laser cannons to their homes to try to fend off a CatBurglar who is going on a seemingly unstoppable robbing spree. Rather than fend off truants, though, it leads to them tossing stones at the homes to behold the resulting light show.

* It should be noted that the role of the sentry gun in both video games and RealLife is area denial. While much ado is made over robots killing without human involvement, it's unlikely that this would stop all the world's militaries, as it doesn't confer a real strategic advantage - land mines are a far simpler and more effective means of area denial... [[ShapedLikeItself on land]]. They're inexpensive, easy to manufacture, reliable, and long lasting. (They're also on the Geneva banned weapons list, though the US hasn't signed onto that part of the treaty, as usual) Sentry guns typically show up in video games where land mines would remove all the challenge by making entry either impossible or a matter of pure luck, or it wouldn't make sense for there to be mines (like interior spaces). Sentry Guns in reality are typically used on ships as [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close-in_weapon_system Close In Weapon Systems,]] abbreviated CIWS, of which there are several. Examples include but are not limited to:

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* ''[[VideoGame/CounterStrike Counter-Strike: Global Offensive]]'' has sentry guns in the "Danger Zone" gamemode. They can be placed by the player to attack other players and give you a chance of killing them. Unlike Valve's other games with sentry guns, CS:GO's sentry guns will be distracted by and shoot at anything that crosses their path, whether it be players or objects.

** ''{{VideoGame/Halo 3}}'' added an auto-turret as a deployable equipment item; it hasn't been seen since.
** ''VideoGame/{{Halo 4}}'' has an Armor Ability which allows the user to summon an floating autosentry.
** Promethean Watchers can summon beam turrets to attack you.

* ''[[{{VideoGame/Tribes}} Tribes 2]]'' had players on defense farm them in massive numbers.

* ''VideoGame/{{Bioshock|1}}'' has them, too. They're built on old rolling office chairs, and can also be hacked.
* They show up again in ''VideoGame/BioShock2'', though the player is given a "hack tool" that allows for hacking sentry guns and other electronic devices from a distance.
* In ''VideoGame/BioshockInfinite'', automata, human shaped robots with machine guns, fill the same role, and in ''Burial at Sea'', the sentry guns from the first two games make a comeback.
* ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'' had it as the secondary function of the Laptop Gun.
** ''Perfect Dark Zero'' also has surface-mounted Laptop Gun turrets. [[WeakTurretGun They go down easily]], though.
* ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' has the Soldier's Scorpio Turret, that same turret as used by Crimson Lance engineers, and the massive coastal defense guns visible on some maps.
** And its sequel, ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands2}}'', has Axton and his Sabre Turret, which can be upgraded to shoot rockets and slag, to stick to walls and ceilings, and to be surrounded by a force field.

* In ''VideoGame/DeusEx'', they can be hacked and turned against enemies.
* '' VideoGame/{{Killzone}} 3'' 's Multiplayer Engineer class
* ''VideoGame/GoldenEye1997'' had ceiling-mounted turrets, as well as guns on tripods in one level.
* ''VideoGame/SeriousSam'' series having cannon turrets in ''1'', cannon rocket and plasma turrets in ''2'' and minigun turrets in ''3''.

* ''VideoGame/{{Payday 2}}'' has these in form of metal briefcases with a rotating foot and an integrated machine gun. An upgrade to it allows the toggling of armor-piercing rounds, at the cost of a slower rate of fire.
** Later updates introduce a SWAT Van Turret. As tall as a man, and capable of 1,000 rounds per minute, [[ThatOneBoss it's the bane of a lot of players.]]
* Even ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' featured these at one point during the second game of the series: Submerged turrets will pop out of stage 2 and the extra stage and fire a broadside of bullets that can be tricky to dodge.
* ''VideoGame/{{Section 8}}'' allows players to purchase and deploy three types of these: minigun turrets for attacking players, missile turrets for fending off vehicles, and anti-air turrets to keep players and deployables from spawning[[note]]Game mechanics have them [[ItsRainingMen air-deployed]] via {{drop ship}}s.[[/note]] within their attack radius.
* The ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' series staring with ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare 2'' has player-deployable autoturrets.

