Xbox Drops Free Taster For Brutal FPS With Sci-Fi Twist, No Game Pass Needed

An upcoming first-person shooter has dropped a free demo on Xbox - and the best part is that you don’t need an Xbox Game Pass subscription to give it a whirl.

Developed by Matter Team and published by Gaijin Network, Active Matter describes itself as a “realistic military shooter”, albeit one with a sci-fi twist.

It’s set within a “fractured multiverse” where players engage in PvP battles within an area full of “quantum unstable zones” in a bid to try and control the titular active matter.

“You’re an operative stuck in a time loop, always brought back from the dead to the same point,” the synopsis begins.

“Choose your loadout and enter quantum unstable zones rich with active matter – the most valuable and the most dangerous resource in all multiverse.

“Fight against rivals from other timelines, survive physics-breaking anomalies and try to stay alive.

Gaijin Network

“Harvest active matter, gather loot and extract to a safe place before the whole zone ceases to exist with everything inside it.”

Active matter can bend space and time. You’re going to want to be in control of it as those who aren’t can lose both their mind and humanity; in fact, those who are infected look a lot like bloaters or clickers from The Last of Us.

Of course, you’re going to need to stay on your toes to fend off any enemies, but Active Matter also tasks you with building a syndicate base and upgrading your weapons.

If your syndicate is the one to control the active matter, you can “break out of the loop and gain control over your destiny”.

Try Out All Of Active Matter’s Game Modes For Free On Xbox

As you’ve perhaps gathered, each round is basically a PvPvE extraction-style raid which you can approach solo or in small squads.

“Active matter can be harvested by killing AM-transformed creatures, taken away from other players or picked up directly from active matter clusters,” devs note.

“Join this never ending hunt to improve your chances to find the way out of the time loop.”

As active matter bends time, you may find that weapons spawn in from strange and unfamiliar time periods, adding an interesting twist to the gameplay.

There are also “gameplay-influencing active matter effects”.

For example, gravitational force or space topology can change at the tip of a hat, so you really do need to be ready for anything.

You may also encounter “eerie SCP-inspired objects” which may “send shivers down your spine” apparently.

Due to the unique sci-fi premise of the game, the maps are really varied, taking you across space and time.

They include a “huge island with rusty Soviet industrial complexes and cryptic science labs that were among the first to study this new phenomena”.

Active Matter is due to launch across Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC with a demo having now arrived on Xbox for the Indie Selects Demo Fest.

It’s not currently available on PlayStation or Steam, and I should also stress that Active Matter hasn’t pinned down a precise release date beyond the vague 2026.

The Xbox demo is available until 30 June and includes all of Active Matter’s modes; save progress will indeed carry over if you pick up the full release.

PC users can find a version of the demo on the Gaijin Store.

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