Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Windows
Developer: Embark Studios
Publishers: Embark Studios
After six years in development, ARC Raiders has finally launched, welcoming raiders from around the world. Created by Embark Studios, best known for The Finals (2023) and staffed by former DICE veterans from the Battlefield series, the title has come a long way.
Initially envisioned as a free-to-play co-op PvE title, it gradually transformed into a PvPvE extraction shooter with a one-time base price of $40, putting it more toward AA territory.
If you've never played an extraction shooter like Escape From Tarkov, Dark and Darker, or Hunt: Showdown: 1896, the main premise is to deploy into a run with your gear, search the map for better loot, and then try to extract alive.
It's a high-risk, high-reward genre — if you die, you'll typically lose most or all of your inventory. Every decision matters, and you have to constantly weigh whether it's worth it to push your luck or play it safe.
For most of its history, the genre has leaned toward serving more hardcore audiences with in-depth mechanics and execution. ARC Raiders intentionally leans toward being the first extraction shooter for everyone, and largely shines in doing so.
Our review for ARC Raiders was conducted using the Steam version.
The Highs
Built to be accessible
ARC Raiders is designed to be immediately fun and easily understood, simplifying the extraction-shooter formula to its core fundamentals. Its contrast is most obvious alongside Escape from Tarkov (EFT), which emphasizes brutal realism and simulation, while ARC Raiders is more arcadey and streamlined.
Take ammunition, for instance. Rather than having ammo types in the triple digits like EFT, ARC Raiders only has three clear categories: Light, Medium, and Heavy. Light excels in PvP skirmishes, Heavy packs an armor-piercing punch against PvE enemies, and Medium offers a balanced middle ground. It’s an elegant simplification that preserves tactical choice without overwhelming players with homework.
Inventory management follows the same philosophy. Instead of EFT's inventory arrangement Tetris, where every item has its own shape and weight, ARC Raiders makes each pickup occupy a single slot (you'll still have to worry about weight!).
And while Escape From Tarkov primarily focuses on being the ultimate military gun fantasy, ARC Raiders has a wider arsenal of gadgetry, ranging from deployable barricades, mines, and ziplines, allowing squad members with lesser aim to provide value with utility, while the better aimers can optimize for direct combat.
Make no mistake, though. Even with these design choices, ARC Raiders still provides plenty of room for mastery and skill expression. If Tarkov is the genre's DOTA offering limitless depth in exchange for a "1000-hour tutorial", ARC Raiders is its League of Legends, the first truly low-floor entry point to the genre.
Lastly, for accessibility, we have to shout out the game's impressive optimization. Lower-end PCs can typically run it smoothly in an era where games like Monster Hunter Wilds and Borderlands 4could be unplayable with similar hardware.
Immersive and cinematic
If you've ever played The Finals, you know that Embark Studios has a knack for making you feel like you're in a movie. ARC Raiders takes it to the next level with its potent blend of atmospheric environments, impressive soundscapes, and cohesive character design.
It takes place in a technologically advanced future where machines called ARC have taken over the remains of human civilization. Now living below the earth, mankind has had to resort to inventive weaponry assembled from scraps, shards, and anything else raiders can bring back.
With this as the canvas, ARC Raiders can often feel like a sci-fi thriller akin to the first Terminator, as you hide from robot patrols or desperately run from them after being spotted. Other times, it can feel like an explosive heist film, as you make a narrow last-ditch escape with grenades and gunfire from hostile squads at your back.
Each run presents its own story and can vastly change depending on the map, your playstyle, and the other players in your lobby.
Great balance of PvPvE
Having robot threats as the PvE faction gives ARC Raiders a unique dynamic that its peers haven't been able to tap into. These machines range from small to massive, from IRL-sized drones to huge threats the size of small buildings.
They patrol the map in the skies with search lights, roll around places of interest, and are stationed at key hallways and stairwells. If they detect you, they create a racket of noise at a minimum, often attracting other robots and the attention of other raid parties — and if you aren't careful, they'll kill you outright.
Due to this, even the "weakest" ARC needs to be somewhat respected, and you'll need specific plans in mind for how to deal with each one you run into.
This PvE element complements the PvP element beautifully. Every time a raider tries to loot, they take the risk of alerting the ARC. When an ARC is after a player, it becomes evident as their light changes to yellow when suspicious and red when they're in kill mode.
Smart players can use this to their advantage by using gadgets like lure grenades and other noisemakers to entice ARC to engage other squads. Rather than fighting them directly, you can save your ammo and collect their loot after the robots do the work for you.
Likewise, the presence of the ARC can also encourage opposing squads to work together instead. By using a combination of proximity chat, the emote wheel, and recorder flutes to indicate peace, it isn't uncommon to see groups of humans work together, especially to take down the bigger threats.
While some human alliances can last until extraction, there's also the chance that you can be double-crossed, especially when the juicy ARC loot starts to drop — you just never know. Overall, the PvE and PvP elements fit together brilliantly!
The Lows
Third-person perspective won't be for everyone
No matter how good the rest of the game is, having a third-person perspective as the only option will simply be a dealbreaker for many players.
It's a legitimate argument that the perspective is antithetical to the extraction genre's stress on risk-taking, tension, and commitment, as you can abuse the third-person camera in offensive and defensive capacities.
There will undoubtedly be gunfights determined by who can jump on an opponent they saw coming behind a corner, and if you can't stomach that, ARC Raiders might be a skip.
Lacks duo queue
Arc Raiders is great solo and at its best in trios, but unfortunately, it doesn't have a queue specifically for duos. If you're running with a buddy and don't want to opt for an autofilled third, be prepared to face unequal numbers.
You can try to get around this by playing more passively to ensure you get the jump on enemy squads or by attempting to parlay for peaceful interactions, but it isn't ideal having that as the default.
We hope it eventually becomes an option in a later update, similar to Elden Ring Nightreign.
UI and systems could use improvement
For a game that relies so much on inventory management, the user interface of the menus and their systems can leave more to be desired.
A clear head-scratcher is the absence of a search bar, which makes looking for a particular item in your ever-expanding Storage a pain. Likewise, the lack of filters adds unnecessary friction to crafting and upgrading.
After an unfortunate death, it can take a bit of downtime to recraft your equipment. It would go a long way if there were options for saved loadouts.
Admittedly, these are mostly nitpicks, but they do add unneeded frustration and time spent when you want to just jump right back into the action.
Our Score
9/10 (A New Era of Extraction)
In a year where Marathon unfortunately blundered, ARC Raiders has taken the reins to give the extraction shooter genre new life.
It doesn’t rival Escape from Tarkov’s raw complexity or simulation-grade realism, but it doesn’t need to. By prioritizing immediate fun, it widens the door for a mainstream audience that likely would've never touched extraction games in the past.
Whether you're brand new to extraction shooters or it's been your go-to genre for years, ARC Raiders is among the year's best multiplayer games due to its unique offering of PvPvE and moments that are pure cinema.
