Extraction shooters occupy a space in gaming that no other genre replicates. Unlike traditional shooters that reset every match, extraction shooters force players to commit resources, manage risk, and live with the consequences of failure. Every raid matters because what you bring in, and what you extract with, directly shapes future runs.
This guide focuses on identifying the best extraction shooters available today, using clear criteria such as progression depth, combat design, solo viability, and long-term replay value. Rather than listing games by popularity alone, each title is evaluated based on how well it delivers the core extraction loop: meaningful risk, rewarding extraction, and sustained player engagement.
By grounding rankings in gameplay systems rather than surface features, this page aims to provide a practical reference for players looking to invest time into an extraction shooter that matches their preferred level of challenge and commitment.
Quick Comparison: Best Extraction Shooter Games
Use this table as a starting point to shortlist games that match your preferences. Each game is covered in detail further down the page, but this overview gives you an immediate sense of where each title sits in terms of core focus, threat model, and solo accessibility.
| Game | Core Focus | PvP / PvE Balance | Solo Friendly | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Escape From Tarkov | Hardcore realism, deep economy | PvPvE (PvP-heavy) | Possible but punishing | PC |
| ARC Raiders | Cooperative PvE extraction | PvPvE (PvE-forward) | Yes | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S (fully launched Oct 2025) |
| Hunt: Showdown 1896 | Tactical PvP bounty hunting | PvPvE (PvP-driven) | Supported but harder | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S |
| Dark and Darker | Fantasy dungeon extraction | PvPvE | Yes (solo queues) | PC (Early Access) |
| Grey Zone Warfare | Tactical realism, open world | PvPvE (PvE backbone) | Yes | PC (Early Access) |
| Delta Force | Accessible military extraction | PvPvE (objective-focused) | Yes | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, iOS, Android |
| Helldivers 2 | Cooperative PvE with extraction | PvE only | Possible but designed for co-op | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S |
What Is An Extraction Shooter?
An extraction shooter is a multiplayer game built around a single high-stakes loop. Players enter a map with equipment, search for loot, and must physically reach an extraction point to keep what they find. Dying before extraction means losing gear, loot, and the time invested in that raid.
Unlike traditional shooters where rounds reset cleanly, extraction shooters carry consequences forward between sessions. Inventory, economy, and progression persist across raids, meaning every decision has long-term impact. Success is measured not by kill count or objectives completed, but by survival.
This structure fundamentally changes how the game feels. Movement becomes more deliberate. Gunfights carry weight because failure has lasting consequences. Sound design and information gathering matter because awareness directly affects survival. In extraction shooters, risk is not a side effect of gameplay. It is the core mechanic that makes rewards meaningful.
The Core Extraction Loop Explained
Every extraction shooter follows the same underlying structure, even though individual games layer different mechanics on top. A typical raid progresses through the following stages:
- Deployment – You select a loadout from your persistent inventory and deploy into a shared map instance alongside other players and AI enemies. From this point forward, everything you carry is at risk.
- Exploration and positioning – Early raid movement focuses on gathering information. You learn where enemies are, identify high-value loot areas, and assess how much risk the current raid presents.
- Mid-raid encounters – AI enemies guard key areas while other players pursue their own objectives. Engagements can be avoided, initiated, or forced depending on positioning and map flow.
- Looting and scavenging – Resources found in-raid increase your potential reward but also raise the stakes. The more you carry, the more you stand to lose. Inventory management becomes a tactical decision.
- The extract decision – At some point, you choose between pushing deeper for better loot or heading to extraction with what you have. This is the defining moment of every raid.
- Extraction – You reach a designated extraction point and successfully leave the raid. Only at this point are looted items, experience, and progress saved to your account.
Extraction is the sole win condition. Kill count, objectives, and damage dealt have no value unless the player escapes. Dying with a full inventory at the extraction point is mechanically identical to dying with nothing. This binary outcome is what creates the tension that defines extraction shooters.
Persistent Progression and Gear Risk
Extraction shooters use persistent progression, meaning your character, inventory, and resources carry across multiple raids rather than resetting each match. Weapons, armour, medical supplies, ammunition, and currency are retained only if you extract successfully. Over time, your stash represents hours of accumulated effort, and every raid puts a portion of that effort on the line.
