New Extraction Shooter on Steam Takes Borderlands’ Style and Crushes It Together With ARC Raiders

The extraction shooter genre has been booming as of late, and not necessarily because it's anything new. With the recent massive success of Embark Studios' ARC Raiders, it seems more players are interested in games like it and Escape From Tarkov than were before, taking the genre from a fairly niche space to an increasingly mainstream one. That's what makes the launch of other extraction shooters like Crater Studios' Gravebound on Steam more worth keeping an eye on now, especially for those who have enjoyed ARC Raiders' high-risk, high-reward gameplay loop.

What sets Gravebound apart from ARC Raiders and other extraction shooter games, however, is its art style. Whereas the most popular extraction shooters prioritize more realistic imagery, Gravebound adopts the comic book-style visuals of Borderlands for more animated but no less demanding gameplay. While the game hasn't been released yet, Gravebound does already have a playable demo on Steam and will launch in Early Access in Q1 2026 in an effort to evolve throughout its final phase of development with the help of player feedback.

Gravebound Looks Like Borderlands, Plays Like ARC Raiders

At first, it might seem like comparing Gravebound to ARC Raiders is a bit of a stretch and that the comparison is simply being made because Embark's extraction shooter is currently experiencing such success. However, Gravebound is actually very similar to ARC Raiders in ways that it isn't to other games in the genre. It might also look on the surface like little more than a typical extraction shooter with a Borderlands makeover, but the art style actually complements one of the most distinctive features that ultimately sets it apart from ARC Raiders. In the end, Gravebound feels like ARC Raiders expressing itself through a louder, more chaotic, Borderlands-esque lens.

Gravebound's Features at a Glance

• PvPvE EXTRACTION GAMEPLAY, where you scavenge for loot, fight enemies, and attempt to extract alive.
• BULLET HELL COMBAT TWIST with complex enemy projectile patterns and visible damage indicators.
• MULTIPLE PLAYABLE ZONES for varied run experiences and tactical choices.
• SOLO OR SQUAD RUNS, letting you play alone or with friends.
• VARIETY OF WEAPONS AND GEAR across different classes of firearms and equipment.
• WEAPON AND ARMOR UPGRADES offering progression with better statistics and builds.
• INITIAL FACTION SYSTEM that adds narrative and systemic depth.
• AI ENEMIES AND BOSSES with chaotic behaviors and bullet-hell-style patterns.
• TIME-LIMITED MISSIONS AND RESOURCE COLLECTION as part of extraction runs.

Regardless of any distinctive qualities it might, Gravebound is still an extraction shooter through and through. Every run requires players to consider how far they want to push their luck, how much gear they're willing to risk, and when it's smarter to walk away rather than keep looting. Like with ARC Raiders' PvPvE loop, Gravebound sees players facing both enemy AI and opposing players, making every round even more of a gamble. While PvPvE gameplay is baked into the extraction shooter loop, ARC Raiders arguably set a new standard for it, with enemy AI that evolves over time as it learns from players. It's unclear whether Gravebound's enemy AI will evolve with players, but with it heading into Early Access soon, it may not be off the table.

Where Gravebound really starts to differ, though, is in how it approaches that loop. In ARC Raiders and many other extraction shooter games, players benefit more from a cautious, methodical approach, but Gravebound makes it seem like its faster, more chaotic combat style will demand more movement and quick reactions from players. That's where its classic Borderlands visual style really complements it, because something more realistic like ARC Raiders might not have the same effect. With that, Gravebound becomes this extraction shooter that follows the same rules as ARC Raiders but bends them just enough to produce the genre's signature risk-reward gameplay at a much higher volume.

What to Expect From Gravebound Early Access

• A GAME THAT EVOLVES ALONGSIDE ITS COMMUNITY, with systems changing based on real player behavior and feedback.
• ONGOING BALANCE AND PROGRESSION ADJUSTMENTS as combat, risk-reward, and pacing are refined.
• A WORLD THAT EXPANDS OVER TIME, with new locations, scenarios, and activities introduced gradually.
• PUBLIC TESTING OF NEW IDEAS, including potential bosses, dynamic events, and faction-driven objectives.
• ACTIVE DEVELOPER COMMUNICATION, with regular engagement through Discord, Steam forums, and dev blogs.
• OPPORTUNITIES FOR PLAYERS TO INFLUENCE PRIORITIES through feedback, discussions, and playtests.
• LONG-TERM EARLY ACCESS WINDOW (10–18 MONTHS) that allows systems to mature naturally.

Early Access is especially important for a game like Gravebound because its success will ultimately depend on how it feels once players get their hands on it. Extraction shooters often live or die by how fair they feel and how their systems pan out, and with Gravebound apparently putting a more chaotic spin on the formula, that could matter even more. By launching the game in Early Access, Crater Studios is giving itself room to observe how players respond to its design and then continue developing the game accordingly.

With a long-term Early Access window of 10–18 months, Crater Studios also shows that it's not willing to rush to the finish line. The developer has made it clear that combat balance, progression pacing, and how punishing or forgiving extractions feel are all areas that will be adjusted over time. As more players spend time with Gravebound, those systems are expected to change based on experience and feedback. New content will arrive gradually, but the bigger focus during Early Access seems to be polishing what's already there so that the game can sustain itself long-term.

If nothing else, Gravebound will be launching in Steam Early Access during a time when the extraction shooter genre is more popular than it ever was before, so at the very least, it may get some eyes on it for that reason alone. However, given its ARC Raiders foundation and Borderlands style, mixed with its faster combat pace, it could stand out even more. With an Early Access release window of Q1 2026, players will soon be able to see firsthand whether all of that holds up, but until then, they can try out the game's demo on Steam—assuming they manage to find enough players in the queue to be matchmade with.

Gravebound launches on Steam Early Access in Q1 2026.