- Arc Raiders is confirmed to receive only major seasonal updates per year.
- The next major update, Frozen Trails, is releasing sometime in October 2026.
- Frozen Trails will be the biggest update yet featuring the largest map and tons of new ARC enemies.
In a surprising turn of events, Embark Studios has announced that they are switching its update cadence. Arc Raiders will no longer receive monthly seasonal updates; instead, major updates will arrive only twice a year from now on.
Arc Raiders Limits Major Seasonal Updates to Twice a Year
Embark Studios’ initial plan for Arc Raiders was to release monthly updates, as we have seen since launch. However, this release model hasn’t always been fruitful, and the devs are starting to feel the pressure of releasing continuous monthly updates. “Running at that pace isn’t sustainable, or compatible with the bigger ambitions we have for this game,” the Embark team explained in an X post.
Therefore, Embark Studios has made the tough decision to release major updates only twice per year. However, these upcoming updates are confirmed to be massive and more impactful than ever before. As part of this new plan, the first major update of Arc Raiders will arrive in October 2026.
Going forward, we’ve made the decision to release major updates twice a year – larger in scale, more impactful, with the goal to genuinely change how you play the game.
The upcoming Frozen Trail update will be the largest yet and address everything raiders have been asking for. As revealed in the recent Arc Raiders datamine leak, we are all set to receive the biggest map, infested with plenty of new ARC enemies, ready to hunt down raiders. In addition, a new revamped skill tree and new ways to progress in the game. You can see all the upcoming additions here:
- A Sprawling New Frontier – Explore a new landscape in the Rust Belt with layered design and new mysteries to uncover in the largest map in the game.
- Our Most Ambitious ARC Operation So Far – including new ARC enemies with fresh designs, and unique behaviors that will challenge Raiders in new ways.
- New Systems of Progression – Many players have maxed out their Raider Den and hit the Skill Point ceiling. Frozen Trail will introduce new goals and more ways to shape your Raider’s progression.
- Exploring the origin of ARC – What are ARC and where do they come from? Frozen Trail gives Raiders the opportunity to begin uncovering that mystery.
- Improved Skill Tree
- Alongside new weapons, items, instruments, cosmetics, and more.
According to Embark Studio, Frozen Trails is just the beginning of where they want to take Arc Raiders next. If you are concerned about the regular monthly patches to iron out bugs and glitches, Embark Studios has confirmed to continue delivering minor updates. “Don’t worry, a dedicated live service team will continue running ARC Raiders day-to-day: regular live updates, plus balance fixes, bug fixes, store updates, and player events aren’t going anywhere.”
Starting next week, a new trader from the nomadic tribe will enter Speranza from the topside. So players who have high-value loot items collecting dust can trade them to earn unique rewards. As you can see here, Embark Studios is now dead set on delivering meaningful updates that will make the players keep returning to the Rust Belt.
They are all ready to further showcase to us the wider universe of ARC Raiders, but it will take longer than usual. While Embark thought these changes wouldn’t please everyone, the reactions to the new update cadence have been surprisingly positive. The Arc Raiders community believes that the devs are finally addressing all the issues they have been clamouring about, and this is the right step forward.
Having said that, what do you think about the new changes to the Arc Raiders’ update release schedule? Let us know in the comments below.