This is what separates extraction shooters from standard competitive games. Losing a round in a traditional shooter costs you nothing tangible. Losing a raid in an extraction shooter costs you gear you spent real time acquiring. That psychological weight changes behaviour:
- Weapons and attachments – Built over multiple raids, customised to your playstyle, lost entirely on death
- Armour and protective gear – Determines survivability; higher-tier armour represents significant investment
- Currency and trade goods – Used for purchasing equipment between raids; losing a stacked inventory can set progression back significantly
- Keys, keycards, and access items – Rare finds that unlock high-value areas; losing these stings more than losing standard gear
- Consumables – Medical supplies, grenades, food, and water all cost resources to replace
Risk scales with investment. A player running budget gear risks little but gains access to the same loot pools. A player running top-tier equipment has a survivability advantage but faces devastating losses on death. This dynamic creates a constant push-pull between playing safe and playing to win.
| Loadout Type | Risk Level | Survivability | Loss Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Budget / scav run | Low | Low | Minimal – easy to replace |
| Mid-tier loadout | Medium | Moderate | Noticeable – requires a few raids to rebuild |
| Full kit / top-tier | High | High | Significant – can set progression back substantially |
PvP, PvE, and PvPvE
Extraction shooters use different threat models, and the balance between human and AI opponents fundamentally changes the experience. Understanding these categories helps you identify which games suit your preferences before investing time.
| Aspect | PvP-Focused | PvE-Focused | PvPvE Hybrid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary threat | Other players | AI enemies and environment | Both players and AI |
| Predictability | Low – human behaviour is erratic | High – AI follows learnable patterns | Mixed – AI is consistent, players are not |
| Learning curve | Steep – must learn maps and player tendencies | Moderate – patterns can be memorised | Steep – requires reading both AI and players |
| Stress level | High – any moment could bring a player encounter | Moderate – tension is paced and structured | High – constant dual-threat awareness needed |
| Ideal player type | Competitive, high-stakes FPS players | Cooperative, progression-oriented players | Adaptable players who enjoy varied encounters |
PvP-focused extraction games like Hunt: Showdown place other players as the dominant threat. Every sound, every movement, and every engagement could involve a human opponent making unpredictable decisions. PvE-focused titles like Helldivers 2 replace that unpredictability with learnable AI behaviour, reducing random frustration but maintaining pressure through enemy volume and difficulty scaling. PvPvE hybrids like Escape From Tarkov layer both together, meaning you can never fully predict whether the next threat is scripted or human-controlled.
No model is inherently better. PvP creates higher adrenaline spikes but also higher frustration. PvE creates more consistent experiences but can feel repetitive over time. PvPvE sits between both, offering variety at the cost of a steeper learning curve.
Extraction Is The Primary Win Condition
In every extraction shooter, nothing you do in a raid matters unless you extract. You can eliminate an entire server, find the rarest loot in the game, and complete every objective, but if you die before reaching the extraction point, it counts as a loss. Kills, loot, and progress are only saved when you physically leave the map through a designated exit.
Extraction points are not safe zones. In most games, they are among the most dangerous locations on the map. Other players know where they are. AI enemies often patrol nearby. Extraction timers force you to hold a position while exposed. The final moments of a successful raid are frequently the most tense, not because of what you are fighting, but because of what you stand to lose.
This creates a skill that does not exist in other shooter genres: knowing when to leave. A player who extracts with moderate loot consistently will outprogress a player who pushes for maximum value and dies frequently. Discipline and risk assessment define success in extraction shooters more than mechanical aim or reaction speed.
What Makes A Great Extraction Shooter?
Not all extraction shooters deliver the same quality of experience. The core loop is inherently compelling, but execution determines whether a game remains engaging over hundreds of hours or fades after a short initial grind. The difference between a standout title and a forgettable one lies in how well its systems reinforce tension, progression, and decision making.
The best extraction shooters consistently share several design strengths:
- A well-structured extraction loop – Deployment, looting, and extraction should each carry distinct tension. If any stage feels empty or repetitive, the loop breaks down.
- Meaningful risk versus reward – Players should feel genuine consequence for failure and genuine satisfaction for success. If losses are trivial or rewards are insignificant, engagement drops.
- Replayability through variance – Map layouts, spawn locations, loot distribution, and enemy behaviour should create different experiences each raid. Predictability kills tension.
- Longevity and progression depth – Players need reasons to keep raiding beyond the first few hours. Skill trees, economy systems, unlockable content, and evolving difficulty all contribute to long-term retention.
