ARC Raiders is a cooperative third-person shooter where you and your squad of Raiders unite to resist the onslaught of ARC – a ruthless, mechanized threat descending from space.

In ARC Raiders you enter a vast and lethal world.

People have fled to the underground colony of Speranza, seeking supplies to survive, and shelter from ARC machines on the surface. Demand for resources is at an all-time high, but venturing the surface to get them is a risky job. 

You enlist as a Raider, fighting for your own survival and that of your neighborhood in the underground colony — scavenging and hunting for resources that must be extracted back safely from the surface.  Standing in your way are ARC machines — a mysterious, deadly foe — as well as other players — Raiders — who are also competing for loot and their own survival. 

To grow as a Raider, you must make it back down to the colony alive. There, you get to meet the traders of Speranza to trade your loot and valuables, embark on quests, upgrade and improve and expand your chambers, and grow your character to suit your playstyle — to become the Raider that you want to be.

Whether teaming up or going solo, it’s a game that rewards thinking ahead and carefully observing the world around you, rather than running into action guns blazing. The gameplay is tactile, visceral, and grounded, with a rich and playful sandbox of gadgets and tools, beyond just guns and ammo. 

Embark Studios announced that ARC Raiders’ next major update, Frozen Trail, is set to arrive on October 8, 2026.

Following the announcement that ARC Raiders would move to fewer, larger updates, Embark has been focused on building Frozen Trail to be its biggest and best update since launch, designed to address some of the broader requests from the community. The update will introduce a new map, high-level challenge, ARC threats, deeper progression systems, and more.

The Next Frontier

At the heart of Frozen Trail is our newest map. Shani will call upon Raiders to investigate an unprecedented signal emanating from beyond the mountains. Something big has happened here – could anyone resist being a part of the initial scouting party?

Explore a harsh, frozen settlement nestled beneath towering mountains at the edge of the Rust Belt. Once home to thriving villages, factories, research facilities, and an observatory, long since abandoned.

Building the new map has challenged our level design team in exciting new ways. We’ve focused on creating an ambitious environment with greater verticality, exploration, and opportunities for discovery. You’ll encounter threats above and below ground, and navigate environments that no Raiders have seen before. 

We’ve recently completed a round of user experience research testing, and our team is currently iterating to ensure the new map is as exciting as possible.

New High-level Challenge

The Frozen Trail update will also introduce an enormous new ARC Operation designed for experienced Raiders looking to push themselves even further.

Without giving too much away, this new activity is built around many of the ideas that have become increasingly important to us throughout development: meaningful decisions, dynamic encounters, and moments that demand cooperation and careful judgment.

Success won’t come easily. You’ll need to balance combat, teamwork, risk, and survival in what we believe will be one of the most intense experiences ARC Raiders has offered to date – one that rewards those willing to rise to the challenge.

We’ll save more details for the full reveal later – but we’re excited for you to experience it for yourselves.

New ARC, New Threats

Our team has been hard at work developing new ARC threats that will arrive alongside the new map, each designed to challenge the ways you’ve learned to move, fight, and adapt. These new ARC enemies range from a small and nifty problem-maker to an enormous machine that will halt you in your tracks.

Creating new ARC is one of the more involved parts of development. From early concepts and animation to behavior and machine learning systems that give them their distinctive “spark of life”, every enemy goes through months of iteration to get right. We think it’ll be worth the wait, and we can’t wait to see what you think.

Deepening Progression

Frozen Trail is also evolving what it means to be a Raider.

One lesson that’s continued to shape our thinking is that the most rewarding raids are driven by meaningful choices. That’s influenced how we’re approaching progression throughout Frozen Trail, allowing you to build a deeper identity in the Rust Belt. 

Your Raider Den has served you well, but it’s time to expand. We're building deeper progression systems, giving players more ways to craft their own journey and build toward long-term goals. 

That’s why your Raider will have the opportunity to inhabit a new space; the Outpost. After spending months on the back foot, hiding underground, it’s time to start taking the fight to ARC. Decorate your Outpost, research new elements of the world, and take your first steps to reclaiming the surface.

On top of Outposts, we’re also adjusting the Skill Tree to give you more agency over the kind of Raider you want to become. Raider Decks have also been on our radar, with the focus on making them more engaging and rewarding for players.

And More…

These are just a few of the additions coming in Frozen Trail.

The team is continuing to work on new content that will enhance your experience, as well as new weapons (and ways to personalize them!), gadgets, cosmetics, instruments, and plenty of other surprises we’ll talk about closer to launch. 

Alongside all of that, we'll continue improving the core ARC Raiders experience through ongoing work on matchmaking, anti-cheat, stability, and quality-of-life updates. While these improvements may not always be the headline features, they remain a critical part of making every raid feel balanced and enjoyable. 

You’ll be able to experience Frozen Trail for yourself on October 8, and we will be sharing more details with you in September. 

Scavenge the ruins of the past. Wield tools and gadgets to outsmart the enemy. Use on-the-fly tactics, your surroundings, and physics to your advantage. Defeating ARC requires more than simply pointing and shooting a gun, and more than one person trying to be a hero. It’s a game that both emphasizes and rewards teamwork at every turn. If you and your squad play well together, one day the stars may again become beacons of hope, instead of omens of oblivion.

Loot your fallen foes, and scavenge the ruins of the past for tools and gadgets to outsmart the enemy. Come prepared and plan ahead, but remember that sometimes you just have to wing it.

ARC Raiders is available for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC (Epic Games Store, Steam, Nvidia GeForce NOW) at $40.