Fixing industrial equipment on an alien planet sounds like a difficult enough job. Having to fight off hostile creatures while doing it makes the assignment considerably worse. That unusual combination is what makes the Exterminauts beta worth watching: Behaviour Interactive is building a cooperative shooter where completing a maintenance contract matters just as much as surviving the firefight.
The Montreal developer behind Dead by Daylight is taking a different direction with this project. Instead of another horror experience, Exterminauts sends up to three players into abandoned facilities filled with broken machinery, valuable plasma and dangerous wildlife. Two newly released trailers reveal how its tools and upgrade systems work ahead of the November 12 Steam test.
Why Exterminauts Makes Ordinary Workers Its Heroes
Exterminauts takes place on TIAN, a planet colonized after humans discovered polymorphic plasma beneath its surface. Corporations built infrastructure around this valuable resource, but local creatures became increasingly aggressive as they attempted to reach it. Many of those facilities now stand abandoned.
That is where players come in. Rather than commanding elite soldiers, they become field technicians hired to keep industrial operations running. Contracts come from five organizations: the ITA transit authority, Plasma Core, Chem Nine, Blackburn Systems and Bullet Crown. Each has a stake in TIAN’s infrastructure, while the people doing the dangerous work must deal with whatever is waiting inside.
The premise draws on working-class science fiction from 1980s and 1990s cinema and television. Players even punch in and out of their shifts. According to details shared in Wccftech’s interview with Behaviour Interactive, the underlying concept has been developing for more than a decade. A separate team of over 150 people is bringing it to life.
The Exterminauts Beta Puts Repairs Ahead of Kill Counts
A typical assignment begins with a work order. Players choose their equipment, deploy to TIAN and attempt to restore damaged facilities while hostile creatures interrupt their progress. Tasks include removing hardened plasma tar, restarting pump jacks, realigning rods, welding machinery and rerouting computer terminals.
Consequently, simply eliminating every nearby enemy is not necessarily enough. A successful crew also needs to finish its assigned work. Optional side jobs increase the payout, creating a reason to remain in dangerous areas rather than completing only the essential objectives.
There is also an unexpected competitive element. Once a team punches out, a timer begins, allowing colleagues to compete for extra points and kills toward a bonus. Most of the experience is cooperative PvE, but that closing sequence gives players a chance to compete without turning the entire mission into a PvP encounter.
This focus on shared objectives offers an interesting perspective on cooperative shooter design. Battle4Play recently examined the debate surrounding dedicated PvE gameplay in ARC Raiders. Exterminauts approaches cooperation through a different premise: its environmental threats exist to complicate an actual job, rather than serving as the only objective.
The Overdrive Turns Plasma Into More Than Ammunition
The first new trailer highlights the Overdrive, a backpack connected to a cable and clamp. It channels plasma into machinery, weapons and other objects. Importantly, this makes the device both a combat tool and a way to interact with the environment.
For example, attaching it to a compatible plasma weapon increases that weapon’s power and range. The same equipment can open doors, activate ziplines and bypass certain procedures. Instead of entering a computer password, players may be able to connect the Overdrive and skip that step entirely. It can even finish off particularly large enemies after they have been staggered.
However, plasma supplies are limited. Crews must locate charging stations during assignments, which introduces another decision: spend energy to gain an immediate advantage or conserve it for a later obstacle. The most interesting possibility is how these choices affect teamwork. One player might prioritize keeping machinery accessible while another relies on enhanced firepower to protect the group.
Why the Exchange Terminal Could Shape Every Work Shift
The second trailer moves beyond combat to explain what happens between assignments. At the Exchange Terminal, players sell valuable items collected during missions and invest their earnings in equipment improvements. Progression revolves around two systems: Subroutines and Augments.
Subroutines are installed into corporate-sponsored firmware and provide character bonuses, including faster stamina regeneration or increased biological damage. Their data discs can be discovered during missions. Collecting them also fills a loyalty card, unlocking additional rewards and tying exploration to longer-term progression.
Augments work differently. They modify kinetic weapons and require crystallized plasma, which can be found in plasma clouds, tar spawners or underground deposits. Five crystals purchase a random Augment. If the reward is a duplicate, it becomes a ticket that allows players to select an Augment for a specific weapon.
That duplicate system is particularly relevant because it gives unwanted rewards another purpose. Meanwhile, the combination of weapon modifications and passive abilities suggests that choosing a loadout could become an important part of preparing for each contract. As discussed in Battle4Play’s coverage of FragPunk Farlands and its delivery-focused progression, objectives beyond shooting can give multiplayer activities a stronger sense of purpose. Here, repairs and equipment development are designed to reinforce one another.
Exterminauts Beta Dates, Steam Access and the 2027 Launch
The Exterminauts beta begins on November 12, 2026, at 6:00 PM PT and ends on November 18 at 5:59 PM PT. Servers will remain available 24 hours a day throughout the testing period. Interested players can visit the official Exterminauts Steam page and request beta access.
The full game is scheduled for 2027 on PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Cross-play and cross-save are planned, while solo and two-player sessions will be supported alongside the intended three-person team format. Level Infinite is publishing the project.
Behaviour describes Exterminauts as a premium live game. Its post-launch plans include 12-week seasons, battle passes, mid-season content and a shop featuring emotes, weapons and passive abilities. However, the purchase price and precise release date have not been announced. Those details will be important for understanding the complete offering.
The studio has also addressed generative AI. Creative director Vincent Regimbald explained that some AI-generated concept artwork was explored during research, but the finished game assets were recreated by human artists. According to Behaviour, generative AI is not used in the final game.
Ultimately, the Exterminauts beta offers an early opportunity to judge whether repairing machinery under alien attack is entertaining beyond its unusual premise. The Overdrive and Exchange Terminal already suggest a game interested in more than straightforward shooting. The bigger question is whether ordinary work orders can become memorable cooperative adventures when every shift goes wrong.
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