The extraction shooter genre is a relatively new one in the gaming industry, describing a variation on the shooter games that fans have come to know and love. The major difference is all about the goal of the player, which isn’t to defeat enemies as much as it is to get into an area, find as much loot and goods as possible, and get out of the area. Companies like Bungie are bringing back IPs likeMarathonto further expand the extraction shooter market.
Only popularized into its own genre over the last five years or so, the extraction shooter is now being latched onto bymany companies for major new releasesin an attempt to corner the market before it becomes saturated, but only a few really great games are already available for players to try their hand with.
Updated August 05, 2025, by Mehrdad Khayyat:Extraction shooter is a relatively new sub-genre to the shooter games, and it’s safe to say that trend did begin with Escape From Tarkov and its incredible success among PC gamers looking for a realistic experience.
Thankfully, the sub-genre has grown enough in recent years that we now have extraction shooters for almost every taste, especially for casual gamers who may not find the brutal and unforgiving environment of Tarkov interesting enough.
Level Zero: Extractiontakes the idea ofDead By Daylightand translates it into the extraction shooter genre, where a series of players hold guns in hand to survive an alien-plagued map, while another player takes the role of an alien monster, trying to hunt down survivors before they can extract.
This PvPvE is a brutal experience, where there is more than one mercenary group that could run into each other and show no mercy, but the ultimate enemy is the alien and environment hazards that can wipe out an entire squad.
Arena Breakout: Infiniteis one of the closest experiences toEscape From Tarkovwe have ever received, but it is free-to-play and it comes with simplified gameplay, which makes the transition to a hardcore game likeTarkovmuch easier.
The simplified elements inArena Breakout: Infiniteinclude an online map that shows the player’s location and allows for pinging targets for the entire team. The weapon customization system also works quite easily in this game, as players no longer need to level up to unlock important attachments. However, better weapons are still locked behind higher levels.
13Lost Light
A Realistic Take On The Genre With Switchable Perspective
In many parts,Lost Lightis quite similar toEscape From Tarkov, but what helps it stand out a little bit is the camera switch between first-person and third-person view. Lost Light allows players to enjoy the gameplay the way they want, and that is a great sort of freedom.
The camera switch is indeed a tactical ability that allows the player to check out their surroundings without leaving their cover. On the other hand, the first-person view delivers a more immersive experience and also helps with more accurate aiming during gunfights.
Gray Zone Warfareis more of an objective-based extraction shooter, where players drop onto the map to complete quests rather than just loot or kill other players. This game mostly focuses on PvE, as players must deal with a local group of hostiles, but they will sometimes run into other players as well, which does trigger PvP combat.
Gray Zone Warfareoffers a massive, unified map instead of multiple smaller sections. So, players have a large sandbox area to go creative with. Thegunplay inGray Zone Warfareis quite satisfying as players can feel the difference between each weapon. The game also comes with gorgeous visuals, though bugs are inevitable as it is still in Early Access.
The first thing that catches the attention of The Forever Winter players is the immersive atmospheric setting of the game that truly depicts a post-apocalyptic world dominated by ruthless war machines.
As a PvE game, players can start a solo experience or team up with friends to find loot and survive in a battle-torn world, where hostile robots are lurking at every corner. The players will need a tactical approach to survive as long as possible while looting enough resources and using them wisely against die-hard enemies. Coordination and management of the situation matters the most in this game.
For those fed up with cheaters or toxic players,Incursion Red Riveris an incredible extraction shooter to play solo or with friends while only opposing AI-controlled enemies. The game brings everything one can expect from an extraction shooter, including hardcore and realistic gunplay.
Incursion Red Riveris still in Early Access and the developers are trying to evolve the game over time by adding new maps, new contracts, bosses, extreme weather conditions, and improving the AI behavior to make it feel more realistic when engaging in gunfights.
Taking a different approach, quite literally, to the extraction shooter,Zero Sievertputs players into a top-down perspective world where there is almost nothing left. Resources are scarce, making a good excuse for players having tofight each otheras well as any other creatures they find, to survive.
Another game being continually developed in early access release,Zero Sievertis already a fantastic release that blends a fun, intense world with the extraction shooter elements that are becoming key to the genre. Players have fallen in love with this different style of extraction shooter, finding it just as intense as other entries while appreciating the different perspective, which is rare for the genre.
Witchfireis an RPG shooter at heart, more likeDestiny 2, but it uses a gameplay loop that is more similar to an extraction shooter, which is why it fits pretty well into this list. The game is still in the Early Access phase, but it comes with enough content to keep players entertained.
InWitchfire, the player is tasked withtackling a dungeon-style worldwith every attempt to kill the doomed creatures, hunt for resources, and then return home to use the resources for upgrading weapons and abilities. The choice belongs to the player to delve deeper or retreat, but a single death will result in losing all the progress made.
The game delivers exhilarating gunplay with a modding system similar to that ofDestiny 2, that allows for being creative with builds to find more success in every journey.Witchfireis an offline, single-player extraction shooter, which is a rare thing nowdays.
Both newcomer and veteran players to the style of an extraction shooter will enjoyQuasimorph, as it delivers something completely different from other games in the genre. Not only does it come with turn-based combat and a heavy focus on story, but it is also part extraction shooter and part RPG.
The game is still in early access but has a great fan base helping iron out any initial difficulties.Quasimorphis proving that extraction shooters can be much more than initially thought. Taking a bold swing away from the FPS style and the speedy gameplay,Quasimorphgives players something entirely different, proving extraction shooters can be for every type of gamer.
One of the originators of the extraction shooter genre, and the biggest of the games in the genre to date,Escape From Tarkovtakes place in a fictional region where two private military companies are at war. Players are dropped intoone of the varyingly difficult mapsand are tasked with getting extracted, either at their primary point on the other side of the map or at one of the optional points in the middle of the map, all of which come with extra requirements,prompting players to improve their aim, so they can get into the mix of things in the middle of the map.
Along the way, players contest with other player characters and NPCs in their attempts to gather as much loot as possible. Players can bring loot into a raid, but if they die, then they lose everything they’ve gathered during the raid as well as everything they brought into it, making the game a risky business. With up to fourteen players on a map and a maximum time of 45 minutes for each raid,Escape From Tarkovis the perfect set-up with elements from MMOs to make for a highly successful game. This makesEscape From Tarkovperfect for newcomers, especially ones with experience in MMOs, as many aspects of the game will feel familiar.
