John Carpenter's Toxic Commando gets a gross new trailer

We may or may not be working on some coverage for this one, but at Opening Night Live at gamescom 2025 we got another look at John Carpenter's Toxic Commando courtesy of a brand new, very gross trailer. The dead rise, the world gets a whole lot more grim, and it's set to a badass quintessential Carpenter soundtrack. Get in, loser – it's time to smash some zombies.

Saber Interactive and Focus Entertainment have descended upon gamescom’s Opening Night Live with a first look at John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando, the game where players team up with friends to battle hordes of creepy things before they infect the entire world.

Whether behind the wheel or on foot, players will face massive enemy hordes and daunting bosses, all powered by Saber's Swarm Engine, the technology behind World War Z: Aftermath and Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. Fully supporting cross-platform co-op, the game will give adrenaline hunters and ’80s horror fans alike tons of fear and excitement when it arrives in early 2026!

So what in the wide world of zombie brains is this one about?!

In the near future, an experimental attempt to harness the power of the Earth’s core ends in a terrifying disaster, turning soil to scum and the living to undead monsters. However, the genius behind the experiment has a plan to make things right: a team of highly trained mercenaries to get the job done. Unfortunately, they were all too expensive. That’s why he hired THE TOXIC COMMANDO.

As a squad based game, you're damned right it has Crossplay co-op!

Play in squads of up to four players — with full crossplay support across PC and consoles — and send the Sludge God and its horde of things-that-should-never-be back to the underworld. Pick your character, choose the class that matches your playstyle, pile into your favorite ride, and unload an array of gunfire, grenades, special abilities, and freaking katanas.

One of the things very present in the preview we're working on, as well as the video above, is that this game has a serious Carpenter vibe. I'm not sure what, precisely, that is, but you know it when you hear it / see it. When it all comes together you get the "brain off, popcorn time" goodness that makes his movies work. So what else is in this thing?

The Toxic Menu:

• Buddy-movie vibes and the over-the-top humor, action, and horror of classic ‘80s cinema, inspired by and with the involvement of the legendary John Carpenter
• Teaming up with friends to face down hordes of monsters who want to eat your face
• An explosive cocktail of visceral FPS action and off-road driving on slime-corrupted terrain across massive post-apocalyptic environments 
• Upgrading your skills and testing new abilities against increasingly hardcore challenges
• Saving the planet against impossible odds

You'll have to wait, but not for long, to hear our thoughts on the game, and it turns out you won't have to wait long to play it for yourself – the game is coming your way in early 2026 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via the Epic Games Store and Steam.