Summary

  • Starship Troopers: Extermination 1.0 launch on Oct 11, 2024, brings co-op bug-killing action to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
  • Direct competition from Helldivers 2, but Extermination stands out with larger 16-player co-op parties.
  • Single-player mode with Casper Van Dien reprising his role adds depth, setting Extermination apart from Helldivers 2.

After being in Steam Early Access for more than a year, Starship Troopers: Extermination is finally getting a 1.0 launch on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on October 11, 2024. Developed by Offworld Industries, the independent Canadian studio behind the popular 2020 multiplayer game Squad, this well-received co-op FPS serves as the latest video game adaptation set in the world of the cult classic 1997 sci-fi film, Starship Troopers. Like previous games based on the franchise, Starship Troopers: Extermination puts players in the shoes of the titular Troopers, members of the Deep Space Vanguard military group who are tasked with exterminating giant alien bugs from hostile planets.

Starship Troopers: Extermination is one of the more notable releases scheduled to come out in the second half of 2024, but it does face major competition from a similar, bug-stomping co-op shooter that was released earlier in the year: Helldivers 2. Arrowhead Game Studios' and Sony Interactive Entertainment's popular third-person shooter broke sales records across PlayStation 5 and PC when it was released back in February, and it continues to maintain an active playerbase to this day. Furthermore, considering how much inspiration it took from the 1997 Paul Verhoeven movie when it comes to both premise and tone , Helldivers 2 is practically a Starship Troopers game in all but name only, so it has somewhat filled the void for games based on the IP. Despite Helldivers 2's staying power, though, Starship Troopers: Extermination could still end up distinguishing itself by flaunting a key aspect of the game that gives it a competitive edge over Arrowhead's acclaimed third-person shooter.

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Casper Van Dien, Starship Troopers: Extermination Devs Talk Staying Faithful to the Franchise

The Best War Games speaks with Casper Van Dien and the Starship Troopers: Extermination devs about its upcoming single-player mode, authenticity, and more.

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Starship Troopers Has a Major Feature That Could Give It an Edge over Helldivers 2

Starship Troopers: Extermination and Helldivers 2 Are Different in Some Key Areas

Starship Troopers: Extermination might just seem like a first-person version of Helldivers 2 at first glance, but the two games do have some noteworthy differences. In Helldivers 2, players are dropped onto procedurally generated maps to complete missions and fend off waves of alien bugs using firearms and explosives, only to then extract themselves back to the warship they came from at the end of each round. Starship Troopers: Extraction, meanwhile, places players on large, handcrafted maps and tasks them with multiple objectives, including reclaiming bases and building refineries. Though the two co-op games offer a similar bug-killing combat experience, the way the gameplay loop is structured in both titles is distinct from one another.

Co-Op Parties in Starship Troopers: Extermination Can Be Far Larger than in Helldivers 2

Aside from its gameplay loop and first-person perspective, perhaps the one aspect of Starship Troopers: Extermination that really sets the game apart, however, is the number of players its cooperative multiplayer supports. In Extermination, up to 16 gamers can squad up and fight hordes of alien bugs together. Compared to Helldivers 2, this is fairly noteworthy, as Arrowhead's massively successful third-person shooter only supports co-op parties of up to 4 players, which is a fraction of what Starship Troopers: Extermination offers.

While some gamers may prefer the more restrictive nature of the co-op in Helldivers 2 and might find Starship Troopers: Extermination to be a bit too chaotic for their tastes with 16 players, the larger co-op parties in Starship Troopers will likely excite many gamers, especially those who wanted to get in on some bug-killing action with friend groups of five or more in Helldivers 2, but were unable to do so.

Starship Troopers: Extermination Will Have a Single-Player Campaign in Addition to Co-Op

Besides 16-player co-op, Starship Troopers: Extermination's 1.0 release will also feature a single-player story mode, something that Helldivers 2 also lacks. Casper Van Dien, the actor who played Johnny Rico in the 1997 film, will not only reprise his role in the campaign, but, according to Offworld Industries, he'll have more lines of dialogue than in the first and third Starship Troopers movies combined. If this single-player component ends up being high quality, it could give Starship Troopers: Extermination another major advantage over Helldivers 2 and convince players who otherwise may not have tried the game out to give it a shot just for the campaign.

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Starship Troopers: Extermination
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FPS
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Systems
PC-1 PlayStation-1 Xbox-1
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Top Critic Avg: 63 /100 Critics Rec: 11%
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Released
October 11, 2024
ESRB
T For Teen // Blood, Violence
Developer(s)
Offworld Industries
Publisher(s)
Offworld Industries
Engine
Unreal Engine 5, Unreal Engine 4
Multiplayer
Online Co-Op
Cross-Platform Play
PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S
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WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
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Starship Troopers: Extermination is a pulse-pounding co-op first-person shooter. Join the Deep Space Vanguard, an elite Special Forces branch of the Mobile Infantry, in the fight against the Bug menace and claim victory for humanity!

Your trusty Morita Assault Rifle, support tools, and fellow Vanguard Troopers are all that will keep you alive while exploring the hostile surface of these ugly planets, these… Bug planets.

Would You Like to Know More?

THE WAR EFFORT NEEDS YOUR EFFORT!
Retake and rebuild bases, construct refineries, and complete a variety of other side objectives to wrest control of the planet away from the Bug menace. Massive, detailed maps with several unique zones add to the incredible replayability, and swarm-based combat with hundreds of enemy Bugs on screen delivers the sense of taking part in an overwhelming planetary struggle!

WELCOME TO THE NEW VANGUARD
Choose from six different classes to best suit your playstyle and support the rest of your squad. From the assault-ready Ranger and Sniper to the devastating Demolisher and life-saving Medic, the Deep Space Vanguard has a place for all types of players. As you progress in each class, you’ll unlock new weapons, equipment, and perks as well as cosmetic options to help you look the part of an elite warfighter!

Genre(s)
FPS