Exterminauts Season Pass: Play to Earn Without Paying?

Behaviour Interactive's new co-op shooter Exterminauts lets you earn Battle Passes just by playing. Here's how it works.

Ever wished you could unlock a Battle Pass without spending a dime? Exterminauts, the upcoming co-op shooter from Dead by Daylight devs, might just have your back.

Set to launch in 2027 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, Exterminauts is a third-person shooter that blends Ghostbusters' blue-collar vibe with Starship Troopers' bug-hunting chaos. And while it's already drawing comparisons to Helldivers 2, its monetization is taking a page from Arrowhead's playbook—but with a twist that could be even friendlier to your wallet.

Creative director Vincent Regimbald told GameSpot at Gamescom that the game's live content will kick off about a month after launch. "You're not going to be stuck too long without new content," he said. The Battle Passes, which he describes as "short Warbond-like," will run about six weeks each. But here's the kicker: payment is purely optional. You can earn the in-game currency through daily and weekly objectives, so you're never forced to pay up.

So what's in these Battle Passes? Cosmetics and weapons, mostly. But there's also a deeper layer: mods that can dramatically alter your gear. Regimbald explained that mods can add elemental damage, instant reloads, or extra crit damage, and they can combo with your gadgets and special weapons to let you skew your build in wild directions.

On top of that, there are emblems and badges—passive abilities that shape your playstyle. Want to focus on ice damage? Equip an ice emblem, and freezing enemies then shooting them makes them explode for area damage. The combos sound like they'll keep you experimenting run after run.

In our hands-on time, we found that mods are a nice incentive to stick around for "one more run." The game isn't revolutionary, but its lighthearted combat and chaotic co-op could make it worth watching. And with a season pass that rewards play over payment, Exterminauts might just be the live-service game that respects your time—and your bank account.

Will you be diving in when it launches, or are you waiting to see how the Battle Pass system shakes out? Let us know!