What each Active Matter edition contains: Credits, Prime, weapons, storage and replicator expansions, upgrade paths and Steam and Xbox pricing.
Active Matter Editions and Price: Standard vs Advanced vs Deluxe
There are four Active Matter editions: Standard, Advanced, Deluxe and Elite Squad. On Steam, Standard is $29.99, Advanced is a $49.98 bundle and Deluxe is a $99.15 bundle currently at a 9% discount. The Xbox store lists the same three at $29.99+, $49.99+ and $99.99+ on the Xbox storefront. All prices checked September 29, 2026; they move during sales.
The honest headline from the developers themselves: the editions "differ in their starting selection of weapons, equipment, and in-game resources; otherwise, the content available to buyers is identical." Nobody gets a raid, a map or a gun the other tiers cannot buy.
Buy Standard. Everything Advanced and Deluxe hand you as a bundle can be earned in game or bought with Credits, and the Deluxe extras are almost entirely cosmetic. The one genuinely useful Deluxe item is the run of storage expansions.
Official source: the Credits and Prime explanations below are quoted from the Standard Edition listing on Steam and the official FAQ, both checked September 29, 2026. The Elite Squad bundle wording comes from the Gaijin Store Standard Edition page.
Price comparison
| Edition | Steam price | Xbox price | What it is on Steam |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | $29.99 | $29.99+ | The base game |
| Advanced | $49.98 | $49.99+ | Bundle of Standard plus the Upgrade to Advanced Edition item |
| Deluxe | $99.15 (marked -9%) | $99.99+ | Bundle of Standard, both upgrade items and the Original Game Soundtrack Vol.1 |
| Elite Squad | Not listed on Steam | Not listed on Xbox | Gaijin Store exclusive: one Deluxe Edition plus two Standard Edition keys |
The Steam soundtrack, Active Matter - Original Game Soundtrack, Vol.1, also sells on its own for $8.99 if you want Akira Yamaoka's contribution without the Deluxe bundle.
Do not expect the console and PC prices to match exactly. Steam's Deluxe bundle is currently discounted, which is why it prints below the Xbox list price. Compare the bundles as they sit on the day you buy, not the sticker prices in a guide.
Contents at a glance
| Standard | Advanced | Deluxe | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credits | 25,000 | 60,000 | 185,000 |
| Prime (one-time) | 300 | 1,300 | 5,500 |
| Weapon sets | 5 | 8 | 16 |
| Weapon modification sets | 1 | 3 | 10 |
| Equipment sets | 10 | 17 | 26 |
| Ammunition sets | 6 | 13 | 21 |
| Storage expansions | None | First | First, second, third |
| Replicator queue expansions | None | First | First, second |
| Backup weapons | None | Bouncer knife | Bouncer knife, Woodcutter's Argument hatchet |
| Replicator recipes | None | Scout drone Harpy | Harpy, Robot Dog Juan No.1, Assault quad bike Bonecrusher |
| Character shells | None | None | Reaper, Knight, plus Rust camouflage |
| Other extras | None | None | Anomalous Zone Veteran dog tag, extended armband set, 20x Reptile camo, 20x Wood camo, 10x Tactical beacon, Provided Equipment +1, Operative objectives slot +1 |
| Soundtrack | No | No | Yes on Steam |
Prime included with an edition is granted once. That line appears on the Steam store page and the official site, and it matters: buying a higher edition later does not top up your Prime balance, it is a one-off grant.
What the currencies actually do
Credits are the main currency. The store page explains they are earned during raids by completing contracts or by processing obtained Active Matter and looted items, and they are spent on weapons, ammunition and other essential equipment.
Prime is the special currency from daily contracts. Three things about it are worth memorising before you spend:
- Prime does not reset after a Harmonization, so it is the one resource that survives a cycle wipe.
- Prime is not refunded on a self-wipe. The FAQ states that a self-wipe returns content to your stash with the exception of crystallised Active Matter, which is Prime.
- Prime buys Monolith access levels, additional secure containers and respawn beacons, on top of Credits.
What the set counts mean
The store pages count content in sets rather than individual items, so the numbers look smaller than the boxes of stuff they represent:
- Weapon sets are stacks of one item type. Ten M9 pistols is one set; three SOK-94 Vepr carbines is one set.
- Equipment sets bundle items used together. Ten small backpacks is one set, five small magazine pouches is one set, fifty small steel armor plates is one set.
- Ammunition sets are boxes and magazines. Nine hundred rounds of 9x19mm arrives as a single set.
So the Deluxe tier listing 26 equipment sets covers far more individual objects than the number 26 suggests. That is also why storage expansions and inventory management matter more to a new player than any single gun in the pack.
