Arc Raiders is a brand new video game launched today, October 30, on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S with full cross-play support, and it is already one of the best extraction shooters over there. In the world of Arc RaidersEarth is lost and humanity has retreated underground to restart civilization. On the surface, aggressive robots known as Arc prowl and hunt the last remnants of human life. The premise of the game is that you and other players go on an expedition to raid the surface, collect loot and supplies, and try to get it down below the surface before an asteroid arrives and wipes everyone out.
Similar to other popular fetch shooters like Escape from Tarkov, Arc Raiders is also a hybrid experience in that each match is both competitive with full PvP enabled, and cooperative, as players group together against bots. What makes this genre so intense is that when players die, everything they are carrying, from their weapons and ammo to healing items and equipment, is lost and left on their corpse. But many small features like proximity voice chat and unlimited free loads help make Arc Raiders a much more fun, accessible and less miserable game than many of its contemporaries, but it’s still quite intimidating at first.
Practicing stealth and moving with caution are crucial
Arc Raiders was initially intended to be an open-world, PvE-only cooperative shooter, but the development team quickly shifted to a PvPvE mining formula. At its core, the game is designed to be played in teams of three, and when you queue up for a game, you can either bring your friends, fill your group with random players, or a mix of both. If you’re queuing for a solo match, the game attempts to place you in a match that also features mostly solo players to keep things fair. All this to say that the world of Arc Raiders is extremely dangerous.
Arc Raiders isn’t the kind of game where players should be sprinting, making lots of noise, and treating things carelessly. Since everything a player carries remains on their body upon death, it is extremely important to play carefully. This means crouching often, avoiding sprinting unless necessary, and checking turns often. Since players can quickly change which shoulder the camera is positioned on, it’s very easy to keep an eye on all angles.
Planning your route in advance can save your life in Arc Raiders
The first thing players should do when jumping into a new match is, first and foremost, take cover and then bring up the map. It’s impossible to be too careful, especially considering how dangerous enemy AI Arc robots are. Take stock of the location of the closest elevators and which ones close earliest. Are these elevators near red zones (high danger, better loot) or are they in slightly safer areas? Can the desired elevator be approached by circling the perimeter of the map, or will the squad have to pass directly through the center of a high-traffic area to escape? These are important questions.
Planning a route immediately is essential, as it prevents teams from moving aimlessly or getting caught in a dead-end firefight. If possible, sticking to the outer perimeter of a map is a good thing because it’s much less likely to encounter other players until it’s necessary. Just keep in mind that sometimes players are brought into a match mid-match, so it’s always possible for a new team to appear behind your team’s location. Keep moving, stay hidden and play smart.
Arc Raiders wants you to use its free loading system
In many other pull shooter games, players are penalized for using the free loading option. Whether it’s a timer limiting the number of times a free loadout can be claimed, or simply losing access to them after a certain amount of time, it can feel like the game is actively discouraging players from using them. This is not the case in Arc Raiders. From Arc Raiders is a competitive PvP game, unlike cooperative pull shooters such as Helldivers 2, players lose all their equipment and leave it on their corpse when they die. As a result, deciding which weapons and valuable items to bring into a game can seem extremely daunting. If so, just grab a free load.
Obviously the free loadout contains very basic gear and lacks the augmentations and bonuses of a custom loadout, but it’s a great option when you’re new to the game or learning a new map. The best part is that if you manage to mine successfully using free gear, you of course keep all the loot, but you can also swap out your free gear kit for a specialized kit of your choice, such as the Looting Kit, which increases inventory space and adds a permanent “safe pocket” that is retained even upon death. Definitely take advantage of free loads in The Arc Raiders!
Inventory management is essential, but don’t get too bogged down
During the looting Arc Raidersit’s very easy to feel the urge to pick up every object you see. Depending on a team’s starting zone, entire multi-level buildings filled with drawers and chests overflowing with equipment can be quite numerous, but after you have an idea of what is actually valuable, it is best not to overload an inventory. The main reason for this is to leave one or two slots open at any time for these rare but crucial weapons, crafting blueprints, and materials.
Since looting can sometimes take a while and generally feels quite immersive in Arc Raidersthe last thing a player wants to do is get stuck fumbling around the menu trying to drop a battery or metal spring to make room for a legendary that’s sitting there in a random foot locker. If caught looting, enemy players can easily explode and steal the right gear for themselves. Instead, plan ahead and always stay ready to quickly procure rare and quality gear.
You always progress in Arc Raiders, even when you fail
Like any good extraction shooter with tons of loot to collect, Arc Raiders It’s all about finding a style that suits you. Even if a player struggles to mine successfully, loses all their good gear, and is forced to use only free loadouts over and over again, that player continues to progress. Unlike other extraction shooters, Arc Raiders is a game that rewards players with experience points, crafting materials, and more just for playing. Raiders can progress through three different skill trees in the bunker to improve various aspects of their playstyle, helping them focus on the right specialty.
Arc Raiders may not have the most elaborate or engaging story out there, and there are certainly several alternative options for shooters with great stories, but it still has a remarkably detailed world, full of lore, surprisingly good voice acting, and compelling cutscenes sprinkled here and there. Determining what type of character a raider will be is a big part of the appeal of a game like Arc Raiders.
- Released
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October 30, 2025
- ESRB
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Teens / Violence, Blood
- Developer(s)
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Onboard the studios
- Editor(s)
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Onboard the studios
- Engine
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Unreal Engine 5
- Multiplayer
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Online multiplayer, online co-op