ARC Raiders is a multiplayer extraction shooter from Embark Studios, set on a future Earth overrun by machines called ARC. You head topside to scavenge, then try to get out with your loot while ARC machines and other players stand in the way. It launched on October 30, 2025.

Is ARC Raiders free to play?

No. Embark first announced it in 2021 as a free-to-play game, but it launched as a paid game. Steam lists a standard price of $39.99 and also lists in-app purchases. Embark ran a free play period from October 8 (09:00 UTC) to October 12 (08:00 UTC), 2026, on Steam, Xbox and PlayStation, alongside the Frozen Trail update; it has ended.

How many players can play ARC Raiders together?

You can play solo or in a party of up to three. Other players' squads can be in the same match, and Steam lists both co-op and PvP for the game.

What platforms is ARC Raiders on?

The official site lists Steam, the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and GeForce NOW. Steam lists cross-platform multiplayer.

Who made ARC Raiders?

Embark Studios, the Stockholm studio behind The Finals. It was founded in November 2018 by Magnus Nordin, Rob Runesson, Stefan Strandberg, Patrick Söderlund, Jenny Huldschiner and Johan Andersson. Nexon became its majority owner in 2019.

ARC Raiders Guides & News

Weapons tier lists, map walkthroughs, squad loadouts, and patch news for Embark Studios' extraction shooter, out since October 30, 2025 on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

45 articles published

Weapons

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Anvil After 2.0: Rarity, Splitter, Bantam

ARC Raiders Anvil after Frozen Trail 2.0: rarity moved to Blue, Splitter mod retired, two Amplified paths, and how the new Bantam revolver compares.

Oct 12, 202611 min read

FeatureARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Weapons Tier List: All 26 Guns Ranked for 2026

ARC Raiders weapons tier list after Frozen Trail 2.0: all 26 guns ranked by damage, ARC armor penetration and cost, with who should use each one.

Apr 23, 202610 min read

Maps

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Buried City Guide: Districts, Keys and Exits

ARC Raiders Buried City guide: Old Town and the named landmarks, the four key doors, where Bastions and Bombardiers patrol, and the metro and hatch exits.

Jun 13, 20267 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Blue Gate Guide: Keys, Locked Gate & Extractions

ARC Raiders Blue Gate guide: how the map unlocks, the four keys, the Locked Gate security codes, every airshaft and Raider Hatch, and where the big ARC sit.

Jun 12, 20267 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Spaceport Guide: Launch Tower, Bunker and Keys

ARC Raiders Spaceport guide: when it unlocks, the Launch Tower and its loot puzzle, the Hidden Bunker, every key door, the conditions, and how to get out.

May 25, 20267 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Dam Guide: Keys, Extracts & Access Zone

ARC Raiders Dam guide: what the four Dam keys open, every elevator and Raider Hatch, the Controlled Access Zone puzzle, and how conditions raise difficulty.

Apr 29, 20267 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Maps Guide: All 7 Maps, Unlocks and Difficulty

ARC Raiders maps guide: 7 raid maps after Frozen Trail added Pendola Pass. Each map's difficulty, unlock rule and duration, plus how extraction points work.

Apr 27, 202610 min read

Loadouts

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Best Squad Loadouts: Three Roles for a Trio

ARC Raiders best squad loadouts for a trio: an anchor, a medic and a looter, built from real augments, shields and weapons, plus three team setups to run.

Apr 26, 20267 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Best Solo Loadouts: Weapons, Gear & Tips

ARC Raiders best solo loadouts after Frozen Trail 2.0: which augment, shield and weapon to pair when you raid alone, with real shield numbers and costs.

Apr 24, 20267 min read

Quests & Expeditions

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders New Quests: Every Frozen Trail Quest and Reward

ARC Raiders new quests from Frozen Trail 2.0: all 17 the wiki lists so far, who gives them, objectives, rewards, XP, and the order that unlocks them.

Oct 14, 202610 min read

Crafting & Economy

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Workshop Upgrade Items: Every Station Cost

ARC Raiders workshop upgrade items for every station level, plus the Frozen Trail Research Station, which ARC drop each part, and the order to build in.

Aug 12, 20269 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Crafting Guide: Workshop Stations and Recipes

ARC Raiders crafting guide: how Workshop stations, blueprints and field crafting work after Frozen Trail, plus the Ferro and Raider Hatch Key recipes.

May 6, 20268 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Loot Guide: What to Keep, Sell, or Scrap

ARC Raiders loot guide: what the Safe Pocket protects, what each trader sells, how recycling beats salvaging, and which items earn their stash space.

