John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando Preview: One of Gamescom’s Best Offerings

I don’t claim to be an avid follower of the work of John Carpenter, nor do I particularly spend much time playing first-person shooters. It’s with that in mind that it’s fair to say that I’m not exactly the target audience for Saber Interactive and Focus Entertainment’s John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando. It’s a testament then to the game’s entertainment factor and quality that it is by far one of the very best titles I had the opportunity of sampling at this year’s Gamescom, with my hands-on preview leaving me eagerly awaiting the title’s release.

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is set in a near future where an experiment-gone-wrong has unleashed an Eldritch terror known as the Sludge God upon Earth. Turning soil to ‘scum’ and humans into undead abominations, the Sludge God is an entity to be feared; that is by all except the Toxic Commandos, a group of ragtag guns-for-hire who are willing to attempt to send this terror back to from whence it came.

It’s been several days since I went hands-on with the title, and I’ve been trying to place a finger on exactly why this FPS so strongly clicked with me where so many others have failed. I’ve landed on the reasoning that it’s perhaps, in part, to do with Toxic Commando’s filmic quality. Whether it’s the pulsing soundtrack or the quippy dialogue between characters, this title is an opportunity to step inside the great action and buddy films of yesteryear adding a certain sense of frivolity that I feel so many other shooters lack. Engaging in a bit of accidental friendly fire, for example, resulted in some amusing one-liners. The Toxic Commandos exhibit an almost blasé nature making the whole thing just feel, well, exceptionally cool.

Played in four-player teams, the segment of the game that I and several other journalists engaged in saw us tasked with making our way towards a church. Each segment of the mission required fending off a variety of enemies, from those aforementioned human undead to various sludgy monsters erupting from the ground beneath our feet. Landing a successful shot would result in a pretty intense blood splatter which, as unsettling as it may sound, made for combat that felt endlessly satisfying.

Players will pick from various classes, although - I’ll be honest - I’m not entirely sure which I played as as the character was pre-selected when I sat down to begin the hands-on. What I can say is that alongside a rifle and pistol, I also had an incredibly powerful shock special ability which could take out all enemies in the nearby vicinity - something that came in handy in the level’s culmination.

That’s because upon reaching the church, our group had to survive an enemy horde after a brief regroup. The church was, thankfully, home to med-packs and bullets, but also additional items and weapons that could be unlocked with enough collected ‘parts’. I confess, I don’t recall the exact terminology but essentially ‘parts’ are a kind of collectable currency you can pick up throughout your travels. You’ll need to stock up as the onslaught that awaits the Toxic Commandos is relentless.

John Carpenter's Toxic Commando, Credit / Focus Entertainment

Lasting for several minutes, our team was surrounded on all sides by both the fast-paced undead, scrambling over walls and fences, as well as various Eldritch terrors looming over us and casting down powerful attacks. The scene became filled with bodies and blood as our team fought tirelessly to fend off the seemingly never-ending stream of enemies. This is where my special ability came in clutch, allowing me to unleash a powerful electrical field that decimated all those before me, buying a few seconds of respite before the unaffected members of the horde caught up.

All of this was soundtracked by what I think could fairly be called a heavy metal song; I distinctly recall a chilling vocal chant in my ear as a pulsing, uptempo beat made the encounter all the more thrilling and intense. I was wholly engrossed; in fact, by the time victory arrived, I didn’t even welcome the peace accompanying it. Like the Toxic Commandos, I too yearned for more chaos.

Each character class comes equipped with a skill tree and, to my knowledge, it’s at this point after a mission is complete that you’ll have the opportunity to level up. As for making it through the various missions, teamwork is of the utmost importance. Ammunition, med-packs, and other resources are scattered across the game’s world, but you’re more than likely going to need to share from time to time. Of course, you can communicate with one another via mic chat but should you wish to avoid that, you can access a variety of messages from the D-pad, informing your teammates that you, for example, are low on ammo or require healing.

In the mission that I played, I believe you could only carry one or two med-packs. I foolishly didn’t realise that healing a teammate would deplete my own stocks but thankfully, it wasn’t too long before I was able to replenish my loadout. If you or a teammate do succumb to an enemy, there’s an opportunity to revive. Should that revive period run out, fallen teammates will be whisked away and kept inside some kind of embryonic pod, allowing you to briefly reroute to break open the pod and get the fallen commando back.

John Carpenter's Toxic Commando, Credit / Focus Entertainment

It’s for this reason that John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando felt incredibly accessible. You need not worry about being left out of the rest of the mission; well, I suppose it depends on whether your team works as a unit or selfishly. From what I’ve gathered though, acting selfishly won’t get you very far. Toxic Commando’s gameplay and frenetic combat rewards those who move in tandem.

And I should perhaps mention that you can do this on foot or via vehicle. You won’t automatically have a vehicle. You’ll need to find one on the map, plus the fuel to keep it running, but it’s a nice way to switch up your approach to missions. Enemies will be more strongly attracted to the loud sound of a vehicle than they will to you traversing on foot - and that’s something to be used to your advantage. Sometimes, it’s perhaps better to face an expected onslaught than be caught totally unawares.

Having sampled several dozen games at this year’s Gamescom, I can say with certainty that John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is easily one of the best. This first-person shooter is one that’s seemingly packed with ambition, accessible combat, and most impressively, heaps of personality. It’s not a title that was on my radar, but now? Let’s just say that 2026 cannot arrive soon enough.

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is due to be released in 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.