Introduction
Scavenging the wreckage of a world abandoned by most of humanity is the entire premise, and the tension comes from never knowing what's about to end the run: a patrolling machine, a rival squad, or a bad decision of one's own. Raiders drop into the ruins on foot, alone or with up to two teammates, gather whatever weapons and materials they can carry, and then have to reach an extraction point before the clock, the ARC machines, or another squad catches up. Everything found on a raid is only truly kept once a Raider gets out alive, which is what gives every pickup its weight.
Arc Raiders was released on October 30, 2025 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, with full crossplay running between all three, the game pairs that classic extraction risk with a lower barrier to entry than the genre is usually known for.
Top 3 Reasons to Play
An easier way into extraction shooters
Reviewers repeatedly pointed to this as one of the more forgiving entries the genre has produced without losing its stakes. Solo runs hold up fine, most encounters with other Raiders end peacefully by choice rather than by design, and a failed extraction still stings without feeling like a wasted evening.
A ravaged Earth worth slowing down for
Four battlegrounds shipped at launch: Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, Acerra Spaceport, and the Blue Gate. Layering overgrown ruins, sand-buried streets, and abandoned launch infrastructure with sound design critics singled out as some of the genre's best. Two further zones, Stella Montis and Riven Tides, have since joined the rotation.
Weapons and squads that keep the tension up
The arsenal spans SMGs, shotguns, and rifles all the way up to railguns and energy weapons, and every piece of it can be lost in a single bad extraction. Squads of up to three add a social layer on top of the shooting: another Raider spotted topside might help fight off a machine, ignore the encounter entirely, or turn on a squad the moment loot is on the line.
World & Premise
Most of what's left of humanity fled Earth during an event survivors call the Exodus, launched from sites like the one now known as Acerra Spaceport. Those who stayed behind rebuilt what they could from salvage until a mechanized threat called ARC arrived from orbit and started hunting anyone still on the surface.
Raiders operate out of Speranza, an underground settlement built into the ruins, venturing topside to scavenge before returning to trade, craft, and plan the next run. The story comes through mostly in trader dialogue and quest text rather than a driven campaign, so the setting is felt more through what turns up on a raid than through any cutscene.
Gameplay & Mechanics
Speranza is where a run actually begins and ends. Between raids, Raiders manage a Workshop that upgrades through tiers to unlock better crafting recipes, plus a scavenger companion named Scrappy who passively gathers basic materials while its owner is off topside. Five traders each cover their own corner of the loadout:
- Tian Wen – weapons, ammunition, and weapon mods
- Celeste – raw crafting materials, paid for in Assorted Seeds
- Apollo – gadgets and grenades
- Shani – security gear, Raider Hatch Keys, and recon items
- Lance – shields and medical supplies
Progress outside a raid runs on a handful of currencies: Coin for most everyday purchases, a slower-earned Cred spent on cosmetics, and Assorted Seeds tied to trading and Celeste's shop, alongside the optional, real-money Raider Tokens spent purely on cosmetics. Character growth sits in a separate skill tree split into three branches – Conditioning, Mobility, and Survival – that persists across every raid regardless of what gear gets lost along the way.
Combat can be tackled solo or in a squad of up to three, with matchmaking pulling from every connected platform unless crossplay is switched off in Settings.
Editions & Platforms
Both editions unlock the same game; everything separating them is cosmetic.
Standard Edition – the base game, with full access to every map, weapon, and progression system.
Deluxe Edition – adds the Wanderer cosmetic set, a Scrappy skin, an emote, and a starting stash of 2,400 Raider Tokens on top of the Standard Edition.
The game shipped on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, on PlayStation 5, on Xbox Series X|S, and through GeForce Now cloud streaming, with full crossplay and cross-progression tying every version together through a single Embark ID.