Extraction shooter
An extraction shooter sends you into a map to collect loot and then makes you reach an extraction point, often against a timer. If you die before you get out, you lose the gear you brought and found. Other players are in the same map, along with computer-controlled enemies, and there is no single winner.
Where the name comes from
No first use of the name has been found. Escape from Tarkov is usually called the first extraction shooter, and its creator is described as having invented the genre. Developers of Marathon and Arc Raiders use the term for their games.
Where the edges are
The genre is defined against its neighbours. A battle royale has one winner; an extraction shooter lets many players leave alive. A looter shooter lets you keep your gear when you die; an extraction shooter takes it. Battle royale games have added extraction modes, such as Warzone’s DMZ, and melee and role-playing versions are called “extraction ARPGs” instead.
Key extraction shooter games
Each game links to its article; the last column links to the source that puts it in the genre.
| Game | Developer | Engine | Genre per |
|---|---|---|---|
| Escape from Tarkov | Battlestate Games | Wikipedia | |
| Hunt: Showdown | Crytek | Wikipedia | |
| Arc Raiders | Embark Studios | Wikipedia | |
| The Cycle: Frontier | Yager Development | Wikipedia | |
| Dark and Darker | Ironmace | Wikipedia | |
| Marathon | Bungie | Wikipedia | |
| Rainbow Six Extraction | Ubisoft Montreal | Wikipedia | |
| Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0 | Infinity Ward Raven Software | Wikipedia | |
| Escape from Duckov | Team Soda | Wikipedia | |
| Arena Breakout: Infinite | Tencent Games Morefun Studios | Wikipedia |
Related genres: Battle royale, Looter shooter.
At a glance
- Parent genre
- Tactical shooter
- Usually called first
- Escape from Tarkov
- Also called
- Extraction game
Sources
Checked .
- Extraction shooter — Wikipedia
- What Is an Extraction Shooter, and What Was the First One? — Antihero Studios
- A History of Extraction Shooters — Gfinity Esports
- What is an Extraction Shooter? The new gaming genre explained — App Trigger
- "We never planned the game to be for everyone": How Escape from Tarkov pioneered a new era of FPS — GamesRadar+