* The main ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}}'' trilogy doesn't feature these, but many {{game mod}}s do.
* RTS games usually don't count, as most stationary defenses are depicted as manned. However:
** ''VideoGame/RiseOfLegends'' has a turret drop ability for Carlini. The parachute mounted gun drones might count, as they don't move, but they don't last very long as a defensive measure.
** Protoss turrets from ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' are robotic. Terran missile turrets are manned, according to the sequel at least. The automated floor and wall turrets are present in installation levels, though.
*** According to the novel ''Shadows of the Xel'Naga'', Missile Turrets are/can be automated equipment. Zerg Sunken and Spore Colonies, being [[OrganicTechnology living entities]], sort of qualify.
*** In ''VideoGame/StarCraftII'', the bunker can be upgraded to have a machine gun nest on top, with threat-recognition programming derived from Zerg instincts. There is also a pop-up flamethrower turret. The Raven can deploy a stationary gun turret.
** The Turret and Rocket Turret in ''VideoGame/DuneII'' automatically fires at any enemy units within range. They're essential for protecting your base.
** ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'' games from ''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSun Tiberian Sun]]'' and beyond feature sentry guns. A rule of thumb is that sentry guns do not release soldiers[[note]]some defense structures have a crew[[/note]] when the gun is sold or destroyed. To further qualify the building as a sentry gun, it must be a small, low-tier defense structure with a turret. The Soviet Union (''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert2 Red Alert 2]]'' era) actually has a low-tier defense structure named the Sentry Gun [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin (appropriately enough)]].
** ''VideoGame/{{Brink}}'' has TheEngineer's pocket turret, which improves in power and durability with experience levels, going from a dinky little pea shooter to a [[GatlingGood 5mm-spewing monster.]]
** The ''VideoGame/DawnOfWar'' series both lampshades and plays this straight. Most races/factions play this straight with the Listening Post structures and buildable defense turrets. Listening posts are structures used to defend requisition points and can be upgraded to automated guns of one sort or another, while the defense turrets are building/units that shoot at anything that gets close. The Orks, as ever, hang the lampshade: while their versions of the Listening Post and defense turret are guns manned by gretchen, so is ''[[MoreDakka every other building they get!]]''
* ''VideoGame/{{Alien Swarm}}'' has the deployable IAF Advanced Sentry Gun, consisting of a heavy gauge autocannon mounted on a user-adjustable rotating stand.
* Odd example from ''VideoGame/BeyondGoodAndEvil''. The laser turret was a one-shot kill, but it wouldn't fire on Jade unless she was spotted by a searchlight or a guard. She could sneak right by it unscathed otherwise. It basically made some sections "must-pass" stealth sequences.
* All TowerDefense games are built around this trope - you place multiple guns of different types down to prevent the enemies from reaching you.
* Bullet Bill Blasters from ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series are rather well-known.
* Sentry Guns are not unheard of in MultiplayerOnlineBattleArena games. For example, Heimerdinger's turrets in ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' and Engineer's Steam Turret (pre-change) in ''VideoGame/HeroesOfNewerth'' act this way.
* Sentry Guns some of the more common enemies in the ''{{VideoGame/Contra}}'' series.
* ''Super VideoGame/MeatBoy'' has got rocket turrets and saw blade guns.

* "Core that shoots stuff" type in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'', with floating crystals that shoot blasts of magic energy at you (and only you). Oh, [[InvincibleMinorMinion and you can't do anything about them besides running and juking.]]
** Soul gem traps in ''{{VideoGame/Skyrim}}'' are the same, unless you remove the soul gem from its pedestal. Quickly solved by a well-aimed arrow or fireball.
* The ''VideoGame/SDGundamGGeneration'' series has turrets defending both the player and the enemy's bases, and destroying them lets the other faction take it over, which is an automatic victory. The quality of turrets gets upgraded as you progress through the game and unlock higher levels of technology.
* ''VideoGame/Fallout3'' has two types of sentry guns but they both have only three settings, 1)friendly to your enemies 2)hostile to everyone 3) off. The last one is often achieved with a shotgun, but most have an override computer near them. There are also the ubiquitous pressure plate-activated shotgun traps, and on a less lethal scale, baseball pitching machines.
* ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' has you to place sentry guns all over your settlements. Aside from machine gun turrets and shotgun turrets, you can now deploy laser turrets and missile turrets.
* ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' has Combat Engineers, who can deploy turrets in the middle of battle. Said turrets are, per second of exposure, among the deadliest enemies in the game.
** Certain player classes get deployable turrets of their own. The fact that they're "deployed" by throwing them like a grenade means that in the right situations, they can be used offensively instead of defensively.