- Readable systems – Complexity should come from depth, not confusion. The best extraction shooters teach through play, not through external wikis.
Best Extraction Shooters Overall
These are the extraction shooters that best deliver on the genre’s core promise. Each approaches the formula differently, but all of them execute their vision with enough depth and quality to sustain long-term play. The right choice depends on what kind of extraction experience you are looking for.
Escape From Tarkov
Escape From Tarkov is the game that defined modern extraction shooters. Developed by Battlestate Games, Tarkov sets the standard for hardcore realism, deep economy systems, and punishing PvPvE gameplay. Every design decision in Tarkov serves one purpose: making raids feel consequential.
Tarkov’s raid structure drops players into detailed, interconnected maps where AI scavengers and PMC operators (other players) share the same space. The gunplay is built on complex ballistics, with bullet velocity, penetration values, and armour durability all modelled individually. Health is tracked across multiple body parts, and injuries like fractures, bleeds, and tremors require specific medical items to treat. There is no minimap, no hit markers, and no kill feed. Information comes from sound, sight, and experience.
The economy ties everything together. Weapons, attachments, armour, ammunition, keys, and barter goods all flow through a player-driven flea market alongside NPC traders with reputation-gated inventories. Building a loadout requires knowledge of what works, what is available, and what you can afford to lose. High-end kits can represent days of accumulated progress, and a single death erases it.
Tarkov rewards knowledge above all else. Players who learn spawn locations, AI patrol routes, extraction points, and ammo tier lists gain enormous advantages. Mechanical skill matters, but game sense and information management determine long-term success. This is a game built for players who want depth, consequence, and mastery.
Best for: Experienced FPS players who want the deepest, most punishing extraction experience available. Not recommended as a first extraction shooter.
Players interested in optimising their experience can explore Elocarry’s EFT Hacks to better manage high-risk encounters and improve extraction outcomes.
ARC Raiders
ARC Raiders takes the extraction formula and shifts the focus toward cooperative PvE. Developed by Embark Studios, ARC Raiders drops squads into a post-apocalyptic Earth where mechanised enemies pose the primary threat. Players work together to complete objectives, gather resources, and extract before overwhelming AI forces close in.
The game’s tension comes from environmental pressure rather than constant player-versus-player encounters. AI enemies are aggressive, varied, and escalate in difficulty as raids progress. Resource scarcity forces hard decisions about what to carry and when to leave. The extraction loop is present and meaningful, but the experience is built around teamwork and shared survival rather than paranoid PvP awareness.
PvP still exists in ARC Raiders. Other squads occupy the same space and can engage you, but the game’s design does not force confrontation the way Tarkov does. Combat with other players tends to happen organically around high-value objectives rather than as a constant background threat. This makes ARC Raiders significantly more approachable for players new to extraction shooters or those who prefer cooperative play.
ARC Raiders demonstrates that extraction mechanics do not require constant PvP to generate tension. The threat of losing gear, the pressure of AI escalation, and the decision of when to extract create genuine stakes without requiring every encounter to be a player-driven fight.
Best for: Players who want extraction mechanics with a cooperative focus. Strong entry point for newcomers to the genre.
Players interested in optimising their experience can explore Elocarry’s ARC Raiders hacks to maintain control during high-intensity raids and improve extraction consistency.
Hunt: Showdown 1896
Hunt: Showdown 1896 is a tactical extraction shooter set in a monster-infested Louisiana bayou during the late 1800s. Developed by Crytek, Hunt combines bounty hunting, permadeath mechanics, and some of the best audio design in the genre to create an extraction experience built entirely around tension, patience, and precision.
The core loop centres on bounties. AI boss targets spawn on the map, and teams of players race to locate, kill, and banish them. Banishing a boss reveals your location to every other team on the server, turning the extraction phase into a high-pressure gauntlet. You know enemies are coming. They know where you are. The only question is how the fight plays out.
Hunt’s audio design is its defining feature. Footsteps on different surfaces, crows startled by movement, doors opening, glass breaking, and water splashing all broadcast information. Skilled players use sound to track enemies across the map without ever seeing them. Conversely, careless movement announces your position to everyone nearby. This creates a pace unlike any other shooter, where silence is a weapon and noise is a liability.
