Extraction shooters is an FPS sub-genre that is definitely here to stay, having garnered a lot of success in recent years. This is why more and more big studios are trying to make their own spin on the genre.
The FPS genre as a whole has seen a lot of changes over the years. Gone are the days of simplistic run-and-gun shooters where all you had to worry about was your ammo count and HP. We have insanely developed stories for single-player experiences and multiplayer genres for various tastes. The last big trend in FPS games was the Battle Royale genre which exploded with PUBG. But the BR genre is slowly losing popularity, and developers are looking towards the horizon for the next big thing.
And by the looks of it, that next big thing is extraction shooters. Taking a note from games like DayZ or Rust while diverging from the open-world mechanics, extraction shooters are all about the loot (not to be confused with the Looter Shooter genre). You’re thrown into a map alongside other players with plenty of PvE targets. Games have various objectives or quests you can pursue besides trying to kill other players and leave with their tasty loot. Over time you will gather more and more resources, allowing you to upgrade your equipment. This also raises the stakes since failure means losing all equipment you have on you. Let’s take a look at some of the most successful extraction shooters out there.
Released Extraction Shooters
Escape from Tarkov
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Release Date: 4 August 2016 (closed alpha)
The game that pretty much created the genre, Escape from Tarkov draws heavily from the Stalker series. A man-made catastrophe has occurred in a region of Russia, and local militias and foreign mercenary groups are vying for control. You will have to fight tooth and nail for every piece of equipment, and there are hundreds of items to loot.
EFT is the perfect game for military shooter fans since all the gear is highly realistic. There are tens of guns to choose from and hundreds of possible attachments. Creating the perfect loadout for a run can take time, but better gear means better odds of making it out alive. Gunplay is highly realistic, meaning running and gunning is not an option. A tactical approach to every encounter is the only way to survive in this harsh world.
While these are some of the most successful extraction shooters right now, the future is looking bright for this genre. We will have to wait and see what the future holds as bigger studios try to make their own extraction shooters.
Escape from Tarkov gameplay trailer:
Hunt: Showdown
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S
Release Date: February 22 2018
Set in the 1900s, Hunt: Showdown is an extraction shooter with a horror spin. Set in the bayous of Louisiana, your character is a monster bounty hunter. Each map will have two randomly spawned bosses. Your main objective is to kill one of those bosses and successfully extract one of its valuable tokens. Fighting you every step of the way is a wide variety of monstrosities that will stop at nothing to kill you.
PvP is very nuanced in this game, mostly due to the excellent sound design. Gunshots can be heard across the map, meaning you need to choose your battles carefully. The old-timey weapons also mean a low muzzle velocity, so hitting moving players is easier said than done. Hunt: Showdown is pretty hard to get into, but once you do, it will have you returning for more time and again.
Hunt: Showdown launch trailer:
Marauders
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Release Date: 3 October 2022
Marauders asks a question that has been iterated countless times in various forms of media. What if World War 1 didn’t end, instead evolving into an even more horrendous conflict that dragged the world through a seemingly endless war. Set during an alt-history version of the 90s, Marauders throws you into the shoes of a space pirate trying to make the best out of life in space. Earth is almost gone, and remnants of its warring factions are trying to eke out an existence throughout the solar system.
Your character is equipped with a ship by default, plus a few guns. You must make the best of them as you explore various space stations. Each of these stations has different types of NPCs to face off against and other players that want that juicy loot. Space combat is mostly just a placeholder while you make your way into a station. Once you’re in, the game features a very fast-paced yet realistic shooting system. Fans of WW1 and WW2 era guns will be excited by the prospect of blasting people with an STG 44 inside a futuristic space station.
Marauders announcement trailer:
The Cycle: Frontier
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Release Date: 8 June, 2022
The Cycle is a Sci-Fi inspired game featuring the planet Fortuna III. Fortuna III is a prospecting planet, with a human faction doing its best to extract its precious resources. But Fortuna III also has a local population of various beasties that have stopped mining in its tracks. This is where you come in. You are a simple prospector trying to land on the planet, gather as many resources as possible, and get out before your untimely end.
Weapons in the game are your usual shooter fare with a Sci-Fi spin. You have pistols, shotguns, SMGs, and many more. Back in the safe zone, there are three distinct factions that you can do quests for. Going up through their ranks is your only option for getting access to better weapons and armor. While the PvE side of the game is not too tricky once you get better guns, the PvP is a constant threat. Time to kill is pretty fast, meaning any mistake could spell your doom in front of another player.
The Cycle: Frontier release trailer:
Upcoming Extraction Shooters
Marathon
Platforms: Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5
Release Date: TBD
Bungie, the renowned gaming studio behind Halo and Destiny, has announced a new extraction shooter game based on the 1994 FPS Marathon. The game, aimed at the modern audience, is set in 2850 where cloning and synthetic bodies are standard for humans. Players, known as Runners, will compete in high-speed arenas equipped with futuristic weapons. Bungie promises evolving, persistent levels to keep the gameplay engaging, a deviation from typical extraction shooters with fixed maps.
The game, however, will not offer any single-player experience while drawing elements from the world of the original Marathon game. While the release date remains undisclosed, Bungie has previously hinted at launching a new game by 2025. Marathon will be available on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5, and will support full cross-play and cross-save functionality.
Marathon announcement trailer:
Dark and Darker
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Release Date: Q4 2023
In development by a small team, Dark and Darker is an exciting spin on the extraction shooter recipe. You and your party of friends will be thrust into a dark fantasy world filled with horrible monsters. Every map is randomly generated, so you never know what kind of layout you will get. PvE is surprisingly difficult since most enemies are pretty hard to take down. And failing to block or sidestep one of their hits will hurt a lot.
The game offers multiple classes to choose from, each with its strengths and weaknesses. Gear is heavily inspired by standard RPG fare, with basic stats as well as magical stats that are randomized. Lurking through the dark corridors of this game will definitely get your blood pumping, sometimes too much so. This is why it’s recommended you bring a complete party instead of trying the solo route. Having backup with you can be crucial, especially in the late-game parts of a run.
Dark and Darker teaser:
Road to Vostok
Platforms: Microsoft Windows
Release Date: TBD
The “single player Tarkov”, Road to Vostok is an Extraction Shooter created by a single developer. The single-player extraction shooter focuses on providing a PvE experience in a Russian / Finland-inspired, post-apocalyptic setting. The game was released in demo form last year and was played by over 300,000 users, receiving mostly positive feedback. The developer has taken the feedback on board and has worked on improving AI, shooting, and looting mechanics, as these areas needed the most enhancement.
The Road To Vostok demo v2 brought significant improvements, including a new attachment system, an improved UI for gun inspection, a recoil overhaul, and enhanced weapon audio. Other additions include a winter variant of the map, more realistic night-vision goggles, better environmental shaders, an expanded options menu, adjustable zoom optics for guns, and functional ladders. However, swimming and fishing features have been removed temporarily for further development.