* Lasertowers in the ''[[VideoGame/{{X}} X-Universe]]'' series are a cross between this and a KillSat. They're stationary objects deployed from a ship's cargo bay that are armed with a single powerful laser to destroy enemy ships. Unfortunately, their IFF sometimes gets glitchy and attacks neutral ships [[WhatTheHellPlayer with predictable results]], and they're actually fairly ineffective in their intended role in ''X3: Terran Conflict'' unless you drop a whole lot of them. (They become much more useful in ''[[ExpansionPack Albion Prelude]]'' thanks to a buff in damage and shielding.) ''X3: Terran Conflict'' introduces Orbital Weapon Platforms, which are, in essence, enormous station-sized sentry guns capable of mounting capital ship weapons.
* Literally all of the enemies in ''VideoGame/{{Receiver}}'' are either flying drones or turrets on legs. Unlike most depictions, the turrets have a surprisingly small amount of ammo. But they're so accurate and fast to react that trying to trick them into wasting their ammo is a risky proposition when the amount of bullets that kills you is smaller than the number of fingers on one hand. On the other hand, they have several vulnerable points (their connecting point to the tripod, the barrel, and the sensor) that render the gun worthless with a single well-aimed shot.
* Turrets are defense units mounted in the entrance of both WOPR and NORAD bases in ''VideoGame/WarGamesDefcon1''; late in the game players can access Turret Carriers, transports which can deploy laser-firing turrets anywhere they want on the map.
* In ''VideoGame/SpiderManPS4'', the first boss fight against the Kingpin has him activate column-mounted turrets while he watches from a safe room.
* ''Videogame/PlanetSide 1'' featured "Spitfire" turrets (among other flavors), which were created by slapping an [[MatterReplicator ACE tool]] onto an outdoor flat surface. They were surprisingly dangerous, but could be avoided by crouch-walking so long as you avoided motion sensors. Bases had automated defense turrets mounted on the perimeter wall that would shoot upon vehicles without a stealth system, and could also be manually controlled. Automatic turrets are an upcoming feature in ''Planetside 2''; currently all turrets are manually controlled.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Earth 2150}}'', some buildings can have various turrets added that perform this role. ''Earth 2160'' has more standard turrets. ED has wall-mounted turrets on rails that can move along the wall to reposition.

* In ''VideoGame/ChampionsOnline'', the normally-mobile Munitions Bots could be transformed into immobile but more powerful sentry turrets.
* Torbjörn from ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' can build a sentry turret to reinforce his team's defenses. He can upgrade his turret to level 2, and a level 2 turret is also powered up when he activates his [[LimitBreak ultimate]], Molten Core.

* ''{{VideoGame/Foxhole}}'''s World War-styled setting is too primitive to field actual automatic turrets, but static defenses can function as this provided that there is a TunnelNetwork within range. These structures will deactivate within ten minutes if they're disconnected from the network.
* A staple of settlement defence strategy in ''VideoGame/{{Rimworld}}'', however their onboard AI is noted in-universe as being rather primitive, meaning they don't care if a friendly gets in the way. (Not that your colonists are any more careful.) They also have an unfortunate tendency to explode if damaged badly enough.
* Games based on the ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' franchise, which often take their inspiration from the aforementioned ''Aliens'', often feature the film's automated turrets as obstacles (as in ''VideoGame/AliensColonialMarines'') or inventory items (as in, erm.... ''Aliens: Colonial Marines'', a total conversion mod for Doom II).
* In ''VideoGame/DeadRising2'', take one oversized teddy bear that spots cutesy sound bites, and combine it with [[MoreDakka an LMG]] and you get Freedom Bear, a bandana wearing, machine gun wielding bear that occasionally spouts [[EagleLand patriotic sound bites]] while firing hundreds of rounds at hordes of zombies while Chuck/Frank takes care of business. "Lets get it on!"
* The security turrets in ''VideoGame/Prey2017'' are equipped with scanning technology that allows them to detect and attack any organism with alien genetic material. This notably means that if the player starts injecting themselves with said alien genetic material in order to gain PsychicPowers, the turrets will sense the alien cells and open fire.
* Deployable turrets are one of the specialties of Arsenal ships in ''VideoGame/RingRunnerFlightOfTheSages''. They come with a variety of payloads, from standard lasers and missiles to [[SpaceFriction friction beams]] to [[HealingShiv repair rays]].

* The Engineer in ''VideoGame/DeepRockGalactic'' has a sentry gun that can be built quickly and relocated whenever necessary.

In video games, they're typically [[WeakTurretGun weak or fragile]] to emphasize the need of human intervention in area security, but they do make [[StormTheCastle base raiding]] all the more difficult for the attacking team. As such, they aren't usually capable of holding a ZergRush off by their lonesome, let alone a single powerfull entity. It may have [[BottomlessMagazines infinite ammo]] in order to give it some persistence in battle. Sentry guns that fire other ammo, such as [[EnergyWeapon lasers]], [[{{Energy Ball}} energy balls]], [[MacrossMissileMassacre missiles]], or [[AbnormalAmmo weird things like fruit]] and so on also exist, especially in {{Shoot Em Up}}s. TheTurretMaster specializes in deploying these. Occasionally, they're [[RemovableTurretGun removable]].

