Active Matter is not free to play: it costs $29.99 on Steam, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and the developer has said it has no plans for a free version. It is both PvE and PvP, though, because you can pick PvE-only Isolated Raids, PvPvE Open Raids where other squads are hunting you, or separate PvP battle modes.
This guide covers the price and what the paid editions change, how each mode works, which maps and rewards are tied to which mode, and how to choose. It reflects the full release as of update 0.4.0.156 (September 26, 2026), verified against the official FAQ and patch notes.
Whether Active Matter Is Free to Play
It is a one-time purchase. The Standard Edition is $29.99 on every platform, with Advanced ($49.99) and Deluxe ($99.99) editions on the console stores and upgrade add-ons on Steam, PlayStation and Xbox. The Steam store does not tag it as free, and neither console store lists it as free or includes it in a subscription. Our Xbox and PS5 guide has the full platform and price breakdown.
A free version is not on the table. In an October 2025 developer Q and A, Matter Team wrote: “We are surprised how often we receive requests to create microtransactions and/or a free-to-play version of the game, but we have no such plans.”
The paid editions do not lock modes away. The official FAQ says the editions “differ in their starting selection of weapons, equipment, and in-game resources; otherwise, the content available to buyers is identical.” That was not always true. During the early version, a December 2025 update tied Isolated Raid access to your edition, and players pushed back until those restrictions were lifted in early 2026. Some fan sites still describe daily PvE passes; the launch FAQ does not.
There is no demo to try first. The last Steam demo closed in May 2026 and the Xbox demo ended June 30. If you buy on Steam and bounce off, Steam’s standard refund window applies, which our guide to refunding games on Steam walks through.
PvE: Isolated Raids
Isolated Raids are the PvE mode. The developer’s early-version notes describe them as raids “where players face only anomalies, not other players,” so your squad takes on the monsters, anomalies and Turned Soldiers (soldiers twisted by Active Matter) with no rival squads in the zone. You can go solo or bring a squad of up to three, and the FAQ confirms: “If you don’t want to fight other players, there is a dedicated PvE mode.”
A few rules to know before you commit to PvE only:
- Every Isolated Raid is always open. The developer said in September that “All existing Isolated Raids, including their variants, can be played anytime.” Update 0.4.0.156 added a “Rotation” option that swaps the raid variant after each visit.
- Not every map is in PvE. Asked why Gigastructure is Open Raid only, the developer said some raid designs “simply aren’t well-suited to certain modes,” and that Unstable Zone variants will not come to Isolated Raids.
- Progress is tuned slower. In an April 2026 Q and A the team said Isolated Raids “aren’t as competitive, so we tuned progression there accordingly,” while “Baseline Compliance” contracts stay available as Primary Objectives for pure PvE players.
- Cross-play works here. The developer said Isolated Raids would “definitely support cross-play,” so mixed-platform squads can run PvE together.
The team has also said it plans to let multiple squads deploy into one Isolated Raid, “similar to something like custom games,” with no date given.
PvPvE: Open Raids
Open Raids are the core extraction mode. Other squads share the zone with you, alongside the monsters and anomalies, and as in every raid, anything you carry that is not in a safe container or marked personal is lost if you die. The Steam page calls this “extraction-style PvE and PvPvE raids,” and the store listings cap sessions at 16 players.
Open Raids run on a schedule rather than all at once. The developer said it rotates them “to balance short matchmaking times with enough players for a good experience,” and the raid list shows a countdown to the next rotation. The developer frames them as the competitive side of progression, which is why Isolated Raids progress slower, and they carry the social systems: since the August 2026 update you can revive any Operative, not just squadmates, and send a help request when you die.
PvP: Faction Battles and Hired Ops
Separate from raids, the official site promises “dedicated PvP modes.” Since update 0.4.0.62 the raid list has three categories: Raids, Hired Ops and Faction Battles. Faction Battles appear to be the successor to the early version’s Nexus battles, which the developer said are driven by player groups called Factions and described as team-based PvP on standalone maps, with the Agency issuing special gear you keep even if you fall. Hired Ops is a skirmish mode whose stats, per the patch notes, “are now tracked separately and no longer affect K/D ratios in raids.”
The team says heavy vehicles are planned for the battle mode on the Nexus map, and a roadmap was promised for the weeks after launch.
Which Mode to Start With
If you hate PvP, Active Matter still works: buy the Standard Edition, run Isolated Raids solo or with two friends, and accept slower progression and a few locked-off maps. If you like the tension of extraction shooters, Open Raids are where the best rewards and the full map pool live. The developer’s own stated goal is for players to mix: “we also want anomaly research to avoid feeling like a purely single-player activity.”
For comparison, the wider genre is moving the same way; Embark is testing a PvE toggle in Arc Raiders, and Bungie has laid out a PvE mode for Marathon. Active Matter shipped with one from day one. More guides are collected on our Active Matter hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Active Matter free to play? No. It costs $29.99 for the Standard Edition on Steam, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, and the developer has said it has no plans for a free-to-play version.
Can you play Active Matter PvE only? Yes. Isolated Raids put only your squad in the zone, solo or up to three players, though some maps and variants are PvPvE only and PvE progression is tuned slower.
Is Active Matter PvP? Yes. Open Raids are PvPvE with other squads in the zone, and Faction Battles and Hired Ops are separate PvP modes.
Do cheaper editions lock out PvE? No. The official FAQ says the editions only differ in starting gear and resources, and the content available to every buyer is identical.
Is there an Active Matter demo? Not right now. Demos ran on Steam and Xbox before launch, and the developer said in August that more demos were unlikely.