Apr 24, 20267 min read

ARC Enemies

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Machine Types: How to Kill Every ARC Unit

ARC Raiders machine types: armor, health and weak point for every common ARC, Wasp and Tick to Bastion and Bombardier, and the fastest way to kill each.

Jun 7, 202610 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Enemy Types Guide: ARC Units Ranked by Threat

ARC Raiders enemy types guide: every common ARC machine with its health, armor, attack and weak point, ranked by how much trouble it causes, plus bosses.

Apr 26, 20268 min read

Getting Started

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Beginner Guide: Loadouts, Maps and Extraction

ARC Raiders beginner guide: Free Loadout vs your own kit, when each map unlocks, how extraction and Raider Hatches work, and what to sell in Speranza.

Apr 22, 202611 min read

News & Patch Notes

NewsARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Hotfix 2.1.1: Locked Room and Dupe Fixes

ARC Raiders Hotfix 2.1.1 closes exploits that let players into locked rooms and duplicated items. What Embark said, what it left out, and how to report.

Oct 17, 20264 min read

NewsARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Anti-Cheat Update and October 8 Details

ARC Raiders anti-cheat update explains permanent bans, license restrictions, lower hardware-ban thresholds, and what Embark has confirmed for October 8.

Oct 1, 20265 min read

NewsARC Raiders

ARC Raiders 5th Expedition: Last One Before 2027 Pause

ARC Raiders 5th Expedition runs Sept 8-29, and it is the last one before Embark pauses the mode until early 2027. What changes and what carries over.

Sep 6, 20266 min read

NewsARC Raiders

ARC Raiders PvE: What the 2026 Matchmaking Test Changes

The ARC Raiders PvE toggle test is live until October 20: no player damage, lower loot, five excluded conditions, and whether PvE could stay.

Jun 16, 20267 min read

FeatureARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Frozen Trail: Everything in the 2.0 Update

ARC Raiders Frozen Trail went live October 8, 2026 with Pendola Pass, three new ARC, Amplified weapons and a free play window. What changed in 2.0.

Jun 15, 202612 min read

NewsARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Anti-Cheat: Kernel-Level Testing Begins

ARC Raiders anti-cheat testing begins with kernel-level detection, targeting cheats that EAC alone can't catch. What Embark announced on May 7.

May 9, 20264 min read

Guides

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Twitch Drops: Rewards, Dates and How to Claim

ARC Raiders Twitch Drops run October 8 to November 4, 2026: 60 minutes of watching for the Oxygen Respirator, 120 for the Mailbox. Linking and claim steps.

Oct 15, 20268 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Camera: How to Get It and Where Photos Go

ARC Raiders camera after Frozen Trail 2.0: how to buy, craft or find the Basic and Advanced Camera, which quests need photos, and where your pictures save.

Oct 14, 20269 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Stash Size: Every Level, Cost and the 328 Cap

ARC Raiders stash size after Frozen Trail 2.0: 64 to 328 slots, upgrade costs for every level, Nomadic Envoys space and Expedition bonus slots explained.

Oct 13, 202610 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Grappling Hook: Range and Snap Hook Nerf

ARC Raiders Grappling Hook: 20m range, Uncommon gadget, climb, abseil and swing. How it differs from the nerfed Snap Hook, and how to get it (unconfirmed).

Oct 13, 20268 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Battle Pass: Reward Pass Levels and Points

ARC Raiders battle pass is now the Reward Pass: 60 levels, Reward Points from Feats, 3 weekly milestones, Cred gone. Free vs Premium and the unknowns.

Oct 11, 20269 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders New Map: Pendola Pass Guide (Flash Freeze)

ARC Raiders new map Pendola Pass unlocks after 25 rounds. What Flash Freeze does, how the Ballistic Gondola extracts you and what is still undocumented.

Oct 9, 20267 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Outpost: How to Unlock It and What It Does

ARC Raiders Outpost unlocks through the Sheltered Retreat project and needs a camera. It is not walkable in Frozen Trail 2.0. Steps, costs, known bugs.

Oct 9, 20268 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Phantom Targets Part 2: Stages and Rewards

ARC Raiders Phantom Targets Part 2: the three glitched Wasp stages, every part they asked for, the Canto, Vulcano and Anvil rewards, and how Part 1 differs.

Aug 18, 20268 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Cargo Elevator Antenna: Phantom Targets Stage 1

ARC Raiders cargo elevator antenna: the Phantom Targets stage 1 task, which three maps counted, what it paid, and what came after it in the same project.

