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ARC Raiders: Frozen Trail out forSince Oct 8, 2026

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Release History

ARC Raiders came out on Oct 30, 2025 on Steam, Epic, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S, nearly four years after its Dec 2021 reveal as a free-to-play PvE shooter due in 2022. It was delayed, rebuilt as a paid PvPvE game, tested twice, and reached its first anniversary on update 2.3.

ARC Raiders came out on Oct 30, 2025, nearly four years after Embark Studios revealed it on Dec 10, 2021 as a game "coming 2022". In between, it slipped behind The Finals, changed from PvE to PvPvE, changed from free-to-play to a $40 premium game, and went through two Tech Tests and an open Server Slam. Since launch it has had one big update after another, then a slower schedule, up to 2.3.0 on Oct 27, 2026.

A Raider in a white jacket and red trousers holds a rifle in front of two Raiders drawn in orange and blue neon, on a dark background with the logo at left.
Three Raiders stand beside the ARC Raiders logo, its rainbow stripes and a 1st Anniversary banner, in the game's Steam store art Embark Studios

Timeline

Date Step
Dec 10, 2021 Reveal trailer, "coming 2022"
Aug 9, 2022 Game Informer reports the delay to 2023
May 16, 2023 Redescribed as PvPvE; closed alpha sign-ups
Aug 20, 2024 Gamescom teaser, due 2025, now a $40 premium game
Oct 24 to 27, 2024 Tech Test 1 (Steam, invited)
Nov 12, 2024 Gameplay Reveal, Buried City
Apr 30, 2025 Tech Test 2 starts, five days, consoles and Epic join
Jun 6, 2025 Summer Game Fest: Oct 30, 2025 announced
Sep 22, 2025 Pre-orders open
Oct 17 to 19, 2025 Server Slam open test
Oct 30, 2025 Launch
Nov 13, 2025 North Line, 1.2.0
Dec 16, 2025 Cold Snap, 1.7.0
Jan 27, 2026 Headwinds, 1.13.0
Feb 10, 2026 Shared Watch, 1.15.0
Feb 24, 2026 Shrouded Sky, 1.17.0
Mar 31, 2026 Flashpoint, 1.22.0
Apr 28, 2026 Riven Tides, 1.26.0
May 13, 2026 Embark moves to two content updates a year
Jul 7, 2026 Live Update 1.36.0, Solo, Duo and Trio matchmaking
Oct 8, 2026 Frozen Trail, 2.0
Oct 13 to 20, 2026 PvE toggle test
Oct 27, 2026 Live Update 2.3.0
Oct 30, 2026 First anniversary

Sources are linked at each step below.

The reveal, 2021

Embark showed a reveal trailer on Dec 10, 2021: a squad fighting a "ruthless, mechanized threat descending from space," due in 2022 as the Stockholm studio's planned first release. It was first announced as free-to-play, and Embark later said it was originally conceived as PvE co-op.

The delay, 2022

The game moved to 2023 so Embark could ship Project Discovery, later The Finals, first, as Game Informer reported on Aug 9, 2022. The dates differ slightly: Embark's own May 2023 post says the decision came "last spring". The Finals then became Embark's first game.

From PvE to PvPvE, 2023

On May 16, 2023 Embark redescribed the game as a PvPvE survival extraction shooter, said the delay had given the team time to build PvP into its foundation, and opened sign-ups for a closed alpha under NDA that summer; the post says the game had "never been in the hands of external players." Why it changed came out later. CEO Patrick Söderlund told Edge the team concluded "Guys, this game is not fun," as Insider Gaming reported on Oct 3, 2025, and executive producer Aleksander Grøndal said it had moments of fun but did not consistently gel.

Coming in 2025, a paid game

At Gamescom Opening Night Live on Aug 20, 2024, Embark showed a new teaser, promised 2025 on Steam, Epic, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and GeForce Now, and switched the business model from free-to-play to a $40 premium title. The current prices are on Price and Editions.

Tech Tests

Tech Test 1 ran Oct 24 to 27, 2024: Steam only, by invitation, age 16 and up, capped, under non-disclosure. Servers closed on Oct 28 at 10:00 CET. Embark followed it on Nov 12, 2024 with a Gameplay Reveal, a squad of three walking through Buried City, and promised an expanded late game, deeper progression and more ARC variety.

Tech Test 2 began on Apr 30, 2025 for five days, the first test on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and Epic, and not confidential. PC Gamer later reported, per its headline, that substantial negative PvP sentiment in testing made the team second-guess the pivot before it read that as frustration with weapons and matchmaking.

Date, pre-orders, Server Slam

The date came at Summer Game Fest on Jun 6, 2025. Pre-orders opened on Sep 22, 2025, Standard and Deluxe. The same post set the Server Slam, an open test on Oct 17 to 19, 2025 on all platforms, Dam Battlegrounds only, with no progress carried over. It peaked at 189,668 concurrent on Steam, per SteamDB as GamingBolt reported on Oct 20, 2025.

Launch, Oct 30, 2025

The game launched on Steam, Epic, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and GeForce Now. TweakTown reported over 264,000 Steam players on day one and the top of Steam's best-seller chart. There were queues and connection errors that day, and the first hotfix came on Oct 31. On Nov 3, Embark gave 500 Raider Tokens after the weekend's server trouble, per GamesRadar+. Sales and peaks are on Player Count and Sales. In the clip, a developer recalls the bugs that millions of players found at launch.

North Line to Riven Tides

North Line, 1.2.0 (Nov 13, 2025) added Stella Montis, the Matriarch and the Shredder through a community unlock event. See North Line.

