From what analysts and gamer market experts have said, there is a new subgenre about to dominate the sector: extraction games (or Extraction Shooters, in the original).
Presented as the “new Battle Royale”, the Extraction Shooters subgenre has been indicated as the new trend in the gaming market. However, what influenced the popularization of this new type of game?
What are extraction games?
In this genre, the player enters a map with weapons or other means of combat. Your objective is to collect as much loot as possible and then escape.
In between, however, there will be other players and computer-controlled enemies ready for combat.
If he manages to escape, the player takes the prize obtained and can use it later. If you are defeated, you lose all items permanently.
You may not have heard of any Extraction Shooter yet, but rest assured: you will soon.
In September 2025, the game Arena Breakout: Infinite debuted less than a week after its release.
A month later, it was Arc Raider’s turn to surprise. The game, , carried out a playtest that reached more than 190 thousand players simultaneously.
Influenced by casino crash games?
The origin of Extraction Shooters may have everything to do with the iGaming market. The casino industry, especially crash games, may have influenced this new genre.
Crash games are found in . Some of the most famous in this genre are Aviator and Spaceman. In practice, in a game crash, the player makes a bet before the start of the round. The objective is to withdraw this bet before the moment the game “breaks” (hence the name). If you succeed, you keep the profit. If not, you lose everything.
Do you understand how the gameplay loop is similar? In both, the player must try to “exit” the game with a prize, running the risk of losing everything.
There is, however, a crucial difference between the two…
What’s different about extraction games
Despite the similarities between extraction and crash games, one specific difference must be mentioned: in the case of casino games, the result depends solely on luck.
In extraction games, there is an element of luck on the field. However, skilled players can influence the outcome of each round with their skill.
Be that as it may, the fact is that extraction games have borrowed heavily from the gameplay loop of one of the most popular betting genres today. This is not the first time that the iGaming market has influenced console games (and vice versa). But it’s interesting to see how a mechanic that’s popular in one place can be remodeled and reworked to become a trend in another.
For gamers, it’s worth keeping an eye out and seeing if the Extraction Shooters trend will continue or will be a summer craze. Who knows what could still come?
