Extraction Shooters Have A Retention Problem
Extraction shooters thrive on tension, but tension alone isn’t enough to keep players invested long term. In this video, I break down why the genre is blowing up right now, where it still struggles, and what I think many extraction shooters are missing beyond pure stress and loot.
Using examples like Escape from Tarkov and ARC Raiders, I talk about how movement, clarity, worldbuilding, and meaningful downtime affect replayability and burnout. I also explore why shared spaces or hubs could help make extraction worlds feel more real, rather than just another menu or lobby between matches. These are my own ideas and observations based on spending time with the genre and watching how players engage with it over time.
I’m currently playing the Marathon playtest under NDA, so I can’t go into details yet. Once the NDA lifts, I’ll be posting a dedicated video going over my experience, what to expect, and what I personally think Marathon is still missing as an extraction shooter.
This video uses an AI voice as an experiment. I recently picked up a microphone for music production and may start using my real voice in future videos once I’m happy with the sound quality and setup.
If you enjoy thoughtful breakdowns of game design, progression systems, and creative ideas around games, consider subscribing.
My name’s Aidan.
This is FoAM — Freedom of Artistic Mind.
Thanks for watching!
Games Discussed:
Escape from Tarkov
ARC Raiders
Marathon
⸻
𝑻𝒉𝒆 “𝑬𝒙𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆”
Escape from Tarkov
PC — 2017 (early access), 1.0 Nov 15, 2025
Console — planned, no confirmed release date
Hunt: Showdown
PC — 2018
Console — 2019
Console plans — already released
Call of Duty: Warzone DMZ
PC & Console — Nov 16, 2022
Console plans — already released
ARC Raiders
PC & Console — Oct 30, 2025
Console plans — already released
Marathon
PC & Console — release date TBA
Console plans — confirmed, no date
Delta Force
PC — Jan 20, 2025
Console — Aug 19, 2025
Console plans — already released
Vigor
Console — Aug 19, 2019
PC — Sept 18, 2024
Console plans — already released
The Cycle: Frontier
PC — Jun 2022
Status — shut down Sept 2023
Console plans — none (game shut down)
Dark and Darker
PC — Aug 2023 (early access), Steam Jun 2024
Console plans — none announced
Arena Breakout: Infinite
PC — Aug 2024 (early access), full release Sept 2025
Console plans — none announced
Gray Zone Warfare
PC — Apr 30, 2024 (early access)
Console plans — discussed as a future goal, no confirmation
ZERO Sievert
PC — Nov 2022 (early access), 1.0 Oct 23, 2024
Console plans — none announced
Incursion: Red River
PC — Apr 10, 2024 (early access)
Console plans — none announced
The Forever Winter
PC — Sept 24, 2024 (early access)
Console plans — not confirmed
Marauders
PC — Oct 3, 2022 (early access)
Console plans — none announced
Level Zero: Extraction
PC — Aug 13, 2024 (early access), full release Jan 29, 2025
Console plans — none announced
Dungeonborne
PC — Jul 18, 2024 (early access)
Console plans — none announced
Dungeon Stalkers
PC — Aug 13, 2025 (early access)
Console plans — none announced
Starsiege: Deadzone
PC — Jul 18, 2023 (early access)
Status — servers discontinued 2024
Console plans — none (discontinued)
The Day Before
PC — Dec 7, 2023
Status — delisted Dec 2023, servers shut down Jan 2024
Console plans — none (shut down)
Escape from Duckov
PC — Oct 16, 2025
Console plans — none announced
Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Extraction
PC & Console — Jan 20, 2022
Console plans — already released
Battlefield 2042: Hazard Zone
PC & Console — Nov 19, 2021
Console plans — already released
As of December 14th, 2025
Heard something different? Let me know in the comment section and i’ll update my list 😀
#ExtractionShooter #GameDesign #ARCRaiders #Tarkov #Marathon