I broke my big toe a couple of summers ago. Missed a big rolling hop and ended up kicking the pallet with my toe. I was wearing light hiking shoes, which gave no protection at all for that kind of impact.
I spent a while after that looking for shoes that would protect my toe. Lots of people suggested things like 5.10 Impacts or steel toed shoes or whatever. As you’ve figured out, armoring the toe of the shoe doesn’t help if your foot can slide forward and hit the front of the shoe. The best thing I found is a pair of La Sportiva approach shoes. They have a stiff toe - intended for crack climbing - and they are narrow and fit tightly enough that my foot doesn’t move in them. I’ve taken several falls since then that I think probably would have broken my toe again in the other shoes.
Here’s the thread about toe protection I started when I was looking for options back then.