All Exoprimal game modes, explained

Players in Exoprimal have numerous paths ahead of them to fend off the dinosaur invasion with a variety of game modes. Providing both PvP and PvE content, Exoprimal offers a wealth of cooperative and competitive ways to play to keep things fresh. As an online-only game, there is no single-player story, and the narrative is instead driven by the online gameplay.

Further game modes will be added to Exoprimal in the future, Capcom has confirmed—the first of which arrives on July 28.

Crucially, modes within Exoprimal cannot be played individually, and instead come as waves in Dino Survival or as the Final Mission in the main mode and the PvE Savage Gauntlet.

Dinosaur survival

The main game mode of Exoprimal, according to Capcom, is Dinosaur Survival—which also acts as the game’s story mode, as each completed mission pushes forward the narrative.

Dinosaur Survival is a PvP and PvE mode, with two teams of five racing against each other to complete objectives ahead of rivals. The objectives include things like escorting, defeating enemies, and hunting down a particular enemy type.

Some scenarios will see the two opposing teams face off in head-to-head combat, while others will require joining together with your rivals to take down a major foe. 

According to Capcom, the experience will be different with each match, even in matches with familiar surroundings and objectives.

Dinosaur Cull

In Dinosaur Cull, squads are tasked with hunting down a specific dinosaur that can be lured out after killing groups of smaller dinosaurs. If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s essentially the same gameplay loop as Monster Hunter, another Capcom franchise, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to pick up.

Related: Is Exoprimal on Xbox Game Pass?

Capcom’s description of Dinosaur Cull is simple, merely saying to “Defeat specific dinosaurs.” This mode regularly appears as a wave of Dino Survival.

VTOL Defense

VTOL Defense is a standard defensive mode in Exoprimal, tasking players with protecting their ship from multiple waves of enemies as it gets repairs.

This horde-type mode will appeal to players with experience playing Zombies in Call of Duty or Horde in Gears of War, though the difference is it is not an infinite mode and finishes when the VTOL is repaired.

VTOL Defense appears as a wave in the Dino Survival mode.

Data Key Security

Data Key Security is another mode that will be familiar to experienced gamers, as it serves as Exoprimal’s version of the classic capture-the-flag concept. Players must retrieve the opposition’s data key and return it to their base on the other side of the map, facing off against hordes of dinosaurs and rival players.

Data Key Security is one of the Final Missions that can be generated in Dino Survival and is commonplace in early stages.

Omega Charge

A unique game mode in Exoprimal, Omega Charge tasks players with going up against targets that can only be cleared by charging up a special hammer weapon.

Players need to use the Omega Hammer to destroy target objects and remove barriers to advance, with the hammer being charged by defeating dinosaurs. Once the hammer is fully charged, it can be used to destroy the target object.

Omega Charge can appear as a Final Mission in Dino Survival and sees teams go head-to-head for the final objective.

Energy Taker

In Energy Taker, players compete against an opposing team to collect the most energy. Energy can be found throughout the map and can also be acquired by defeating hostile exofighters. Energy Taker is one of the Final Missions that can emerge in Dino Survival and puts players in direct combat with the opposing team.

Savage Gauntlet

This special five-person mission (released two weeks into Exoprimal’s release) tasks players to compete against others from across the globe for the fastest clear time, with the mode kept fresh with weekly updates that change the rules. Savage Gauntlet is described as end-game content with difficulty on the “upper end of the spectrum.”