Cold Snap, 1.7.0 (Dec 16, 2025) brought a winter condition with frostbite, Flickering Flames, the Goalie deck and the first Expedition window. On Dec 11 Embark had dropped its weekly Thursday patches and moved patch day to Tuesdays.

Headwinds, 1.13.0 (Jan 27, 2026) added Solo vs Squads at level 40 and up, Bird City, the Trophy Display project and a three-strike ban system; Shared Watch, 1.15.0 (Feb 10) added an event paying merits only for fighting ARC. Both are on Cold Snap and Headwinds.

Shrouded Sky, 1.17.0 (Feb 24, 2026) added the Hurricane condition and the Firefly and Comet; Flashpoint, 1.22.0 (Mar 31) added Close Scrutiny, the Vaporizer, the Dolabra and the Canto, and spread Shredders to all maps. See Flashpoint and Shrouded Sky.

Riven Tides, 1.26.0 (Apr 28, 2026) added Riven Tides and the ARC Turbine; Embark called it the sixth free content update since launch. See Riven Tides Update.

The slower schedule, May 2026

On May 13, 2026 Embark moved to two content updates a year. Grøndal called the monthly pace "not sustainable" and said the time would go to progression, economy, fair play and anti-cheat. On May 26 it set a live update every three weeks with weekly store and Trials rotations. Over the summer, 1.29.0 added the trader Ermal and the Rascal and started the Denuvo Anti-Cheat rollout, which finished on Jun 30. 1.36.0 (Jul 7) brought Solo, Duo and Trio matchmaking, the fourth Expedition and a crossover with The Finals. 1.45.0 (Sep 8) moved the engine from Unreal Engine 5.3 to 5.7 and opened the fifth and last Expedition before the pause, which Embark says ends in early 2027.

Frozen Trail, Oct 8, 2026

Update 2.0, "our biggest update since launch," added Pendola Pass, the Frigate, the Bully, Skulker and Hydra, the Bantam and Stiletto, Amplified Weapons, a rebuilt Skill Tree, the Outpost, 22 quests and Reward Passes. Embark made the game free from Oct 8 to Oct 12 to go with it. See Frozen Trail.

PvE test and 2.3.0

The PvE Toggle test ran Oct 13 to 20, 2026. Embark counted over 30 million PvE rounds, removed the toggle, and has not decided, with more information promised in November. Live Update 2.3.0 (Oct 27) added the Noxious Set and the Soul's Offering project, and ended the weekly fixes that had followed Frozen Trail. Every patch is on Patch Notes and Updates.

First anniversary, Oct 30, 2026

Embark marked the year with a free login gift and an infographic. As GamesBeat reported, the figures include 6 billion rounds, over 14.8 billion ARC destroyed and over 6,800 tons fed to Scrappy. Embark's post says, "We're already hard at work on what comes next." What is announced is on What Comes Next.

Frequently asked questions

When did ARC Raiders come out? ARC Raiders came out on Oct 30, 2025 on Steam, Epic, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and GeForce Now. Embark announced that date on Jun 6, 2025.

When was ARC Raiders announced? Embark revealed ARC Raiders with a trailer on Dec 10, 2021, promising release in 2022.

Why was ARC Raiders delayed? ARC Raiders moved so Embark could ship Project Discovery, later The Finals, first, and the extra time let the team build PvP into it. CEO Patrick Söderlund later said the team had concluded the earlier version was "not fun."

Was ARC Raiders originally PvE? Yes. Embark says ARC Raiders was first conceived as PvE co-op, and it redescribed the game as PvPvE on May 16, 2023.

Was ARC Raiders going to be free to play? Yes. ARC Raiders was first announced as free-to-play, and Embark changed it to a $40 premium game on Aug 20, 2024.

What was the ARC Raiders Server Slam? The Server Slam was an open test of ARC Raiders on Oct 17 to 19, 2025, on all platforms, on Dam Battlegrounds only, with no progress carried over. It peaked at 189,668 concurrent on Steam per SteamDB.

Sources

Moments

The Evolution of ARC Raiders EP1 - Finding ARC Raiders

ARC Raiders

  1. ARC Raiders came out on Oct 30, 2025, nearly four years after Embark Studios revealed it on Dec 10, 2021 as a game…
  2. The game moved to 2023 so Embark could ship Project Discovery, later The Finals, first, as Game Informer reported on…
  3. On May 16, 2023 Embark redescribed the game as a PvPvE survival extraction shooter, said the delay had given the team…

The Evolution of ARC Raiders EP2 - The Life of a Raider

ARC Raiders

  1. At Gamescom Opening Night Live on Aug 20, 2024, Embark showed a new teaser, promised 2025 on Steam, Epic, PS5, Xbox…

The Evolution of ARC Raiders S2: EP1 - Updating ARC Raiders

ARC Raiders

  1. The game launched on Steam, Epic, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and GeForce Now. TweakTown reported over 264,000 Steam players…
  2. North Line, 1.2.0 (Nov 13, 2025) added Stella Montis, the Matriarch and the Shredder through a community unlock event…
  3. On May 13, 2026 Embark moved to two content updates a year. Grøndal called the monthly pace "not sustainable" and said…

The Evolution of ARC Raiders S2: EP2 - Creating Frozen Trail

ARC Raiders

  1. Update 2.0, "our biggest update since launch," added Pendola Pass, the Frigate, the Bully, Skulker and Hydra, the…

Photos

A Raider in a white jacket and red trousers holds a rifle in front of two Raiders drawn in orange and blue neon, on a dark background with the logo at left.

Every page

See also

Last updated Oct 30, 2026 by the Vi.ki team. Page text CC BY-SA 4.0.

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