Game intel
Active Matter
You’re an operative stuck in a time loop, always brought back from the dead to the same point. Choose your loadout and enter quantum unstable zones rich with…
Active Matter pitches itself as a hardcore online shooter where SCP-flavored horrors, gravity-warping anomalies, and extraction-style raids collide. That combo immediately pinged my radar. We’ve seen plenty of PvPvE games chase Escape from Tarkov’s crown, but few dare to mess with the rules of physics mid-firefight. Gaijin Entertainment (War Thunder, Enlisted) and Matter Team just launched an early version exclusively on the Gaijin Store with four editions, while Steam and consoles aren’t coming until 2026. That’s a long runway, so the big question is whether this early buy-in offers more than a shiny founders badge.
The “early version” of Active Matter is out now on Gaijin’s own storefront. There are four editions: three offer different starting weapons and gear sets, and a fourth includes two extra copies so three friends can jump in together. That’s clearly a squad-first pitch, which tracks with the game’s trio-focused raids and the broader trend of extraction shooters leaning into tight team play.
Content-wise, the game spans dozens of raids across Dalniy Island and lush African locales, with both PvPvE and isolated PvE missions. In PvPvE runs, you’re juggling corrupted monsters and rival operatives – think Tarkov meets The Cycle, but with a twist: anomalies. One minute you’re grounded, the next you’re sprinting along ceilings because a gravity pocket flipped your battlefield. Ball lightning roams around deleting anything it touches. This isn’t just set dressing; using anomalies to flank campers or force a disengage could become a skill of its own.
Then there’s the boss layer. The studio basically says: sometimes you’ll want to cooperate with enemies when a giant shows up. Emergent truces are the most interesting moments in extraction games, but they only work if betrayal is possible and rewards are meaningful. If Active Matter nails that risk-reward calculus, those encounters could define the game’s highlights – and its Reddit clips.
Outside raids, Gaijin’s adding a PvP “Battle for the Nexus” mode with bespoke arenas (Aztec temples to sci-fi skyscrapers) where you don’t lose gear on death. That’s a clever pressure valve: let players learn recoil patterns and movement routes without the “one mistake, lose your kit” anxiety. It also implies the devs want a wider funnel than pure extraction purists.
Gear depth looks meaty: 60+ realistic firearms from humble Makarovs to M110A1s, broad modding, melee options (knives, axes, hammers, spears), and modern toys like recon drones and robo-dogs. Vehicles range from buggies to tanks. Vehicles in extraction contexts usually sound cooler than they play — loud, obvious, and third-party magnets — but Gaijin’s experience with big metal and ballistics could make them more than novelty.
Extraction shooters are tricky. Tarkov still dictates the meta, Call of Duty’s DMZ showed mass appeal for lower-stakes runs, and Dark and Darker proved fantasy flavor works. The Cycle: Frontier shut down despite doing many things right, and Bungie’s Marathon reboot is taking its time. In other words: players want this genre, but only if the loop is tight and the economy fair.
Gaijin brings legit shooter pedigree. War Thunder’s ballistics and vehicle handling remain top-tier, and Enlisted’s gunfeel is underrated. But it’s impossible to ignore Gaijin’s monetization controversies — most notably community blowback around War Thunder’s economy changes that forced walk-backs. Founders-style editions with starter gear sets can be fine if they’re convenience, not power. If early buyers get a meaningful combat edge, the community will notice — and bounce.
If you’re tempted to jump in via the Gaijin Store, treat this like a paid beta with toys attached. The edition that includes two extra copies is attractive if your trio is locked in; extraction games die without squads and comms. The separate PvP mode is a welcome practice range, but the real test will be the cadence and stakes of raids: how harsh is gear loss, how readable are anomalies mid-fight, and can bosses pull squads together without devolving into grief-fests?
I’m also watching for the usual live-service questions the announcement didn’t answer: Will there be progression wipes? How aggressive is the grind without paying? What’s the plan for anti-cheat, given how quickly extraction economies collapse if dupes or wallhacks slip through? And with Steam and console versions not arriving until 2026, how does the team sustain player population and content updates in their own launcher for two years?
There’s a lot to like conceptually. Wall-running via gravity pockets could refresh stale corridor fights. Drones and robo-dogs might enable recon-heavy playstyles that don’t just reward crack aim. And tanks in a raid? If balanced well, that’s chaos in the best way — or a grief engine if spawning and counterplay aren’t nailed. That balance work is the entire ballgame.
Active Matter’s early version shows ambition: a tri-mode structure (PvE, PvPvE, risk-free PvP), systemic anomalies, and Gaijin’s trademark arsenal. The long gap to 2026 on Steam and consoles is the red flag — not a deal-breaker, but enough to make cautious players wait. If the team communicates clearly on wipes, monetization, and a roadmap for raids, bosses, and map variety, this could carve out a distinct niche rather than becoming “Tarkov with a gimmick.”
Active Matter blends extraction raids with gravity anomalies, big bosses, and a no-gear-loss PvP mode. The ideas are exciting and Gaijin knows guns, but the monetization balance and the long march to 2026 will decide whether this is a new staple or just another experiment. Curious squads should watch impressions closely; early adopters, go in eyes open.
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