ARC Raiders, the free-to-play PvPvE extraction shooter from The Finals developer Embark Studios, has re-emerged after a lengthy period of restructuring and will now launch as a premium title on PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5 next year.
If you’re struggling to remember much about ARC Raiders, that might be because few details have been shared since its announcement in 2021. It was originally slated for a 2022 release, but its launch has continued to be delayed since then—first to 2023 so Embark could focus on The Finals, and later as the studio continued to tweak the title following a genre shift.
But it turns out its shift from a third-person co-op shooter to a PvPvE extraction shooter (its original form was “not really fun,” Embark admitted during a recent press event) wasn’t going to be ARC Raiders’ only notable change. It’s now been re-announced as a $40 premium title, abandoning its previous free-to-play form, though it remains a live service game.
Story-wise, ARC Raiders catapults players into a “post-apocalyptic” future where humanity has fled underground to escape the ARC machines roaming the world’s surface. However, resources found on the surface are still in high demand, and that’s where players (in the role of Raiders) come in. It’s up to you and your squad (Arc Raiders can be played solo or in teams of up to three) to explore the world above (visiting one of its multiple large-scale maps each match) and gather resources. To succeed, you need to fend off the ARC machines and other squads of players in order to return alive to the underground colony of Speranza.
If you fail, you will lose all items you have collected during a quest (except those you have stored in a safe pocket), but if you succeed, you will be able to trade your loot and valuables with the inhabitants of Speranza. Speranza is also a hub where quests can be gathered, players' rooms can be upgraded and expanded, and their characters can be evolved to suit their preferred playstyle.
“Whether you're playing as a team or solo, it's a game that rewards forethought and careful observation of the world around you, rather than just rushing into the action shooting willy-nilly,” Embark says of its new shooter. “The gameplay is tactile, visceral and realistic, with a rich and fun open world of gadgets and tools beyond just guns and ammo.”
Speaking to the press during the new ARC Raiders presentation, Embark wouldn't elaborate on what these “gadgets and tools” might be, but hinted that things like the zipline featured in its new trailer aren't just there for show. The studio isn't ready to talk about social features just yet either, choosing to sidestep a question about clans and guilds, but has teased some of its post-launch live service plans, saying that players can expect existing areas of the world to expand and evolve over time, with entirely new areas also being introduced.
This new premium PvPvE version of ARC Raiders will have its first public technical test on Steam from October 24th to 27th, and interested parties can Register nowThe full game will be available on Steam, Epic, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S when it launches next year.