Game Modes Guide: Treasure Rush vs. Extraction Royale
By ExtractionGamer • Updated October 2026
Planet-X currently features two distinct game modes, and they play very differently. Knowing which mode you're dropping into changes everything — from how you move across the map to when you should fight and when you should run. Below is a full breakdown of both.
Extraction Royale
Extraction Royale is the mode featured on Xylon City Royale.
How It Works
Extraction Royale is built around three concentric zones that unlock on a timer.
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Zone 3 is the outer ring and where everyone lands. It's open from the start.
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Zone 2 opens after a certain time passes, contracting the playable space and funneling squads inward.
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Zone 1 opens later still, and requires a key card to enter. All extraction rockets are located in Zone 1.
Unlike Treasure Rush, you drop without your loadout — weapon pickups required!
What This Means for You
Unlike Treasure Rush, Extraction Royale is timer-driven. You can't extract whenever you want; you have to reach Zone 1, and Zone 1 doesn't open until late. The zones force convergence — every surviving squad ends up fighting over the same core ground. The key card requirement adds a layer of objective play: without one, you can't even enter the final zone, so securing a card becomes a priority rather than an afterthought.
The result is a mode that rewards timing, positioning, and objective control over pure exploration. You're not just surviving — you're racing a clock and a crowd to the same destination.
Treasure Rush
Treasure Rush is the mode featured across Horizon Shores, Dunes Edge, Mushroom Island, and Dreadroot Hollow.
How It Works
You can extract at any time. There's no timer forcing your hand — the decision of when to leave is entirely yours. The entire map is always open, so every biome, landmark, and route is available from the moment you land until the moment you extract. You don't have to pick up weapons — you drop with your loadout, meaning you enter the match fully equipped and ready to fight.
What This Means for You
Because extraction is always available and the whole map is open, Treasure Rush is a player-driven experience. You set the pace. Want to play slow, loot thoroughly, and avoid fights? You can. Want to push every encounter and extract early with a full haul? That's viable too. The map never contracts, so there's no forced convergence — but that also means danger can come from anywhere, at any time, since other squads have the same freedom you do.
The tradeoff is that there's no external pressure pushing players together. Encounters happen where players choose to go, which makes map knowledge and route planning especially valuable. Knowing the terrain — long sightlines on Horizon Shores, open desert on Dunes Edge, tight wetland on Mushroom Island, cramped mushroom forests on Dreadroot Hollow — tells you where fights are likely and where you can move safely.
Which Mode Should You Play?
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Choose Treasure Rush if you want freedom: open maps, flexible pacing, and the ability to extract on your own terms. It's the better mode for learning maps, experimenting with routes, and playing at your own speed.
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Choose Extraction Royale if you want pressure: timed zone unlocks, forced convergence, and a high-stakes endgame where every squad wants the same extraction rockets. It's the mode for players who thrive on objective play and tight, consequential fights.
Both modes share one core truth: map knowledge wins fights. The difference is what that knowledge is for — in Treasure Rush, it's about freedom of movement. In Extraction Royale, it's about beating everyone else to the center.