Active Matter is a Must-Play Extraction Shooter That’s Turning Heads
You might not have heard of Active Matter, the mind-bending tactical extraction shooter that’s something of a fusion of Escape from Tarkov, STALKER, and Control. It was released as a 1.0 product on September 15 after a…
You might not have heard of Active Matter, the mind-bending tactical extraction shooter that’s something of a fusion of Escape from Tarkov, STALKER, and Control. It was released as a 1.0 product on September 15 after a couple of years of tests and early access, dropping on both PC and console platforms with a fairly acceptable price tag.
It hasn’t managed to generate too much in the way of traction in the player count stakes, but Active Matter is standing firm as a must-play extraction title that’s seizing the attention of all who take the time to check it out.
I’ve been hands-on with the game, and I’m just about ready to fall in love.
Active Matter’s Juice is Worth the Squeeze
It will take you a fair effort to understand Active Matter’s many mechanics and critical features, not to mention the game’s brain-altering, twisted universe and convoluted backstory. But it’s well worth the time you’ll invest in getting to know the game – trust me.
In Active Matter, which has been pieced together by Matter Team, you assume control of an operative plunged into a world lodged in a brutal time loop. You periodically enter unstable zones being ripped apart by quantum disruption, with a virulent multiverse spilling across the world, manifesting in physics-altering anomalies, post-apocalyptic landscapes, and horrifying, otherworldly enemies.
I said it was complex, right?
It’s an extraction shooter with some serious meat on the bones. You’ve got the core and somewhat typical extraction modes, both PvE and PvPvE, as well as raids and squad-focused modes, and traditional multiplayer arenas centered around PvP battles.
But the layers start forming here, as the extraction ecosystem is represented by multiple maps, each of which succumbs to a rotation of map conditions, altered states, day-night cycles, and special events.
In Active Matter, you’re getting a game that has been playable, in one way or another, for a couple of years. That means that the launch product is dense. You’ll be invited to pick from, earn, and unlock one of many ‘body sleeves’, which are unique operators, each with their own abilities, buffs, nerfs, and appearances.
Once you’ve selected your sleeve, you can customize it further (for the most part), and then dive into a hideout that facilitates everything from crafting and tuning weapons to picking out missions and constructing a home away from home. From there, you decide how, when, and to what extent you want to explore Active Matter.
But this is really where that depth starts to shine.
Each raid can have several objectives, spread across a tiered system: Primary, Operative, and Additional. Each map is pretty large and diverse, populated with unpredictable threats, and the loot pool runs wild. As you complete missions, extract Active Matter, fight (and hopefully defeat) enemies, and successfully get out of the raid, you’ll earn swarms of rewards.
There are four or five different in-game currencies, battle pass mechanics, a prestige system, a skill tree, multiple levels to ascend through, and several ways to approach the game, depending on your playstyle.
Are you a stealthy, agile character who prioritizes loot? That’s fine. Are you a heavy gunner who wants to tank the incoming damage to cover your comrades? That’s not a problem. Are you a hard-headed stormtrooper who busts in windows and flies into the face of danger wielding a shotgun and a pocket full of grenades? Yes.
Style and Substance
Active Matter doesn’t just have umpteen critical systems, progression paths, and customization elements to uncover. It’s much more than that.
Within Active Matter, you’ve got a gorgeous first-person shooter that looks utterly phenomenal, regardless of whether you’re playing on PC, XBOX, or PlayStation 5. That’s another killer note: it’s one of the few extraction shooters available on all these platforms. Move over, ARC Raiders.
The game has weight, combat is satisfying and inherently challenging, the loot-loop gameplay is intense and at times threatening, and the granularity of the rewards system has you running a permanent dopamine high.
RELATED: Top Extraction Shooters to Play in 2026
It might not have such a tight focus on death being the end, as most extraction shooters do, but that’s fine. I mean, it tries to be very accessible. There are maps, compasses, a ping and emote system, and several mechanics that are designed to give you a relatively easy ride.
For instance, you’ve got respawn beacons that you can drop that allow you to come back to life if you die in a raid, but there are caveats to that deal. Also, depending on which tier you purchase, you might start the game with an absolute mountain of loot and equipment in your stash.
There are layers upon layers upon layers in Active Matter, though. You can tee up ‘investigations’ to complete in your games to unlock exclusive rewards and cosmetics; there are daily objectives to complete to unlock valuable credits; there’s a full-fledged vehicle system that makes traversal a cinch; and you’ve got an immense volume of enemies, anomalies, and core elements to understand.
All this is before you start looking at ‘chronogenes’ that buff your character, the statistics systems that allow you to play back your runs, the lengthy array of achievements and trophies to chase down, and the split between PvE and PvPvE to explore.
It accepts controller inputs on PC, it has managed to rack up positive reviews on Steam by the hundreds, and it has been published by the same team that brought you the likes of War Thunder, Enlisted, and Crossout – Gaijin.
The lighting is stellar, the soundtrack is curated and enjoyable, the movement mechanics are weighty and authentic, the atmosphere is superb, and the ambience is off the charts. If you’re a fan of the average post-apocalyptic experience, chances are you’ll become a fan of Active Matter overnight.
As I said, it’s perhaps a little too complex for some players off the rip, and you do kind of need to purchase a higher tier to get that bounty of equipment to start with, but they’re not deal-breaker issues to raise. Also, it’s not entirely bug-free. It’s a complicated title that has plane-altering mechanics, world-bending physics, and an ambitious gameplay loop, so is that to be expected? Perhaps.
Also, some gamers might not approve of the sizeable assortment of in-game currencies or the ‘loot box’ approach to crafting and refining items, which lets you know your chances of getting some returns and doesn’t guarantee anything, for the most part.
But with all that said, Active Matter represents a phenomenal extraction experience that’s doing enough differently to really stand out from the crowd. And, as you might know, that has become a dense crowd over the last couple of years.
Right now, the pricing structure for Active Matter is as follows:
- Standard Edition: $29.99
- Advanced Edition: $49.99
- Deluxe Edition: $99.99
Being transparent, I’ve got the Deluxe Edition, and it’s absolutely insane what you get to start with. I mean, 185,000 in-game credits and stacks of ‘Prime’ tokens, some exclusive character skins, a huge array of equipment, storage containers, and armor items, and more weapons and tactical gear than you could handle… Almost.
And you know what else this game doesn’t have? Microtransactions. Every in-game currency is earned by playing the game, and almost every category can be farmed quite nicely. The team expressly stated that they ‘have no such plans’ to create MTX for Active Matter, so the initial price you pay should be all you ever pay.
I think that’s about everything I need to say about Active Matter. Let me know if you’ve been convinced to give the game a shot over on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
Written by Grant Taylor-Hill Senior Editor and Esports LeadGrant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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