Embark

Embark Studios has published a roadmap for ARC Raiders, outlining planned updates from January through April 2026. The four-month update cycle, titled Escalation, will bring new maps, Ark threats, enhancements for the character Scrappy, and a variety of gameplay and cosmetic additions.

The Italian Hotel Stella Montis has been hit by an unexpected wave of Google reviews: players of ARC Raiders have begun praising the hotel after mistaking it for the real-world counterpart of the in-game map with the same name from Embark Studios.

Embark Studios has confirmed that the team has discussed the idea of special raids in ARC Raiders with equipment requirements, but the developers are in no hurry to introduce such modes. According to lead designer Virgil Watkins, the key concern is the risk of over-segmenting the player base.

In ARC Raiders, a full-fledged black market has formed — blueprints have begun to be sold for real money to those who want to bypass the progression system. The publication TheGamer drew attention to this.

The developers of ARC Raiders have commented on one of the most common player complaints — the late-join system in raids, which can cause a character to spawn on the map with only 17–25 minutes left in the session. According to the team, the mechanic serves an important purpose, but they also admit that it seriously interferes with completing specific objectives.

Embark Studios has started taking tougher action against cheaters in ARC Raiders — the team has begun issuing permanent bans to the game’s most notorious offenders. Reports of lifetime suspensions started appearing online on January 16.

Embark Studios is preparing a major content expansion for ARC Raiders in 2026. Following the game’s strong launch, which attracted over 12 million players in just a few months, the team is now working on a roadmap that will include new maps, enemies, weapons, and gameplay activities.

The ARC Raiders community was unhappy with how the developers started to deal with cheaters. Gamers are massively complaining about false account locks, in particular, Tfue streamer, who has more than 11 million subscribers on Twitch, was also given away.

Embark Studio has announced that since the release of ARC Raiders, 12 million copies of the game have been sold on all platforms. In honor of this event, the developers are giving gamers a unique raider tool — a golden pickaxe.

Design lead of ARC Raiders Virgil Watkins commented on how the game’s matchmaking system works and said that the term “aggression-based matchmaking” is not entirely accurate. In an interview with GamesRadar+, he noted that while the community generally understands the core idea behind the system, its precision and intent are often overstated.

One ARC Raiders player has shared a unusual experiment: they managed to play the game entirely in first-person, even though it was designed as a third-person action title. The enthusiast posted a short gameplay clip and broke down their impressions in detail.

The developers of ARC Raiders nevertheless began an active fight against cheaters, as promised after a storm of indignation from players and popular streamers. The first blockages have already appeared, according to Internet users.

The developers of ARC Raiders, which is known for using AI at the creation stage, will not change their minds about neural networks after the success of the game. This is what lead designer Virgil Watkins told PCGamesN.

In an interview with GamesRadar, design lead of ARC Raiders Virgil Watkins revealed that the upcoming patch will rework the Kettle weapon and trigger grenades.

Embark Studios shared initial results from the first "Expedition Project" in the extraction shooter ARC Raiders. Design director Virgil Watkins revealed that over a million players opted into the debut wipe — far exceeding expectations.

The developers of ARC Raiders are serious about fighting cheaters, and important changes are being prepared. The authors of the game stated this after the problem began to be loudly discussed in the gaming community.

In ARC Raiders can add a trading system between players. Developers will pay attention to these mechanics in the long term, said Patrick Soderlund, head of Embark Studios.

The developers of ARC Raiders have come out of the Christmas holidays and are preparing a major update. In particular, the possibility of changing the balance of some of the most controversial weapons is being considered.

Embark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund has explained why the studio has no plans to add PvP-focused systems like rankings or leaderboards to ARC Raiders. According to him, the team is deliberately avoiding mechanics that would encourage aggressive playstyles.

Multiplayer shooter ARC Raiders has become one of 2025’s biggest hits and has already caught the attention of movie studios. However, the game’s creators aren’t in a hurry to bring the brand to the big or small screen just yet.