ARC Raiders

What Is ARC Raiders?

ARC Raiders is a multiplayer third-person extraction shooter developed and published by Embark Studios — the same team behind The Finals. Released on October 30, 2025, the game is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows PC. Built on Unreal Engine 5, it delivers stunning visuals and intense gameplay whether you're playing solo or in squads of two or three.

The Story: Earth, 2180

The game takes place on a post-apocalyptic Earth in the year 2180. Decades before the events of the game, mysterious hostile machines called ARC — named after the distinctive arc shape of their radar signatures — descended from space and began systematically attacking humanity. After years of devastating warfare, the remaining survivors were driven underground.

Players take on the role of a "raider" from Speranza, a contrada within the underground city of Toledo, located beneath the ruins of what was once northern Italy's Rust Belt. Raiders venture to the surface — known as "Topside" — during low-ARC-activity windows to scavenge valuable resources, old-world goods, and components from downed ARC machines.

Gameplay: Risk and Reward

At its core, ARC Raiders is an extraction shooter. Each raid lasts up to 30 minutes on the surface, where players face:

- Hostile ARC robots — deadly NPCs with varied behaviors and escalating aggression - Other human players — fellow raiders who may cooperate or turn hostile at any moment

The tension comes from the fact that dying means losing everything you've collected, except for items stored in a special safe pocket. Extraction points include elevators, metro stations, and air shafts — as well as locked raider hatches for safer, key-required escapes.

Back underground, players can sell loot, upgrade perks and skills, buy gear, craft weapons, and take on quests from the city's vendors.

Critical Acclaim and Awards

ARC Raiders launched to generally favorable reviews. On Metacritic, it holds an 86/100 on PC, 85/100 on PS5, and 88/100 on Xbox Series X/S. Review aggregator OpenCritic reports that 92% of critics recommend the game.

The game earned praise across the board, with IGN scoring it a 9/10 and calling it a new standard for the extraction shooter genre. GameSpot called it "an extraction shooter unlike any other" and awarded it another 9/10. GamesRadar gave it 4.5/5, highlighting its approachability for newcomers to the genre.

At The Game Awards 2025, ARC Raiders took home Best Multiplayer Game. It also won Most Innovative Gameplay at the Steam Awards and Online Game of the Year at the 29th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.

A Commercial Phenomenon

ARC Raiders hit 250,000 concurrent players on Steam on launch day alone. By November 11, 2025 — just 12 days after launch — it had sold over 4 million copies worldwide. By February 2026, that number had climbed to an astonishing 14 million copies, cementing it as a blockbuster franchise.

Developed by Embark Studios

Embark Studios first revealed ARC Raiders at The Game Awards 2021 as a free-to-play cooperative shooter. Over the following years, the game evolved significantly — shifting to a PvPvE extraction format and eventually dropping the free-to-play model in favor of a $40 launch price. The change paid off.

The studio has continued supporting the game with regular updates, with patch 1.18.0 dropping in March 2026 focusing on balance, bug fixes, and new content.

Final Verdict

ARC Raiders represents a landmark moment for the extraction shooter genre. By sanding down the rougher edges typically associated with similar games, Embark Studios has delivered something both accessible to newcomers and deeply rewarding for veterans. Every raid tells a story. Whether it ends in triumph or disaster, you'll be coming back for more.

"With polished gunplay and an irresistible grind, ARC Raiders sets a new standard for extraction shooters." — IGN