Credits and Prime side by side
| Credits | Prime | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it comes from | Raids, contracts, processing Active Matter and looted items | Daily contracts |
| Resets on a Harmonization | Subject to the cycle | No, Prime does not reset after a Harmonization |
| Survives a self-wipe | Yes, it returns to your stash | No, crystallised Active Matter is not returned |
| What it buys | Weapons, ammunition, other essential equipment | Credits, Monolith access levels, additional secure containers, respawn beacons |
| Granted once with an edition | A lump sum, so upgrading tops up nothing extra | Prime included with an edition is granted once |
Which upgrade path to take
Steam sells the upgrades as separate products, so Advanced and Deluxe are literally Standard plus upgrade items. The site's own guidance differs by panel and the difference is worth reading carefully:
- The Steam editions panel states that Standard and Advanced editions can be upgraded up to Deluxe.
- The global editions panel on the official site states that Standard, Advanced and Deluxe editions can be upgraded up to Elite Squad.
Elite Squad is where the upgrade chain gets interesting, because it is not only about your own account. The Gaijin Store sells it as one Deluxe Edition plus two Standard Edition keys for friends at a discount. Those keys sit in your Gaijin Store purchase history and your friends activate them at the store activation page. One consequence to plan around: if you request a refund on an Elite Squad purchase, the Standard keys your friends already activated are automatically deactivated.
Buying on Steam does not get you the extra keys. The official FAQ is explicit that Elite Squad is a Gaijin Store exclusive, and that Steam Deluxe includes the digital soundtrack, which Gaijin Store Deluxe does not.
Refunds through the Gaijin Store are available if you have played for less than two hours. Past that, no refund. Steam applies its own refund policy separately.
Who should buy which
- Standard - anyone learning the loop, anyone on a budget, anyone not sure they will stick with it. It is a complete game.
- Advanced - the sensible middle if you dislike starting from a near-empty Shelter. 60,000 Credits and the first storage plus replicator queue expansions meaningfully shorten the first week.
- Deluxe - the right buy for storage and replicator queue headroom, or if you want the shells and the soundtrack. The three storage expansions are the only part of it that changes how the game plays.
- Elite Squad - a gift bundle for a group of three, bought through the Gaijin Store, not a gameplay upgrade.
FAQ
How much is Active Matter on Steam?
$29.99 for Standard as of September 29, 2026. Advanced is a $49.98 bundle and Deluxe is a $99.15 bundle currently discounted 9%.
Does buying a higher edition give you exclusive content?
No new raids, weapons or modes. The official FAQ says the editions differ in starting weapons, equipment and in-game resources, with identical content otherwise. Deluxe adds cosmetics, storage and replicator queue expansions.
Can I upgrade my edition later?
Yes. Steam sells Upgrade to Advanced Edition and Upgrade to Deluxe Edition as separate products, and the official site says Standard, Advanced and Deluxe can be upgraded up to Elite Squad through the Gaijin Store.
Does Prime carry over if I buy a bigger edition later?
Prime included with an edition is granted once. Upgrading does not hand you another Prime grant.
What happens to my stuff if I self-wipe?
Content returns to your stash, except crystallised Active Matter, which is Prime. Prime is gone after a self-wipe.
Is Elite Squad on Steam?
No. It is a Gaijin Store exclusive bundle of one Deluxe Edition plus two Standard Edition keys, and the FAQ says Steam Deluxe instead includes the digital soundtrack.
Related Guides
- Active Matter release date and platforms - where each edition is sold and what each store lists.
- Active Matter first raid guide - how to spend your starting Credits well.
- Active Matter system requirements - check your PC before you pick a tier.
- Active Matter guide hub - the day-one overview.
More Active Matter Guides
Your first Active Matter raid in one page: what to bring, why to start in PvE, how looting and the Replicator work, and the mistakes that cost gear.
How Active Matter loadouts work: the starter weapon kit, backpack and pouch volumes, armour plates, and how Replicator and Refiner queues cost you time.
Every Active Matter raid zone on Dalniy Island - Scrapyard, Downtown, Cargo Port and Military Base - with variants, rotation rules and patch changes.
How Active Matter progression works past the first raid - the Monolith access ladder, Merits, the Harmonization Cycle reset and exactly what survives a wipe.
Active Matter stuck on a black screen, crashing with FATAL ERROR, or not launching at all. Ordered fixes from verifying files to reporting the bug to Gaijin.
Every Active Matter patch note from full launch to September 29, 2026 - 0.4.0.115 through 0.4.0.156, with dates and the older advice each one breaks.
Active Matter peaked at 9,626 concurrent Steam players on Sep 27, 2026. Live count, launch-week average and what the base means for matchmaking.
How to play Active Matter as a PvE-focused player: which raid types keep other operatives out, what is unavoidably contested, and where to start.