Extraction Shooters Explained – What Kind of Game is Marathon?

The extraction shooter genre has officially exploded. For years it was synonymous with a couple of games, most notably Escape from Tarkov, but it’s now more varied and beginner-friendly than ever. Arc Raiders has sucked in first-timers, and I’m tentatively excited by what I’ve played of Bungie’s Marathon ahead of its full launch this week.

But if you’ve never played an extraction shooter before, the genre can seem intimidating and opaque. What does that confusing name mean? What exactly is an extraction shooter? And what are the best ones to play right now? That’s what we’re here to explore.

What is an Extraction Shooter?

Every extraction shooter is different, but the basic loop goes something like this: You load into a map, either solo or in a team. You explore, find loot, locate quest items and, usually, fight enemies. Those enemies might be fellow players, AI-controlled bots, or a mix of the two, which is why you’ll often see the genre characterized as PvPvE – player vs player vs environment. There are, however, pure PvE games, and even single player-only extraction shooters.

When you’re finished fighting, exploring and questing you