Hunters are permanent. If your hunter dies, they are gone along with their equipped weapons, traits, and accumulated experience. This permadeath system means every engagement carries real cost, and extracting with a levelled-up hunter and a bounty token feels genuinely rewarding.
Best for: Players who value tactical PvP, atmosphere, and audio-driven gameplay. Strong choice for duo and trio players.
Players interested in optimising their experience can explore Elocarry’s Hunt Showdown hacks to better manage endgame pressure and secure successful extractions.
Dark and Darker
Dark and Darker translates extraction shooter mechanics into a first-person fantasy dungeon crawler. Developed by Ironmace, the game replaces modern firearms with swords, spells, crossbows, and shields, proving that the extraction loop works outside of military settings.
Raids take place in procedurally influenced dungeon layouts filled with AI enemies, traps, and other players. Classes define your role: fighters absorb damage, rogues move quietly and pick locks, clerics heal and support, wizards deal burst damage from range. Team composition matters, and each class interacts with the extraction loop differently. A rogue can avoid fights entirely and extract with stolen loot. A fighter must win engagements to survive.
PvPvE encounters in tight corridors and dark rooms create a different kind of tension than open-map shooters. Visibility is limited, and sound design rewards careful listening. Gear disparity is significant. A well-equipped player can dominate a poorly geared one, which raises the stakes of every encounter and makes extraction decisions more urgent.
The extraction mechanic uses portals that spawn at intervals, shrinking the available play space and forcing remaining players into tighter areas. This creates natural escalation without artificial time limits, pushing confrontation and extraction decisions simultaneously.
Best for: RPG and dungeon-crawling fans who want extraction mechanics in a fantasy setting. Strong class variety supports different play styles.
Players interested in optimising their experience can explore Elocarry’s Dark and Darker cheats to improve raid awareness and extraction reliability in high-pressure dungeon environments.
Grey Zone Warfare
Grey Zone Warfare is a tactical extraction shooter built on a large-scale, persistent open world. Developed by MADFINGER Games, it combines realistic ballistics, faction-based objectives, and long-form mission structures with extraction mechanics that reward patience and planning over aggressive play.
The game’s map is significantly larger than most extraction shooters, with engagements happening across open terrain, dense jungle, and built-up areas. This scale changes the pacing entirely. Raids are not tight, claustrophobic affairs. They are extended expeditions where distance, exposure, and navigation are threats in themselves. Getting caught in the open at range is as deadly as a close-quarters ambush.
PvE forms the backbone of most gameplay. AI enemies patrol territories, guard objectives, and respond to player behaviour. Faction missions provide structured goals that guide movement through the map rather than leaving players to wander. PvP exists naturally through shared spaces, other players are present and can engage you, but the game does not funnel everyone toward the same choke points. Encounters feel organic rather than forced.
Grey Zone Warfare appeals to players who want the realism and consequence of Tarkov without the constant PvP pressure. The open-world structure supports methodical, planned operations where intelligence gathering and route planning matter as much as shooting ability.
Best for: Tactical players who value realism, planning, and PvE-focused extraction. Appeals to milsim-adjacent audiences.
Players interested in optimising their experience can explore Elocarry’s Grey Zone Warfare hacks to support informed decision-making and improve survival during extended operations.
Delta Force
Delta Force is a rebooted franchise that blends large-scale military FPS combat with extraction shooter mechanics. Developed by Team Jade (TiMi Studios), Delta Force is designed to make extraction gameplay accessible to a broader audience without removing consequence entirely.
The extraction mode provides structured objectives rather than pure free-form looting. Missions give clear goals that guide player movement and decision-making, reducing the disorientation that newer players often experience in open-ended extraction games. Engagements are shorter and more readable than hardcore titles, with clearer feedback on damage, positioning, and threat direction.
PvP is present but framed around objectives. Rather than random encounters across an open map, player interactions tend to happen at predictable locations tied to mission goals. This reduces extraction camping and ambush-heavy play patterns that frustrate less experienced players. The result is an extraction experience with genuine stakes but more controlled pacing.
Delta Force also offers traditional large-scale multiplayer modes alongside extraction, giving players variety within a single title. This makes it a strong entry point for players interested in extraction mechanics but not ready to commit to a dedicated extraction shooter.
Best for: Players new to extraction shooters who want structure and accessibility. Good transition point from traditional military shooters.