--> '''Hudson''': It aint stoppin' 'em, man... [[OhCrap it aint stoppin' 'em...]] Come on baby, come on!\\

In video games, they're typically [[WeakTurretGun weak or fragile]] to emphasize the need of human intervention in area security, but they do make [[StormTheCastle base raiding]] all the more difficult for the attacking team. As such, they aren't usually capable of holding a ZergRush off by their lonesome, let alone a single entity. It may have [[BottomlessMagazines infinite ammo]] in order to give it some persistence in battle. Sentry guns that fire other ammo, such as [[EnergyWeapon lasers]], [[{{Energy Ball}} energy balls]], [[MacrossMissileMassacre missiles]], or [[AbnormalAmmo weird things like fruit]] and so on also exist, especially in {{Shoot Em Up}}s. TheTurretMaster specializes in deploying these. Occasionally, they're [[RemovableTurretGun removable]].

* ''VideoGame/DivinityOriginalSinII'' has a magical variant: SummonMagic can conjure "elemental totems" out of [[GeoEffects various surfaces]]. Totems have low hit points, immunity to damage from their own element, and their own place in the ActionInitiative, from which they automatically fire long-range attacks.

* Picked up from merc camps in ''VideoGame/HeroesOfTheStorm'' on the Volskaya Foundry map. The guns have infinite ammo, but a limited time duration.
** several characters also place such items with their abilities. Gazlowe the goblin tinker uses conventional guns, while Probius the probe uses laser guns.

In video games, they're typically [[WeakTurretGun weak or fragile]] to emphasize the need of human intervention in area security, but they do make [[StormTheCastle base raiding]] all the more difficult for the attacking team. As such, they aren't usually capable of holding a ZergRush off by their lonesome, let alone a single entity. It may have [[BottomlessMagazines infinite ammo]] in order to give it some persistence in battle. Sentry guns that fire other ammo, such as [[FrickinLaserBeams lasers]], [[{{Energy Ball}} energy balls]], [[MacrossMissileMassacre missiles]], or [[AbnormalAmmo weird things like fruit]] and so on also exist, especially in {{Shoot Em Up}}s. TheTurretMaster specializes in deploying these. Occasionally, they're [[RemovableTurretGun removable]].

* '''Hemisphere with barrel(s):''' This type of turret looks like a metallic hemisphere (sometimes more of a sphere is visible, sometimes less), usually with a groove where the gun barrel is located. These tend to shoot more futuristic stuff like [[EnergyBall Energy Balls]], [[FrickinLaserBeams laser beams]], and more.

* In the climatic scene of ''Literature/TheAndromedaStrain'', to deactivate the nuclear SelfDestructMechanism, Hall has to climb the central core which is covered by TranquillizerDart guns (FrickinLaserBeams in the movie) meant to stop escaped lab animals. InstantSedation is averted, but only because he's a lot bigger than a lab rat and it takes time to knock him down.

* ''VideoGame/{{PN 03}}'' has several types, including standard FrickinLaserBeams, homing missiles, and WaveMotionGun-level OneHitKill {{death ray}}s.

* Almost ''every'' shooter and shoot 'em up, first or third person.

In video games, they're typically [[WeakTurretGun weak or fragile]] to emphasize the need of human intervention in area security, but they do make [[StormTheCastle base raiding]] all the more difficult for the attacking team. As such, they aren't usually capable of holding a ZergRush off by their lonesome, let alone a single entity. It may have [[BottomlessMagazines infinite ammo]] in order to give it some persistence in battle. Sentry guns that fire other ammo, such as [[FrickinLaserBeams lasers]], [[{{Energy Ball}} energy balls]], [[MacrossMissileMassacre missiles]], or [[AbnormalAmmo weird things like fruit]] and so on also exist, especially in {{Shoot Em Up}}s. TheTurretMaster specializes in deploying these.

* In ''[[Literature/NightWatch Twilight Watch]]'', Anton is attacked by a Chinese-made mounted sentry gun. Since the sentry gun has no soul or is not attacking with ill intent, Anton is unable to detect or counter the gun with magical means, almost resulting in his death.

* In ''[[Pinball/{{AlienS}} Aliens Pinball]]'', a sentry gun is available at your service to deal with swarms of Aliens that creep towards the flippers en masse in some of the main missions. It may not have BottomlessMagazines, but spelling VASQUEZ makes it reload faster.