Much like the swarms of enemies from which they take their name, horde shooters like Toxic Commando are everywhere. Between the Killing Floor series, Warhammer 40K: Darktide, and the great, looming shadow of Left 4 Dead, among others, fans of the genre are spoiled for choice, making it hard for new entries to make a splash. It’s a crowded field, but John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando manages to stand out not by doing anything new, but by doubling down on what makes the tried-and-true formula great.
Saber Interactive first revealed Toxic Commando at the 2023 Summer Games Fest with a trailer full of Bon Jovi and over-the-top, zombie-shooting action. While there’s slightly less hair metal in the actual game, it stays true to that early preview. This isn’t the kind of game you play for a thoughtful story or first-of-its-kind gameplay. It’s the kind you play to mow down hordes of undead while laughing with your buddies, and it does not disappoint on that front.
Innovation Takes a Backseat to Simple Thrills
Toxic Commando follows the same basic gameplay loop as many other Left 4 Dead-likes: teams of four work together to complete objectives while surviving a relentless onslaught of supernatural enemies. The missions themselves, all some variation of get X and bring it to Y, are really just a backdrop for the zombie-killing action, and Saber Interactive leans into this. You’ll never have to go far to get to another swarm of monsters to blast your way through, and the game hands out weapons like candy. In fact, you don’t have to unlock any guns or melee weapons, letting you experiment with all manner of firepower without any sort of grind.
Speaking of guns, there are a lot to choose from. There are 16 primary weapons and three secondaries, all with unlockable attachments, as well as a few specials you can pick up during a match, and Saber Interactive plans on adding more in the future. Each of these firearms feels distinct, and you can also choose from one of four classes with RPG-style skill trees. As straightforward as Toxic Commando‘s action-packed gameplay is, these options offer a good deal of variety.
Toxic Commando is far from the first to introduce any of these elements, but by keeping things varied but basic, it puts the focus on the fun part. You’ll spend less time grinding through levels or figuring out the perfect build and more time shooting, slicing, and blowing things up.
One area where Toxic Commando does bring something new to the table is in its vehicles. Instead of hoofing it through the apocalyptic landscape, you and your team will find and drive trucks, cop cars, ambulances, and more on your way to various objectives. Some missions require using a specific vehicle, while others let you choose from what you find throughout the map, but in all cases, this equipment acts like more of a mobile base of operations than mere transportation.
Some vehicles come equipped with mounted weapons, another can heal your party, and another can turn into a giant bomb. They effectively serve as another way to tailor your loadout to your liking, and if nothing else, add a fun new dimension to the classic horde shooter formula. Toxic Commando may not have the scale of State of Decay 2′s array of vehicles, but it’s another instance of the game executing something well by focusing on refining the basics.
Toxic Commando doesn’t do anything groundbreaking, but it also doesn’t need to. It’s simple, but that simplicity makes it easy for anyone to jump right into it, which is what you’d want for a primarily multiplayer experience. By stripping away the complexities you’d find in many games of this era, it puts the focus back on the pure, unbridled joy of cartoonish, campy 80s action.
The Biggest Problem with Toxic Commando is That There Isn’t More of It
For all of its strengths, Toxic Commando isn’t perfect. Its characters’ corny banter is charming at first, but even if it never gets Borderlands 3-level eye-rolling, it does get old after a while. Its AI teammates are a nice inclusion for those who’d rather play solo, but they’re effectively useless at anything outside of combat. The biggest issue, though, is simply that there’s not more of the game to enjoy.
At launch, there are nine missions, and depending on how much time you spend exploring, you can complete all of them in eight to 10 hours. Each map is fairly packed with things to do and find, but they also feel a little small if you find enough gas to take your vehicle everywhere. To Toxic Commando‘s credit, starting points and the locations of some objectives and items change between playthroughs, so there is some solid replay value, but the gameplay can still feel repetitive after a while.
Future content updates could change things. Toxic Commando does not need to join the ranks of the ever-popular live-service game model, but a handful of new maps and enemy types could go a long way. For now, though, there’s certainly enough to have a romping good time for dozens of hours, but the game may need more to keep it fresh beyond that.
Toxic Commando is a Fitting Tribute to Both 80s Horror and the Horde Shooter Genre
Saber Interactive has marketed Toxic Commando as a love letter to 80s action-horror, and it more than lives up to that. It’s got blood and guts in droves, environments drenched in sludge and fog, and a killer synth-heavy disco-meets-metal soundtrack. Carrying the name of one of the greatest horror filmmakers of all time is no small burden, but Toxic Commando feels like a classic John Carpenter work through and through.
Pulpy horror flicks aren’t the only inspiration Toxic Commando wears on its sleeve. Its straightforward, no-frills approach is a throwback to the horde shooters of old, namely Left 4 Dead, which can feel like a breath of fresh air today. It takes things back to basics, while adding just enough polish and attitude to keep it distinct.
There are nits to pick with Toxic Commando, but how egregious they are will ultimately come down to player preference. Some may find its accessibility a win for the multiplayer experience, while some may find it too easy. Some will appreciate its lack of bloat, while others will want deeper skill trees and more customization. All in all, though, fans of cheesy horror and zombie co-op shooters will find plenty to love in it. John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is not a game-changer, but it doesn’t pretend to be, and it’s all the better for it.
- Released
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March 12, 2026
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Publisher(s)
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Focus Entertainment
- Intense horde-based combat
- Vehicles add a fun twist to a tried-and-true formula
- Skills and weapon customization require minimal grinding
- Killer soundtrack
- Missions are limited and lack variety
- Character dialogue can get old
John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando launches on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on March 12, 2026. GameRant was provided a PC code for this review.
