ARC Raiders
| ARC Raiders | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Embark Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Embark Studios |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | October 30, 2025 |
| Genre(s) | Third-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
ARC Raiders is an upcoming third-person extraction shooter being developed and published by Embark Studios for Windows, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S. The gameplay is PvPvE (player versus player versus environment) and can be played in teams of three, two, or played solo.
Setting
ARC Raiders takes place in a distant future on Earth where mysterious and deadly "ARC" robots have taken over the surface, forcing humanity to live underground. Some residents of the underground city, known as "raiders", choose to go above ground, also known as "the topside" to collect resources to sell.
Gameplay
ARC Raiders is an extraction shooter played from third-person.[1] Players leave the underground base and search for items on the planet's surface for 30 minutes. During the raid they will encounter hostile NPC robots along with other human players. When a player is killed, they will lose any equipment and materials they have collected and return to base. Players can escape via evacuation/extraction elevators and metro stations or alternatively use raider hatches (Safer extraction points that require keys to be opened) to return to base when they are done collecting loot.[2]
After returning to the underground base, players can sell items, upgrade their character perks and skills, buy items or craft weapons and items such as gadgets and armor to prepare for the next raid.[3]
Development and release
ARC Raiders is currently being developed by Embark Studios, the company behind The Finals. The game was officially announced at The Game Awards 2021 as a free-to-play "cooperative third-person shooter".[4] It was revealed in 2023 that the genre of the game had been changed to a PvPvE extraction shooter.[5] Later in 2023 Embark launched a first playtest in the form of a closed Alpha with strict NDA and a second playtest months later known as tech test 1.
The game resurfaced in 2024, with Embark launching a new public playtest known as tech test 2 without any NDAs, at this time Embark also announced that the game is going to drop its free-to-play model.
The game is set to be released in 2025 for Windows, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and Series S.[6]
References
- ^ Saed, Sherif (April 29, 2025). "Arc Raiders is already one of the most polished and immediately satisfying extraction shooters, and it's not even out yet". VG247. Archived from the original on April 30, 2025. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
- ^ Petty, Jared (May 1, 2025). "ARC Raiders Is the Most 'It's Fine' Game We've Played in a While". IGN. Archived from the original on April 29, 2025. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
- ^ Van Aken, Alex (May 2, 2025). "ARC Raiders Impressions: The Most-Promising Extraction Shooter I've Played". Game Informer. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
- ^ Nunneley-Jackson, Stephanny (December 10, 2021). "Cooperative shooter Arc Raiders from former EA dev revealed at The Game Awards". VG247. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
- ^ Romano, Sal (May 16, 2023). "ARC Raiders genre changed to PvPvE extraction shooter". Gematsu. Archived from the original on April 26, 2025. Retrieved May 4, 2025.
- ^ Wales, Matt (August 20, 2024). "The Finals studio's PvPvE shooter ARC Raiders resurfaces, and it's no longer free-to-play". Eurogamer. Retrieved May 5, 2025.