Exterminauts Is Dead Space Meets Helldivers 2 In A Glorious Multiplayer Indie

There are more live-service games than any of us have time to keep up with out there, but many of them lack the soul that this plucky indie puts forward.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Helldivers 2. I think it’s one of the best multiplayer shooters ever made, and I will always keep coming back to it. A big part of its appeal is the comical representation of capitalism taken as far as it possibly can be, combined with its impeccable gameplay loop. Well, there’s another game, and indie, that’s got very similar vibes and might be worth your time.

Exterminauts Is Professional Capitalism With Absolutely No Morals

In Exterminauts, you’re a blue-collar worker just trying to survive paycheck to paycheck in a universe where a company named MegaCorp is slowly buying up planets to harvest all of their natural resources. The thing is, you’re the one collecting those resources, but not all of them are as easy to collect as minerals from a mine.

Enter the game’s main setting, TIAN. It’s a stunning world filled with all sorts of exotic life, and that life really doesn’t want you around. MegaCorp is paying you big (maybe not so big) bucks to get down there and maintain its machinery using the tools of your craft. You’re an engineer, working alongside other engineers, and when the planet fights back, you’ve got to use what’s to hand.

The gameplay loop revolves around you taking jobs as a group of 1-3 players and heading down to TIAN. Once there, you’ll need to complete the job while defending the entire crew and worksite from whatever locals the planet throws at you.

The alien life adapts to your tools and tactics, keeping you on your toes as you fight to get the job done. However, your arsenal of tools is more powerful than you might give them credit for. Everything you need to do on TIAN requires top-of-the-line equipment, covering the basics of electrical work, building, burning, and all other aspects of construction and maintenance. This screams practical, tactile weaponry to me, and I really can’t wait to get my hands on it.

Thankfully, I don’t have to wait too long. While the game is slated for all major platforms, the Steam version is getting a beta from November 12 to 18, 2026. This is the perfect time to check it out, try out the gameplay, and wishlist it if you’re convinced. You also get a cool in-game traffic cone keychain for participating, which carries over to your main account once the game launches.

I love a good beta cosmetic, but there’s more of a reason to try Exterminauts out than that. This is a very good-looking game with the potential for lots of post-launch support. Yes, it’s probably going to line up more with the live-service vibe of titles, but as an indie title, supported by Behaviour Interactive, it’s got the legs to go the distance.

About the Author

Jamie Moorcroft Sharp

Editor

Jamie adores the indie games that you don’t hear about until you’re on a video essay binge at 3AM and suddenly the sound of them changes your life. He’s played games all his life and loves looking at the intricate details that make them magical and different. If there’s a wierd list, embarrassing feature, or something else far too out there on Bonus Action, there’s a good chance he wrote it. But that’s not all! He’s also an absolute fiend who never knows when to stop when he puts on his dirty robes and takes on his D&D persona as a Mud Warlock who acts on that tiny voice in your head when it wonders what would happen if you did something really dumb right now. He’s easy to beat in a TGC, though, just keep an eye out for his crazy card combos.

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