Extraction Shooter

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"Your objective is simple: get in, gather as much loot as you can, and make it out alive."

— Narrator, Gameplay Overview Trailer for Marathon (2026)

A Sub-Genre of the First- and Third-Person Shooter that contains elements of the Roguelike and Battle Royale Game, Extraction Shooters can be identified by their core gameplay loop. The player(s) are dropped into a combat zone, then must race to complete objectives, fight enemies and/or hunt down valuable loot before (hopefully) escaping with their lives by reaching an "Extraction Point". This often requires them to Hold the Line in the minutes before their departure, or inversely, to assault an enemy-occupied landing zone, depending on who got there first. The genre can be further divided into "Scavenger" or "Objective" types, depending on which aspect of the gameplay is given greater emphasis — completing the mission, or grabbing everything that isn't nailed down.

While extraction elements have cropped up several times in earlier games, particularly Left 4 Dead and PAYDAY: The Heist, the Trope Codifier of the "Scavenger" type and Genre Popularizer is the 2017 game Escape from Tarkov, a hardcore Tactical Shooter where players must scavenge for weapons, equipment and valuables amidst abandoned, war-torn towns and facilities to grow stronger and upgrade their hideout, completing objectives as they progress. While initially rather obscure, owing in no small part to its high skill (and patience ... and cost of entry) requirements, Tarkov would eventually garner a large following, especially via Twitch livestreams, convincing many game studios that there was money to be made and spawning a whole host of Extraction Shooters that began to emerge in The New '20s, not always to great success.

Regardless of subtype, Extraction Shooters tend to incorporate:

• A ticking clock — the player(s) need to successfully extract within the given time limit, and can't just slowly creep past any and all threats they run into, or painstakingly ransack the entire map looking for the Rare Random Drop. Once the timer runs out, it either results in an immediate Game Over or makes things much more difficult. Probably one of the most essential aspects of the genre, distinguishing it from turn-based or dungeon crawler games where the player may need to find an exit, but is in no rush to do so.
• Some form of Resources Management Gameplay. Just as your time in each run is limited, so too are the resources, including weapons, equipment, ammo and health kits, that the players can bring along. Depleting consumables too quickly often means the only option left is to cut any losses and retreat, and inventory loss on death is very common, making it a gamble as to whether the best equipment is worth taking.
• Missions taking place in small Wide Open Sandboxes in which the player has the opportunity to explore and approach quests as they see fit. Becoming familiar with the layout of the maps, or what you can expect to find on them when randomisation is used, is essential to player development, allowing players to determine the best ways to complete objectives or get the drop on enemies.
• The ability to access new quests, vendors, and upgrades in-between runs, often via a Hub Level. In "Scavenger" types, this is where Shop Fodder can be disposed of and loot stockpiles rearranged. There will often be multiple factions whom you can purchase items and accept quests from, along with a reputation mechanic that affects their feelings towards you and perhaps events in the game more generally. Another common feature is Renovating the Player Headquarters, typically providing permanent buffs that will be applied during runs.
• A mix of PvE and PvP elements, sometimes referred to as "PvPvE". Most of the enemies you encounter will be controlled by AI, but multiplayer co-op is often available, alongside several other players scattered throughout the map who can be fought or allied with for a better chance of survival. The latter always carries the risk of one player shooting the other In the Back to get their hands on all the loot.
• High-risk, high-reward gameplay — death (or a Total Party Kill in co-op) immediately results in a Game Over, and a token consolation payout at best in exchange for all time, effort, and resources expended. Correspondingly, the heftiest rewards and best loot require exploring the most dangerous areas or taking on the biggest and baddest enemies.
• "Realistic" gameplay elements that deliberately set out to challenge the players, taking after Tarkov. You'll need to think strategically, because going in guns blazing will rarely if ever work, and one wrong move will swiftly result in your death — all the more important given the above point.

Scavenger types, as exemplified by Escape from Tarkov and its successors, are a development of the Looter Shooter. While there will be numerous optional objectives and quests, the overriding goal is usually grabbing as many valuable goodies as you can. However, there is a strict limit on the amount players can carry, often forcing them to choose between keeping items that are more valuable, more powerful, needed for quests, or that they just happen to like. Thus, many a player's biggest fear is getting nailed by a sniper just before escaping with that extremely valuable haul. Due to the fundamental importance of looting within these games, they often take place in a Crapsack Scavenger World.

Objective types, as exemplified by Left 4 Dead and its successors, downplay the loot-acquisition elements in favour of directing the players towards completing specific goals in each run. Typically, you'll still be scouring the battlefield for resources and other materials, but this is no longer the core of the gameplay. There's generally a stronger focus on PvE and cooperative play, the loadouts your characters use will more likely be permanently unlocked rather than chosen from a stash of equipment, and the game may even feature set characters or classes much like a Hero Shooter. Levels also tend to be more linear as players are constantly herded towards an objective instead of spreading out to look for loot, as well as extraction being emphasized as a final climax.

Extraction Shooters will commonly mix and match aspects of both subtypes, however. But any Extraction Shooter must have said extraction mechanic as a mandatory objective, and the only way to save your progress and complete the mission, with a timer or constant threat pushing the players towards it eventually. Having said that, a downplayed variant is possible where an "Extraction" mode is featured in a game belonging primarily to another genre.

Can be differentiated from other shooter Sub Genres in the following ways:

• Arena Shooter: Combat typically takes place in limited open-world environments rather than enclosed arenas. Moreover, given the Tactical Shooter aspects of many Extraction games, it's often a good idea not to get into as many fights as possible and instead picking and choosing advantageous battles.
• Battle Royale Game: While the scavenging for weapons and resources aspect is similar, Battle Royales discard most items collected by the player after a match is complete, resulting in them always starting from scratch, and the objective in Extraction Shooters is to escape rather than be the last man standing.
• Hero Shooter: While some Extraction Shooters do have fixed characters or classes, the PvP elements are incidental to the main objectives rather than being the entire point of the game.
• Looter Shooter: While there is significant overlap, especially with Scavenger types, items in a Looter Shooter typically are not lost when a character dies. There is generally greater emphasis on stat modifiers and forming the perfect loadout, and Looter Shooters often take place in a conventional RPG style Wide-Open Sandbox with a storyline the player progresses through, rather than time-limited resource runs.

Examples of the genre: