Active Matter Guides Hub
First hour, extraction, anomalies, Nexus, controls, and a review of the live PC build.
These pages are the tutorial map for Active Matter, a hardcore PvPvE extraction FPS from Matter Team and Gaijin Network Ltd. You play an operative stuck in a time loop: harvest active matter, loot the zone, and leave before it collapses. Squads are online co-op for up to three. Isolated raids are PvE. Open raids are PvPvE. Nexus is team PvP that does not eat your stash.
PC is already playable through the Gaijin Store. Steam, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 storefronts open September 15, 2026. The Standard Edition is 29.99 USD/EUR in supported regions. The game is not free-to-play. BattlEye is the anti-cheat. Gaijin owners can transfer the same edition and progress to Steam until November 23, 2026.
If you have not left the Shelter yet, start with the beginner guide. It walks editions in brief, the Shelter terminals, your first Isolated raid, contracts, Crystallised Active Matter versus credits, and why a half-full backpack that extracts beats a stuffed one that dies on the wrong side of the border. The full between-raids loop — Workshop, Replicator, Refiner, Monolith, and Harmonization — lives on Shelter and Monolith. The wipe-or-wait decision is Harmonization.
First hour versus extraction
The first hour is about not going broke. Learn Missions, stash, Market, Workshop (Replicator and Refiner), and the Monolith. Confirm system requirements and skim editions so Isolated access and stash size match what you paid for. Bind controls before you fight Distorted in the dark.
The next hours are about leaving on purpose. How to extract covers the raid loop, primary versus daily contracts, the shrinking Unstable Zone, extract portals, safe containers, pickup and tactical beacons, mindvaults, Robot Dogs, and sleds. Read it before you treat every crate as mandatory.
Anomalies, maps, and loadouts
The things that collapse a plan are Distorted, Flowermen, Invisibles, Turned Soldiers, Mimics, Scorch, and worse. How to beat anomalies is the bestiary: behaviour, counters, gravity surfaces, Ball Lightning, fire, and Specimen Capture contracts.
Pair it with the maps hub. Dalniy Island holds Park, Shegolskoe, Dam, Headquarters, and Gigastructure. Downtown is the North American city with police and SWAT. Airport sits in Africa. Raid types explain Isolated, Open, Distortion, Overgrowth, and Unstable Zone modifiers.
Guns and plates live under the tier list hub. Use the weapon tier list, loadout guide, and armor plate guide so you stop dumping every rifle into a pouch.
Nexus, review, and updates
Nexus battles are team PvP over passive active-matter sources. Agency-issued gear stays with you on death. Maps such as Vanilla Mall, Aztec temples, and skyscrapers exist for that mode, with vehicles and wave respawns. Use Nexus to practice gunplay without staking a Replicator queue.
When you want a verdict instead of a checklist, read the Active Matter review. It is an honest look at the live Gaijin PC build: gunfeel, inventory friction, extraction tension, and which edition is worth the money.
Patch notes sit in the updates hub. 250 Shades of Liberty is the Downtown drop. Steam and consoles covers storefront timing and the transfer window. Official and community links live on the links hub. Extra utilities live under tools.
Read the beginner page, extract once on Isolated, then come back for anomalies and Nexus. The rest of the wiki assumes you can leave a raid on purpose.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions.
Which guide should I read first?
Open the beginner guide if you have not left the Shelter. Jump to how to extract if you already die with full pouches, or how to beat anomalies if monsters, not players, are ending your raids.
Should my first hour be Isolated or Open?
Isolated. You still fight Distorted, Flowermen, and the shrinking zone, but rival operatives are not in the lobby. Open raids are PvPvE and punish greedy looting. See raid types once the Shelter loop feels automatic.
Do I need the Steam version to follow these guides?
No. PC is already playable through the Gaijin Store. Steam, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 storefronts open September 15, 2026. The raid loop, Shelter, and anomalies are the same systems these pages describe.
Where do maps and loadouts live if they are not in this hub?
Maps sit under the maps hub. Weapons, kits, and plates sit under the tier list hub. Editions and rig checks sit under tools.
Should I skip Nexus until I can extract?
You can play Nexus battles on day one. Agency-issued gear is kept on death, so it is the safest place to learn recoil and peeking. It will not teach you extract timing or safe containers.