Moonshot Games’ Wildgate arrives with a bold pitch: combine tactical ship-to-ship combat with fast-paced first-person shooting, then set it all inside a procedurally generated galaxy filled with hazards, loot, and rival crews. Released in July 2025, the game has been steadily building a loyal community thanks to its unique mix of PvP, PvE, and extraction gameplay. But does Wildgate truly deliver on its promise of chaotic, cinematic space battles—or does it drift too close to the sun?
A New Kind of Space Piracy
At its core, Wildgate is a crew-based PvP multiplayer shooter with one ultimate objective: secure the mysterious Artifact and escape through the Wildgate, or wipe out every rival ship in the Reach and be the last crew standing.
Unlike typical shooters, your ship isn’t just a spawn point—it’s your lifeline. You’ll need to manage resources like ice (for life support), fuel, and ammunition to stay afloat. Matches aren’t just about gunning down enemies; they’re about making tough calls. Do you chase down a rival ship, risk boarding it, or scavenge for upgrades to prepare for the final showdown?
This constant tug-of-war between risk and reward gives every round a fresh edge. No two matches play out the same way, thanks to procedurally generated maps that throw new hazards—cosmic storms, alien ruins, hostile wildlife—into the mix.
The Hybrid Gameplay Loop
What sets Wildgate apart is its dual gameplay approach:
- Ship-to-ship combat: Players take positions, manning turrets, piloting, or deploying gadgets such as mines and traps. Team coordination is critical—one mistake can cost the whole ship.
- First-person boarding: Sometimes the only way to win is to leave the cockpit. Boarding enemy vessels leads to tense shootouts, sabotage missions, or desperate defenses as rival crews storm your decks.
This hybrid system works brilliantly when your crew is on the same page. It creates cinematic moments where one player is piloting through a storm while another fends off boarders, and a third frantically patches hull damage. It’s the kind of controlled chaos extraction shooter fans dream of.
Characters, Tools, and Playstyles
The roster of prospecting characters keeps things fresh. Each has unique abilities that cater to different roles:
- Pilots who excel at maneuvering through hazards.
- Tricksters who specialize in boarding enemy ships and sowing sabotage.
- Support roles focused on repairs and resource gathering.
Layer on top a wide variety of gadgets and weapons, and the meta shifts constantly. Do you lean into defensive setups, laying mines around your ship, or go aggressive with plasma beams and boarding strategies? Players often note that “there’s no true meta”—success often comes down to improvisation.
That said, certain tools like the laser rams have sparked debate in the community, with some claiming they break the balance. Wildgate’s best moments come when every tool feels viable, so further fine-tuning is still needed.
PvP, PvE, and the Skill Gap
While PvP is the heart of Wildgate, the PvE content deserves credit. Matches include encounters with space creatures, traps inside alien ruins, and environmental dangers. These elements force crews to multitask and often create openings for rivals to strike.
Still, the learning curve is steep. New players frequently report being “beaten down match after match” until they adjust. This skill gap can be daunting, but it rewards persistence. As one player put it: “Map the Reach, learn your ship, and communicate—you can overcome the gap and win, even with randoms.”
Strengths That Shine
- Cinematic Gameplay: Many describe matches as feeling like a “space movie,” where battles seamlessly escalate from exploration to frantic combat.
- Variety and Replayability: Procedural maps and diverse tools ensure matches don’t grow stale.
- Crossplay and Progression: Seamless cross-platform play between PC and Xbox broadens the player pool, and progression carries across platforms.
- Balanced Chaos: Despite the complexity, combat feels fair. Wins feel earned, and there’s rarely a sense of being cheated by RNG.
Areas for Improvement
No game launches perfectly, and Wildgate has its share of criticisms:
- Price Point: At $30, some feel it’s steep compared to free-to-play competitors. The price has likely hurt its player base, with several reviewers calling for either a price cut or a free-to-play model.
- Population Concerns: Matchmaking has grown tougher as the player count dips, especially outside peak hours. A dedicated PvE/skirmish mode against bots could alleviate this.
- Balance Issues: Tools like the laser ram have been flagged as frustrating, encouraging cheap close-range strategies that undercut the tactical variety.
- Content Depth: While the core loop is fun, players want more modes, maps, and long-term goals to keep them invested.
Community Reception
Reviews lean Very Positive overall, with most players praising the originality and intensity of the matches. Some highlights:
- “Wildgate is so much fun, it’s like playing through a movie.”
- “Crossplay works great, progression is seamless—better than some AAA studios.”
- “If you have a squad of four, this is one of the best games out there.”
The biggest caution is around longevity. Without continued support, a game this reliant on population could struggle. But for now, the dedicated community is keeping it alive through Discord groups and organized play sessions.
Wildgate: Wildgate isn’t just another shooter—it’s a bold experiment that succeeds more often than it fails. By merging tactical ship management with fast-paced FPS action, Moonshot Games has created a truly unique multiplayer experience that scratches the itch for both Sea of Thieves-style crew chaos and extraction shooter tension. Yes, the $30 price tag is steep, the balance needs tweaking, and the community size raises eyebrows. But when you’re in the middle of a storm, dodging enemy fire while a crewmate boards a rival ship to steal their Artifact, none of that matters. Few games deliver such adrenaline-pumping, cinematic matches. For those willing to invest the time—and ideally bring a squad along—Wildgate is one of the most exciting multiplayer experiments of 2025. It’s a flawed gem, but a gem nonetheless. – Obsidian