ARC Raiders

ARC Raiders climbed 41 places in Steam's rankings in a week. It placed 16th in Steam's most-played chart for October 8 (UTC), up from 57th a week earlier. Its peak concurrent player count that day was 130,755[1]. On the same day, Embark released Frozen Trail, which it described as the game's biggest update since launch, and began four days of free play[3][4]. This article draws on the Steam store and announcements from developer Embark Studios, checked as of October 10, 2026.

Repair underground, scavenge on the surface

The game alternates between two places. One is Speranza, an underground city where people live. The other is the surface, controlled by machines known as ARC. You craft, repair and upgrade equipment in Speranza's workshop, then head above ground to search ruined buildings for useful supplies[2]. Each trip to the surface and back is called a raid.

You can go alone or form a team of up to three. Machines are not the only threat above ground: other players, known as Raiders, roam the same terrain. The Steam store description says combat noise travels far, potentially drawing other Raiders who want a share of your haul[2]. You need to escape to safety with what you have gathered, facing both machines and people along the way[3]. That need to get out with your loot is what makes this an extraction shooter.

The loot you bring back can be sold for coins or used as crafting materials. Completing quests for Speranza's traders earns equipment, materials and experience. As you level up, you spend points across three skill tree branches: Survival, Mobility and Conditioning. At launch, there were four surface maps[2].

Pendola Pass opened beyond the mountains on October 8

Embark described the October 8 Frozen Trail update as its biggest since launch. You reach the new region, Pendola Pass, by riding a gondola up the mountain. Rare technology is said to lie inside a fallen giant ARC called Emperor and a machine called Frigate that patrols the surface. Three new enemies have arrived: Bully, Skulker and Hydra. Establishing an Outpost lets you upgrade weapons to level 5 and unlock special abilities. The update also adds items such as Tether and Grapple Hook, along with two new weapons[4].

The way the story is presented has changed, too. Starting with this update, Speranza's leader, Celeste, uses actor Diana Gardner's likeness and facial expressions, captured through motion capture. Embark acknowledged that Celeste's previous facial presentation had fallen short and broken immersion. It plans to bring other characters into line with their actors in turn[7].

What you pay for beyond the $19.99 base game

ARC Raiders requires a base game purchase. On the US Steam store, its regular price is $39.99, reduced by 50% to $19.99 as of October 10. The upgrade to the Deluxe Edition normally costs $19.99 and is on sale for $9.99[2]. Embark says the discount applies across all platforms[4].

Additional purchases center on cosmetics. Raider Tokens, the in-game currency, are used for Raider Decks, bundles and cosmetic items such as outfits, backpacks and emotes. The Frozen Trail Collector Set, released on October 8, costs $29.99 on the US Steam store. It includes an outfit set, a hairstyle, a weapon skin, a sofa for the Outpost and 2,400 Raider Tokens. It also includes a premium reward pass that unlocks adornments for the new outfit, with up to 1,150 Raider Tokens available through the pass. The blueprint for the new banjo instrument is exclusive to this set[5]. Four other set DLCs cost $19.99 each and were released between December 2025 and August 2026. Among them, the Bonecrown Set, released in December 2025, includes an outfit, a backpack, a backpack charm, a hairstyle and 2,400 Raider Tokens[9].

The order of purchases matters during the free period. You can buy the Deluxe Upgrade and in-game items without owning the base game. However, continuing to use those purchases requires buying the base game. Refunds follow the policies of the Steam, PlayStation and Microsoft stores respectively[3].

Other Raiders may not be welcome company

Going solo does not keep you from encountering other people. For anyone who wants to avoid PvP, that is the biggest obstacle. From October 13 to 20, Embark will test PvE matchmaking in which players cannot damage other Raiders. Loot will be worth less in this matchmaking mode, however[8].

Cheating also needs to be addressed. In a September 30 announcement, Embark acknowledged that it had worn down both players and the development team. The studio said it had initially been too cautious about permanently banning players on their first detection, and that this approach had been a mistake. It now permanently bans accounts using known cheats without warning. It also prevents a banned account's copy of the game from being used to create another account, and blocks the game from running on devices used to cheat[6].

The same announcement included figures on queue teaming. This is when players coordinate in advance to enter the solo queue together and attack Raiders who came alone. After Embark separated the groups it detected in matchmaking, this behavior fell by 85% after five days. Raids disrupted by queue teaming also fell from about one in 50 to one in 300. Meeting and teaming up through proximity voice chat during a raid remains allowed[6].

What to try before 5 p.m. KST on October 12

The free period runs from 6 p.m. KST on October 8 to 5 p.m. KST on October 12. It covers Steam, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation, with no PS Plus or Game Pass subscription required. The full game is available, including every map without a level restriction. If you buy the game later, your progress carries over. Even new players can enter the new region immediately by teaming up with someone who has already unlocked it[3].

On PC, check the requirements first. The minimum specifications are 64-bit Windows 10, an Intel Core i5-6600K or AMD Ryzen 5 1600, 12GB of RAM, and a GeForce GTX 1050 Ti, Radeon RX 580 or Intel Arc A380. An internet connection and an Embark ID created by a user aged 13 or older are required. Voice is English only; Korean, Japanese and both Chinese scripts are supported as on-screen text[2].

If you can team up with two friends, try a few raids during the free period. Whether encounters with other Raiders feel exciting or exhausting is your basis for deciding whether to spend $19.99. If meeting other players is itself unappealing, you can wait for the results of the PvE test starting October 13 before deciding[8].

Sources

[1] Valve. Steam Most Played Games API. Data for October 8, 2026 (UTC). Accessed October 10, 2026.

[2] Valve. ARC Raiders Steam store page (US). Includes pricing, the Deluxe Upgrade and system requirements. Accessed October 10, 2026.

[3] Embark Studios. Play ARC Raiders for free: October 8 - 12. Official ARC Raiders news. October 2, 2026.

[4] Embark Studios. Frozen Trail is live! Play for free October 8-12. Official ARC Raiders news. October 8, 2026.

[5] Embark Studios. Collector Set DLC: Gear up for Frozen Trail. Official ARC Raiders news. October 8, 2026. Pricing from the Steam DLC store page (US). Accessed October 10, 2026.

[6] Embark Studios. An Update on Anti-Cheat. Official ARC Raiders news. September 30, 2026.

[7] Embark Studios. Bringing Celeste to life: how we're adapting to better honor actor performances. Official ARC Raiders news. October 4, 2026.

[8] Embark Studios. We're testing a PvE Toggle: here's what it means for you. Official ARC Raiders news. September 24, 2026.

[9] Valve. ARC Raiders - The Bonecrown Set Steam store page (US). Accessed October 10, 2026.