Chris InglisActive Matter is a first-person extraction shooter developed by Matter Team and published by Gaijin Entertainment which officially launched on September 15, 2026, across PC and consoles. Transitioning from its early access testing phases into a full premium release, this PvP/PvE game blends realistic ballistics with unsettling, sci-fi horror elements that carves out its own niche in the genre. It offers a punishing yet exciting experience for players brave enough to step into its fractured multiverse in pursuit of the titular Active Matter.
The story and setting centre on a fractured multiverse trapped in a temporal anomaly reminiscent of the Stalker games. You step into the boots of operatives trapped within quantum-unstable zones which feature shattered, distorted fragments of real-world landscapes like a huge island with rusty Soviet industrial complexes and cryptic science labs that were among the first to study these new phenomena. The source of this chaotic reality is Active Matter, a primordial substance capable of warping time, altering space, and bending the laws of physics.
Because of these temporal shifts, operatives are caught in a relentless time loop, forced to deploy into perilous zones repeatedly. In your travels you might come across beasts and other operatives that have lost their minds after being exposed to Active Matter. Other players are also on the hunt and pose a threat in PvP maps. The world is heavily influenced by cosmic horror and weird fiction, creating an eerie, tense atmosphere where reality literally shifts around you with gravitational warps that literally flip you and the world upside down.
Navigating each zone map requires constant vigilance due to limited inventory management, where default pack space demands careful prioritisation between survival tools and valuable loot. Weapons, backpacks, and ammunition are critically scarce, and I learned quickly that firing off a full magazine without a guaranteed kill can leave you entirely defenceless for the remainder of the raid. Weapons sounds are relatively close to their real world counterparts with realistic kick back to be prepared for.
Compounding this stress are random map events such as sudden spatial distortions or supply drops that draw both hostile operatives and unpredictable hazards. Keeping a sharp eye on these events relative to your designated extraction points is essential. Over-committing to a distant event can easily strand you when choked extraction zones get swarmed with stealthy, distorted beasts or other players.
You often hear the enemy before you see them, with most having stealth or camouflage on their side. Hunting and killing these beasts allow operatives to harvest raw Active Matter directly from their remains. Back at the central base, this harvested matter along with salvaged junk and components broken down from extracted loot items can be used to fabricate new gear, synthesise items, and permanently upgrade weapons and equipment. This deep crafting loop turns every successfully extracted item into tangible long-term progress, if you survive to extraction of course.
Overall, Active Matter manages to marry high-risk extraction mechanics with atmospheric horror and satisfying crafting systems. Though its steep difficulty and brutal resource scarcity may intimidate casual shooter fans in the initial hours, those willing to master its complex systems will find an immersive and rewarding extraction shooter that carves its own niche in the market. Hopefully it can sustain a playerbase for the PvP battles or more PvE maps are extended in the later game.
This review utilised a Steam key provided by Gaijin Entertainment and Active Matter is out now on Steam, Xbox and PlayStation.
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