ARC Raiders Guide: Best Weapons, Classes & Tips for Embark Studios' Extraction Shooter

ARC Raiders is Embark Studios' ambitious sci-fi extraction shooter set in a ravaged future Earth overrun by mysterious mechanized threats known as the ARC. Built on Unreal Engine 5 and published by Nexon, this PvPvE extraction adventure launched on October 30, 2025, with cross-play support across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

The game won Best Multiplayer Game at The Game Awards 2025 and has sold over 12 million copies worldwide as of January 2026, establishing itself as one of the most successful new IPs of the year.

From Free-to-Play to Premium

In a significant shift from its original announcement, ARC Raiders pivoted from a free-to-play model to a $40 premium release. This change reflects Embark Studios' commitment to delivering a focused, quality experience without the constraints typically associated with free-to-play monetization. The studio, founded by former Battlefield developers, created a more player-friendly ecosystem with this pricing approach, and the results speak for themselves with the game's strong sales and critical reception.

Survive the ARC Invasion

ARC Raiders drops players into a hostile future where Earth has been devastated by the ARC, autonomous mechanized threats of unknown origin. Players take on the role of Raiders, survivors who venture into dangerous zones to extract valuable resources while contending with both the ARC machines and rival Raider teams.

The game features both solo and team-based gameplay with full cross-play functionality, allowing friends to squad up regardless of their platform of choice. Powered by Unreal Engine 5, ARC Raiders showcases cutting-edge visuals and incorporates NVIDIA technologies including NVIDIA Reflex for reduced input latency and NVIDIA RTXGI for realistic ray-traced global illumination.

Two editions are available: the Standard Edition ($40) and the Deluxe Edition featuring exclusive cosmetic items, including the Valente outfit with color variants, the Pathfinder backpack, and various character customization options.

For more information, visit the official ARC Raiders website.

For more FPS news, see Battlefield 6.

Game Information