Aug 7, 20266 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Vaporizer Guide: Weak Points, Shield and Loot

How to kill the ARC Raiders Vaporizer: fight from cover, bait its energy shield with a grenade, then hit the thrusters and the core under its belly.

Jun 12, 20266 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Matriarch Guide: Weak Points, Shield and Loot

How to kill the ARC Raiders Matriarch: break the faceplates to expose the red core, clear her summoned ARC, wait out the shield, and what she drops.

Jun 10, 20267 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Stella Montis Guide: Loot, Blueprints, PvP

ARC Raiders Stella Montis guide: the 24-round unlock, the blueprints only this map drops, why Night Raid has no hatches, and how players read the map.

Jun 10, 20269 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Turbine Guide: How to Kill the Aerial ARC

ARC Raiders Turbine guide: when it spawns, why you never shoot it in the air, the spinning yellow canisters it shows on landing, and what to bring.

Jun 7, 20268 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Queen Boss Guide: Weak Points & How to Kill

ARC Raiders Queen boss guide: her two weak points, every attack, the Harvester core sequence, and how the 2.0 update moved her best loot into the legs.

Jun 6, 202610 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Riven Tides Guide: Keycards, Puzzle and Loot

ARC Raiders Riven Tides guide: Panorama Azzurro suite keycards, the Stacking Yard puzzle, Beachcombing with the Detector, and the room 404 question.

Jun 6, 20267 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Augments Guide: Best Frames Ranked 2026

ARC Raiders augments guide: Combat, Looting, and Tactical frames explained, the best Mark III picks, and how backpack, weight, and shield trade off.

Jun 4, 20269 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Vendor Leveling: What Actually Unlocks Gear

ARC Raiders vendor leveling doesn't exist: traders have no levels. Here's what unlocks better gear instead, from Workshop stations to blueprints and quests.

Jun 3, 20267 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Endgame Guide: What to Do After Frozen Trail

ARC Raiders endgame after Frozen Trail: Trials Season 6, Gunsmith level 4 and the Outpost, Nomadic Envoys stash space, and why Expeditions are on hold.

May 7, 20268 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Other Raiders: Survive Player Encounters

ARC Raiders other Raiders guide: how matchmaking reads your PvP habits, the quieter exits, what the PvE toggle test changes and what a death costs.

Apr 30, 20269 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Extraction Guide: All 5 Exit Types Explained

ARC Raiders extraction guide: elevators, metro stations, airshafts, Raider Hatches and the Ballistic Gondola, plus shutdown timers and when to spend a key.

Apr 28, 20266 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Weekly Reset: Trials, Feats and Envoy Offers

ARC Raiders weekly reset explained: there are no contracts. What turns over each week instead: Trials, Feats milestones and the Nomadic Envoys' offers.

Apr 27, 20269 min read

GuideARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Currency Guide: Coins, Seeds and the 2.0 Changes

ARC Raiders currency guide: the game uses Coins, not credits. How Coins, Seeds, Raider Tokens and Skill Points work, and what 2.0 changed by removing Cred.

Apr 27, 20268 min read

FeatureARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Skill Tree 2.0: All 48 Skills Explained

ARC Raiders skill tree after Frozen Trail 2.0: all 48 skills by branch, how the new choice nodes work, and what the reset really costs. Updated October 9.

Apr 24, 20268 min read

Frequently Asked Questions

What is ARC Raiders?: ARC Raiders is a multiplayer extraction shooter from Embark Studios, set on a future Earth overrun by machines called ARC. You head topside to scavenge, then try to get out with your loot while ARC machines and other players stand in the way. It launched on October 30, 2025.
Is ARC Raiders free to play?: No. Embark first announced it in 2021 as a free-to-play game, but it launched as a paid game. Steam lists a standard price of $39.99 and also lists in-app purchases. Embark ran a free play period from October 8 (09:00 UTC) to October 12 (08:00 UTC), 2026, on Steam, Xbox and PlayStation, alongside the Frozen Trail update; it has ended.
How many players can play ARC Raiders together?: You can play solo or in a party of up to three. Other players' squads can be in the same match, and Steam lists both co-op and PvP for the game.
What platforms is ARC Raiders on?: The official site lists Steam, the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and GeForce NOW. Steam lists cross-platform multiplayer.
Who made ARC Raiders?: Embark Studios, the Stockholm studio behind The Finals. It was founded in November 2018 by Magnus Nordin, Rob Runesson, Stefan Strandberg, Patrick Söderlund, Jenny Huldschiner and Johan Andersson. Nexon became its majority owner in 2019.