Players interested in optimising their experience can explore Elocarry’s Delta Force hacks to support positioning, awareness, and extraction success.
Helldivers 2
Helldivers 2 is not a traditional extraction shooter, but it shares enough core DNA to belong in the conversation. Developed by Arrowhead Game Studios, Helldivers 2 is a cooperative PvE shooter where every mission ends with an extraction sequence that functions as the genre’s defining pressure point.
Missions follow a clear structure. Your squad drops into hostile territory, completes layered objectives under increasing enemy pressure, then calls in an extraction shuttle and survives until it arrives. That final extraction window is where Helldivers 2 most closely mirrors the genre. Enemies swarm the extraction zone, ammunition runs low, and the decision to hold position or retreat becomes genuinely tense.
Where Helldivers 2 differs from traditional extraction shooters is in persistence. Gear is not permanently lost on death. Progression is account-based rather than raid-based. You do not risk your inventory by deploying. This removes the economic anxiety of hardcore extraction games while preserving the moment-to-moment tension of survival and extraction.
The PvE-only design also removes player unpredictability entirely. Threats are AI-driven, learnable, and scalable through difficulty settings. This makes Helldivers 2 significantly more accessible than PvPvE extraction titles while still delivering intense, high-pressure gameplay during extraction sequences.
Best for: Cooperative players who want extraction tension without permanent gear loss or PvP pressure. Excellent entry point to extraction-adjacent gameplay.
Best Single Player Extraction Shooters
Single player extraction shooters focus on risk, progression, and survival without relying on competitive PvP encounters. In these games, tension is created through AI behaviour, resource scarcity, and long-term progression rather than unpredictable player ambushes. This makes them particularly appealing to players who want a controlled but challenging experience.
Playing extraction shooters solo increases tension significantly. There is no teammate to watch your back, share information, or revive you. Every decision is yours alone, and every mistake is final. Solo extraction is not easier. It is a fundamentally different experience that rewards self-reliance, map knowledge, and disciplined decision-making.
| Game | Solo Support | Solo Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Escape From Tarkov | Solo queue into all maps | Extremely challenging; outnumbered in squad-heavy lobbies but viable with map knowledge |
| Dark and Darker | Dedicated solo queue mode | Strong solo experience; class choice significantly impacts solo viability |
| Grey Zone Warfare | Full solo play supported | Open world and PvE focus make solo play natural and rewarding |
| ARC Raiders | Solo queue available | PvE focus reduces solo disadvantage; AI scales with group size |
| Delta Force | Solo queue supported | Structured objectives help solo players navigate without team coordination |
| Hunt: Showdown 1896 | Solo queue available | Viable but high-risk; audio skill becomes critical without teammates |
If solo play is your priority, Grey Zone Warfare and Dark and Darker offer the strongest dedicated experiences. Grey Zone Warfare’s open world and PvE backbone suit independent, methodical players, while Dark and Darker’s solo queue mode provides fair matchmaking without squad disadvantages. Escape From Tarkov is technically playable solo but is designed around squad play, making it the most punishing solo option on this list.
Extraction Shooters Ranked By Difficulty
Difficulty in extraction shooters is system-driven rather than purely skill-driven. A mechanically talented FPS player can still struggle in Tarkov because the challenge comes from information complexity, economic management, and system depth rather than raw aim. Understanding where each game sits on the difficulty spectrum helps you choose a starting point that matches your experience and patience.
| Game | Difficulty Tier | Why This Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Escape From Tarkov | Hardcore | No tutorials, complex ballistics, deep economy, steep knowledge requirements, punishing PvP |
| Hunt: Showdown 1896 | Hard | Permadeath, audio-dependent gameplay, precise gunplay, small margin for error in PvP |
| Dark and Darker | Hard | Gear disparity, limited visibility, class mastery required, punishing PvP in tight spaces |
| Grey Zone Warfare | Moderate-Hard | Realistic ballistics and large maps demand patience; PvE-focus reduces unpredictability |
| ARC Raiders | Moderate | PvE-forward design, cooperative structure, less constant PvP pressure |
| Delta Force | Moderate | Structured objectives, clear feedback systems, familiar military shooter feel |
| Helldivers 2 | Accessible | No permanent gear loss, scalable difficulty, PvE-only, cooperative focus |
Higher difficulty does not mean a better game. Tarkov’s complexity is its identity, not a flaw, but it is also not for everyone. Players who want extraction tension without weeks of onboarding will find better starting points in Delta Force, ARC Raiders, or Helldivers 2 before graduating to harder titles.
