John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando Xbox Review!

Whilst we are still in the first quarter of 2026, there is a consistent flurry of decent titles out there. In what is normally a quiet period of the gaming calendar, this year, it’s hard to consider where to part with your hard-earned cash. The number of times people ask me the same question, what co-op games can you recommend? It is tough to answer, as there are only a few top-drawer titles to suggest. John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando launches on Xbox Series X|S, Playstation 5 & PC on 12th March 2026. Developed by Saber Interactive and published by Focus Entertainment and featuring cross-platform play, this is one that you won’t want to overlook. Will this nestle into the co-op catalogue of greatness? Keep watching to find out.

Gameplay

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando comes across like a living, breathing 80s-inspired B-movie. With Carpenter co-writing the narrative as well as scoring the soundtrack, most of the dialogue and what you hear are heavily influenced by him. With the Saber Interactive development team, you can see the similarities from World War Z. There are even times you’ll see mechanics from the Mudrunner series seep through. The game doesn’t waste any time in setting the scene of the storyline, which I won’t spoil too much.

Scientists drilling into the core of the Earth have a total facepalm moment in the process, unleashing the Sludge God. Total disaster erupts and transforms the world into a toxic swamp, ridden with flesh-eating undead. Missions throughout the game are carried out through large open-world environments with a series of objectives. After gearing up, you can choose which order to tackle tasks. Do you explore and deal with everything in the run, or do you rush through?

Missions are a varied blend of attacking and defending areas, driving and working together as a team to tool up enough to take on the final fight of each level. Vehicle segments are a critical part of the flow of navigation. Some objectives will require you to drive and winch to gates, walls and even loot areas to rip them down. Driving isn’t always straightforward; you’ll often get stuck in boggy zones, which is where those Mudrunner mechanics really come to life. Again, you can use the winch to hoist your way out of tricky situations. I can see some laugh-out-loud moments already as you work with your friends to hold off the undead with mounted guns whilst you work your way out of the mud.

Most of the missions do have a final big push where you’ll need to build defences with spare parts. My advice, scour the land for these spare parts in advance, you’ll need them, keep stocked up on resources, you’ll need them as well. 

Skill Trees, Cosmetics & More

Beyond the short campaign run, the encouragement to replay through different difficulties is through scavenging sludgite crystals. Not only will you level up, but you’ll be able to unlock a feast of cosmetics, attachments for weapons and upgrade skill trees for each class.

With four classes, each has its own special ability and skill tree. You can level each class up independently, along with its special abilities. Levelling up these abilities will allow you to unlock new variations, eventually granting you more options in the heat of battle. Without going too in depth with the classes, as I could be here all day. It is your typical defender, medic, all-rounder and high damage operator layout. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses, and it’s down to you to pick out your favourite.

If you thought that was all, there is more. You can also prestige guns, which is a cool progression system which will allow you to have enhanced visual variants of weapons in-game. A true way to stand out in the crowd going in with randoms. Outfits, weapon and, vehicle skins, emblems, decals and even animations and emotes are unlockable through repeated play, driving the game to some great longevity for those who grow to love the game. 

Lighting, Gore, and 80s Flair in Full Display

On Xbox Series X, John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando leans into the 80’s horror aesthetic with a surprisingly polished experience. Sure, it’s not going to win any awards for the best-looking game of 2026. For its reasonable price-point, though, and an ambitious crack at an open-world setting rather than Saber’s traditional linear attempts, it holds up exceptionally well. The game is rendered at a steady 4k/60fps on the Series X, which holds up in performance even with an undead-soaked screen. 

The environment design is superb, and the lighting work throughout the game is simply excellent. Rays of sunshine beaming through the treeline set the atmosphere, calm and tranquil until the screen is drowned in undead. The attention to detail is fantastic when it comes to each mission, with interior areas of the game breaking up traversing the rugged outdoor terrain. With the scope of the open-world maps, this allows you to take higher ground and opens up new opportunities to backtrack in certain scenarios if you need to cool off. 

During the intense moments of gameplay, you’d expect the game to be a bit rough around the edges. However, it is so chaotic that during the rare moments where you do see a bit of a drop in frames, it isn’t that noticeable. Explosions, special abilities and combined attacks light up the screen impressively to the point where, at times, it really does become a cinematic spectacle. Personally, I also adore that the UI/HUD is minimal yet clear and concise to read and understand. 

A Rich Audio Soundscape Crafted By Carpenter

With Mr Carpenter bringing his expertise and energy to the game, I expected the audio to be decent. Having composed soundtracks across some big-hitting horror movies throughout the decades, you can feel his influence throughout the soundtrack. It’s a clever mix of building ambience to full-on 80s action horror vibes that concretes the tone and atmosphere of the game. Weaponry feels punchy and aggressive, with feedback being felt as well as heard. Firing off rounds that crack and explosions that thunder through a great quality headset, it all just lands nicely. It breaks up the cheesy tongue-in-cheek voice acting which you’d typically expect from an 80’s fuelled action experience. 

Co-Op Carnage With Plenty Of Replayability

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is intended to be a multiplayer co-op experience, and honestly, we don’t see enough of them. Up to four players can squad up online with cross-platform play for those with mates on different platforms. The game is truly at its best when four of you are working together, strategically flanking hot zones, coordinating attacks and helping each other throughout the brutal carnage. When players have fully fleshed out skill trees, this will encourage experimentation with potentially devastating attacks.

You’ll likely need this combination of power, especially in the harder difficulty levels. The curve ramps up, the undead become staggeringly more aggressive, resources are harder to come by, and bosses feel like they are on steroids. Spontaneous gameplay is the beauty of running through levels you’ve played before, but harder because you need to strategise, build bonds with your squad and also be prepared to play on the brink of failure. 

It is possible to run through everything as a solo player if you want to. However, the reliance on AI teammates isn’t always great, especially when you dive into the tougher runs. I found myself becoming overwhelmed in harder modes when I didn’t have communication with friends online to direct my needs to. If, like me, you’re not the most social soul online, I do recommend using the looking for game feature on Xbox as it’s handy to find players who take it more seriously than just matchmaking with randoms. 

Final Thoughts

John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando is a game not to be missed if you’re someone who craves co-op experiences or first-person shooter action. Saber Interactive are back doing what they do best: bringing a solid co-operative experience with hordes of enemies that bring constant chaos and adrenaline, with close-to-the-wire gameplay. 

Whilst the core campaign is a fairly short affair at five to six hours, there is plenty of replayability and longevity. This comes with the opportunity to play with friends or randoms through a variety of difficulty levels alongside deep customisation options and countless unlockables. For a very reasonable price point of £34.99 for the base game or £27.99 if you nip in quick and pre-order before launch, it is an absolute steal.