The ARC Raiders PvE mode isn’t coming back yet, because Embark hasn’t decided. Its PvE test ended on 20 October, and the studio is still going through the data. I think PvE is what they need, and a permanent PvE mode would 100% bring me back to ARC Raiders.
Key takeaways
- Embark’s PvE matchmaking test ran from 13 to 20 October 2026, and the toggle was removed when it ended.
- More than 30 million rounds of PvE were played, and Embark expects to say more in November.
- I’d jump back into ARC Raiders right now if there was a PvE-only option.
Is the ARC Raiders PvE mode coming back?
Not yet, and nobody knows if it will. Executive producer Aleksander Grøndal told MP1st the team is going through the test results, and that “we were a bit skeptical about bringing such a mode to the game for historical reasons, but now we need to discuss what we want to do going forward.”
He also said Embark first needs to work out what a PvE mode would even be for. It could be a chill side mode between PvPvE rounds, a challenge mode against the AI, or a full PvE-only experience. Each one changes how Embark builds future updates, so it isn’t a quick yes or no.
Embark’s own post after the test said more than 30 million rounds of PvE were played, that the test had been polarizing, and that it expects to follow up with more information in November, as PC Gamer reported.
How did the ARC Raiders PvE test work?
For one week, from 11:00 CEST on 13 October to 11:00 CEST on 20 October, you could flip a matchmaking toggle between normal PvPvE and PvE. In PvE there was zero player-to-player damage, and Solos, Duos and Trios shared the same sessions, per Embark’s PvE toggle beta post.
It wasn’t a free ride. Loot was worth less in PvE to make up for the safety, and the Night Raids, Hidden Bunker, Locked Gate and Frigate conditions were left out because they’re built around running into other players. Your PvPvE matchmaking rating wasn’t touched either. When the week ended, the toggle was removed and matchmaking went back to normal.
Why is Embark skeptical about PvE?
Because ARC Raiders started as a PvE game. It was announced at The Game Awards 2021 as a free-to-play co-op shooter, and in 2023 Embark revealed it had become the PvPvE extraction shooter that launched in October 2025. Embark says it first pictured a raid-based PvE co-op game with looting, ran into big problems with it, and reset the whole thing.
So bringing PvE back means going back to the idea it binned. But Embark’s own numbers make a strong case. In the beta post it said 37% of its players are friendly co-op players, a group that’s grown since launch, and 51% of the players it surveyed want a dedicated PvE option. Grøndal had already said earlier this month that the game could split into separate PvE and PvP modes.
Why do I want a PvE mode in ARC Raiders?
PvP is actually what stopped me playing ARC Raiders. I felt like people weren’t fighting the map. They were just waiting to fight a person.
If that’s all you’re doing, camping the extraction zones and going where most people go so you can fight them instead of engaging with the map, you’re a loser. You’re a loser. I mean, it’s part of the game, but still.
I’ve got just under 20 hours in ARC Raiders, and what I liked was the ARC, the enemies that aren’t people. I don’t want some sweat who’s put 1,000 hours in to kill me while I’m just having fun investigating the big spider robot and throwing my little pebbles at it.
Are the PvP players right to be upset about PvE?
I saw people complaining about it from the PvP side, and one of them, funnily enough, said “I didn’t go into Helldivers 2 and demand PvP.” Except people did. In February 2024, players asked Arrowhead for a PvP mode in Helldivers 2, and CEO Johan Pilestedt said it would never get one, to keep toxicity out of the community. His advice was “If you want PvP I recommend Tarkov,” as PC Gamer reported.
I think the ones that are so upset about the idea of PvE are likely the ones dunking on the players who are there for PvE. I don’t know if it’s going to help the PvP players, though. I’d assume they’ll have fewer people in their servers, because the players who are there to fight the map finally get to stop playing against people who are just trying to kill them all the time.
Would a PvE mode bring me back to ARC Raiders?
Yes. A permanent PvE mode would 100% bring me back. I’d jump back into ARC right now if there was a PvE-only option, but there isn’t. When I wrote about coming back for Frozen Trail, I said PvE was the thing that would do it, and that hasn’t changed.
I think Embark should keep it, because it’s what will end up bringing players back to their game. The test already came with a big jump in players. PC Gamer says the concurrent count went from about 50,000 to 185,000 across Frozen Trail and the PvE test.
FAQ
Is the ARC Raiders PvE mode permanent?
No. The PvE toggle was a test from 13 to 20 October 2026, and it was removed when the test ended. Embark hasn’t decided if it comes back.
When will Embark decide on ARC Raiders PvE?
Embark says it expects to share more information in November 2026, once it has gone through the test data.
Can you play ARC Raiders without PvP right now?
No. With the test over, every normal match is PvPvE again, so other players can attack you.
