I'm unsure. PvP is the main reason I stopped playing ARC Raiders, so the update itself isn't what would bring me back. The PvE test is. If player-versus-environment play turns out to be a real way to play it, I'll go back for sure.
I put just under 20 hours into ARC Raiders and stopped last December. Since then Embark has shipped Frozen Trail, run a free weekend, cut the price in half, and announced a PvE beta , all in the same few weeks. Here's what's changed and whether it's enough.
What Is ARC Raiders' Frozen Trail Update?
Frozen Trail is Update 2.0, which went live on 8 October 2026, and Embark calls it the biggest update since launch. It adds:
- A new map, Pendola Pass, with a Flash Freeze weather condition
- A boardable ARC carrier called the Frigate
- Three new enemies and two new guns
- A grappling hook
- A reworked skill tree
- The Outpost, a base you can customise
All of this is detailed in Embark's Frozen Trail patch notes.
The update also brought a new Reward Pass with free and premium tracks. The premium track is priced at 1,150 Raider Tokens, per Embark's Reward Pass post.
The timing did the rest. ARC Raiders was free to play on every platform from 8 to 12 October, per Embark's free weekend announcement, and it's 50% off on Steam at $19.99 until 15 October. Steam's peak went from 43,993 players on 7 October to 185,443 on 11 October, per SteamCharts.
Why Did I Stop Playing ARC Raiders?
The PvP , and who it attracted. ARC Raiders got popular, then it got popular with people who played Escape from Tarkov, and that opened the door to it getting sweatier and less casual. In the end it just wasn't fun to play, or to stream, as someone who wasn't concentrating so hard their veins were coming out of their forehead.
There are people who take these extraction shooters way too seriously, and I'm not one of them. That's the same reason I play WoW Forever on a PvE server.
Plenty of current players seem to feel the same. ARC Raiders' Steam reviews are Very Positive overall at about 82%, but the last 30 days are Mixed at 65% of 4,155 reviews, per its Steam page.
Will ARC Raiders Get a PvE Mode?
It's being tested. A PvE toggle beta runs from 13 to 20 October 2026, with no damage between players, and Solos, Duos, and Trios sharing the same sessions. Loot is worth less in PvE, and some conditions , like Night Raids and the Frigate , are left out, per Embark's PvE toggle beta post.
Embark's own numbers explain why it's even happening: 37% of its players play as friendly co-op and 51% want PvE. But the studio is careful to call it "not a promise that there will be a PvE mode."
I haven't played since Frozen Trail dropped. But if PvE is in there for real, I'll go back and try it , because I did like the enemies you fight that aren't people.
Was ARC Raiders Good When I Played It?
It was okay enough. Unfortunately it was so heavily carried by the PvP that the PvE content , which Embark clearly put a lot of work into , got overshadowed. Everyone wanted it for the clips of someone managing to 1v3 a squad. Nobody wanted it for what's actually happening in the game: the bit that's unique to it, rather than just another round-and-round live service loop.
Is ARC Raiders Worth $19.99 on Sale?
Yes. You get 20 bucks' worth out of it. I've got just under 20 hours, so I'm nearly at a dollar an hour, and that's fine. Most people will probably play more than I did.
ARC Raiders launched on 30 October 2025 at $39.99 on PC, PS5, and Xbox, and sold 14 million copies by February 2026, per Wikipedia. At half price, you're buying into a game that a lot of people still play.
What Do I Think of ARC Raiders' Paid Reward Pass?
Every game is going to have one. People are moving away from one-time purchases and towards subscription-style models, and ARC Raiders is no exception. It already wasn't unique in doing this , I've paid for that kind of model myself with EVE Online's Omega.
Is ARC Raiders Worth Coming Back To?
For me, only if the PvE test turns into something real. Frozen Trail adds a lot, and at $19.99 the game is worth the money. But the thing that made me stop wasn't a lack of content , it was the sweat. The PvE beta starting 13 October is the first thing that actually tackles that, and it's the only reason I'm watching this one closely.
