Everything You Need To Know About Second Extinction On Xbox Game Pass

These day one Xbox Game Pass releases are coming thick and fast at the moment! The next is Systemic Reaction's dinosaur shooter Second Extinction, which drops on Xbox Game Preview and Game Pass on Wednesday, April 28.

Ahead of its release, we thought we'd put together a quick guide so you know what to expect when Second Extinction arrives, as well as some details on how well the game performs on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S.

What Is Second Extinction?

Second Extinction is a 3-player online co-op shooter in which your goal is to wipe out the mutated dinosaurs that have taken over the planet. This takes place in short but intense combat operations, and your actions, together with the rest of the community, will shape the course of the war against the dinosaurs.

"Each region of our big map has a unique threat level. This threat level can be lowered if enough of our players are successful in their missions and activities. But the dinosaurs aren’t resting either, and they’ll focus their efforts where you aren’t."

Is Second Extinction Optimised For Xbox Series X & S?

Yes! Second Extinction will be available separately for Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S (it also features Smart Delivery support), featuring 4K visuals and 60 frames per-second on Series X, and 1080p, 60fps on Series S.

How Does Gameplay Work In Second Extinction?

The missions in Second Extinction are pretty self-explanatory, requiring you to drop in with a group of friends, complete a bunch of tasks, and survive long enough to extract and retrieve your rewards at the end.

Upon successful extraction, you’ll receive a score based on your performance. Collected research points will help you with upgrading gear and levelling up. There are multiple characters with different abilities to choose from, as well as various types of weapons - and of course, lots of different types of mutated dinosaurs!

"These dinosaurs are nothing like our history books indicated, with strange mutations that make them even more lethal. From electric raptors to behemoth T-Rexes that tower over their smaller brethren, these vile creatures are hard to take down."

Can You Play Second Extinction Solo If You Want To?

You can play Second Extinction solo if you want to, but it's not advised by the developers. The game is built around co-op (matchmaking is available), and there are no bots included in the game, so playing solo even on the easiest difficulty can be extremely difficult.

However, keep in mind that the game's Expedition Mode is a little more forgiving for solo players, as it allows you to extract at your leisure without being required to complete an entire mission.

"We heard many of you talking about our game’s unforgiving nature, especially for new and solo players. We’re hoping that Expedition Mode, with its bite-size challenges and shorter session length, will give new players a way to find their footing in the game and make progress, regardless of if they are in a team or alone."

Why Is Second Extinction Launching In Xbox Game Preview?

Second Extinction isn't the finished product just yet, and is launching as part of Xbox Game Preview in order to provide an "early access" experience to players. The team says it wants to "listen to what players are responding to, and react," and "having that immediacy of feedback to your game is an incredibly empowering process."

"When Systemic Reaction was formed as a separate division of Avalanche Studios, it was to create games for and with the community in mind. It’s right there in the “Reaction” part of the name. We listen to what players are responding to, and we react. As a studio, we value collaboration and openness within our team, and releasing into Early Access on PC back in October felt like a natural extension of this. We simply made that team bigger to include our players."

Is There A Roadmap Of New Features For 2021?

Yes! The roadmap is changing all the time, but as of a couple of months ago, features planned for later this year included new enemy mutation, a Horde Mode and Xbox / PC crossplay integration.

Additionally, Second Extinction is launching on Xbox Game Pass with an update called "Pre-Season 4", featuring a new Enforcer called Jack, along with a Tutorial, Seasonal Contracts and new rewards.

When Does Second Extinction Come Out On Xbox Game Pass?

There's no official time for Second Extinction's launch on Xbox Game Pass as of yet, but we'll find out for definite over the next few days. For now, all we know is that Second Extinction will arrive on Wednesday, April 28th.

Update: It's now been confirmed the game will go live at 2PM CEST on April 28th.

How Do I Pre-Load Second Extinction On Xbox Game Pass?

Unfortunately, there's no way of pre-loading Second Extinction on Xbox Game Pass at the time of writing. However, you can "select to install day 1" by heading to the official Xbox Game Pass app on Android or iOS.

You don't really need to pre-load anyway, as the download size is under 10GB on all consoles.

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