Which Extraction Shooter Should You Play?
The right extraction shooter depends on what you want from the experience, not which game has the highest difficulty or the largest player count.
Start by considering whether you prefer playing solo or with a squad. Solo extraction demands self-reliance and rewards map knowledge, while squad play shifts the experience toward communication, role distribution, and shared risk. Games like Grey Zone Warfare and Dark and Darker support solo play naturally, while Hunt: Showdown and Helldivers 2 are built around team coordination.
Next, assess your tolerance for PvP. If unpredictable human opponents create more frustration than excitement, PvE-focused titles like ARC Raiders and Helldivers 2 deliver extraction tension without player-driven randomness. If you thrive on outplaying other people, Tarkov and Hunt place human threat at the centre of every raid.
Consider your available time and patience for learning curves. Tarkov demands significant investment before it becomes rewarding. Delta Force and Helldivers 2 are playable within minutes. Neither approach is wrong, but mismatched expectations lead to early burnout.
Finally, prioritise enjoyment over perceived prestige. Playing the hardest extraction shooter does not make you a better player if you are not having fun. The genre works because tension and consequence create memorable experiences. That works at every difficulty level, from Helldivers 2’s cooperative chaos to Tarkov’s unforgiving realism. Choose the game that fits how you actually want to spend your time, and the extraction loop will do the rest.
Best Extraction Shooter Games: FAQs
What defines an extraction shooter compared to other FPS games?
Extraction shooters require players to physically reach an extraction point to keep loot and progress. Unlike standard FPS games where matches reset cleanly, extraction shooters carry consequences forward. Death means losing gear, making every raid a risk-reward calculation rather than a disposable match.
What game started the extraction shooter genre?
Escape From Tarkov is widely credited with popularising the modern extraction shooter format. While earlier games included extraction-like mechanics, Tarkov’s 2017 beta established the template of persistent loot, shared raid instances, and high-stakes PvPvE that defines the genre today.
Are extraction shooters the same as looter shooters?
No. Looter shooters like Destiny 2 or The Division focus on accumulating gear through repeatable content with minimal loss on death. Extraction shooters add permanent loss mechanics, meaning gear is only kept if you successfully extract. The risk of losing everything is the defining difference.
Are tactical shooters the same as extraction shooters?
Not necessarily. Tactical shooters like Rainbow Six Siege emphasise precise gunplay and team coordination but use round-based formats with no persistent loot risk. Some extraction shooters are also tactical, but the genres overlap rather than being identical.
Are there any free-to-play extraction shooters?
Yes. Delta Force offers a free-to-play model with extraction modes included. Dark and Darker has also offered free access periods. The free-to-play space for extraction shooters is growing as the genre expands.
Are there extraction shooters on console?
Yes. Hunt: Showdown 1896 is available on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Delta Force supports PS5 and Xbox Series X|S. Helldivers 2 is available on PS5 and PC. Escape From Tarkov remains PC-exclusive as of 2026.
Are there any extraction shooters on Nintendo Switch?
No. As of 2026, no major extraction shooters are available on Nintendo Switch. The genre’s system requirements and online infrastructure demands currently exceed the platform’s capabilities.
Are there any extraction shooters on PlayStation or Xbox?
Yes. Hunt: Showdown 1896, Delta Force, and Helldivers 2 (PlayStation only) are all available on current-generation consoles. Console extraction shooters are expanding as the genre grows in popularity.
Why are most extraction shooters PC-focused?
Extraction shooters often feature complex inventory management, detailed keybinds, and precision input requirements that suit mouse and keyboard. Many titles begin development as PC-first projects due to the genre’s core audience and technical demands, with console ports following later.
How many extraction shooters are there?
The genre has grown significantly since 2020. As of 2026, there are over a dozen notable extraction shooters either released or in active development, ranging from hardcore military sims to fantasy dungeon crawlers and cooperative PvE variants.
Are extraction shooters replacing battle royale games?
Extraction shooters are growing alongside battle royales, not replacing them. Both genres share some overlap in tension and survival mechanics, but they serve different player motivations. Battle royales focus on last-team-standing competition, while extraction shooters prioritise persistent progression and risk management. Both continue to attract large audiences.
