Beebom Score
2025 has been a monumental year for video games, delivering iconic AAA and indie titles across nearly every genre. As a shooter fan, though, I was still waiting for a game that truly changed the conversation. The surprise contender that seized that title wasn’t Battlefield 6 or Call of Duty Black Ops 7; it was Arc Raiders.
I was already a fan of the game when the tech test 2 was live. If you go through my Arc Raiders first impressions, you will notice I already called it a complete game ready to be released. Yet, Embark Studios took a few more months, and we finally have the official release that hits all the right spots. So, what makes this game different? Well, here is my honest, in-depth review of the Arc Raiders.
The game initially started development as a PvE experience, but Embark decided to reorient it and incorporate a PvP perspective. While in statements they called the ‘PvE version boring’, after playing the game for multiple days, I can say that it wouldn’t have been the case. But trust me, even against the sweatiest of players, the game never ends up being a lobby simulator. And that works out because of…
But trust me, even against the sweatiest of players, the game never ends up being a lobby simulator.
Speranza’s the Kind of Place Where Plans Go to Die and Dumb Luck Becomes a Religion
Arc Raiders is, in fact, an open-world extraction game, very similar to games like Escape from Tarkov and Hunt. However, there are both intense action and surprising fun elements that make up the core loop of Arc Raiders. You take on the boots of a raider in an underground location of the ruined Earth, called Speranza. From there, your journey begins.
After you deploy from the underground hub into the topside, your primary goal is to scavenge for valuable loot, scrap, and gear, and clash with ARC machines. Sounds simple, right? Well, the AI-controlled ARCs are not only massive in variety, but they are also swarming on the map. The game uses dense volumetric fog, dynamic lighting, and complex AI behavior across open areas.
In most cases, taking ARCs down alone is itself a suicide mission, especially when there are a lot of them. Yes, the enemy AI is notably challenging, but it is still balanced if you use the right weapons in Arc Raiders. And of course, there is always the uncertainty of clashing with human raiders. To deal with both the ARCs and people, you will need some good loadouts, containing shields and other useful items.
Loadouts emphasize flexible playstyles instead of strict classes, with a strong focus on utility gadgets, stealth, and team coordination. But that’s not all. Sometimes, talk-no-jutsu works in Arc Raiders, too.
Proximity Chat Is Pure Chaos Disguised as Communication
Yes, the game features a unique proximity voice chat system that enhances immersion and strategic interaction. Use the proximity chat to assemble your ultimate Avengers team if you want, and battle the threat of mechs like it’s a war of humans vs AI. Don’t worry, you can disable it completely, unlike some other shooter games.
Use the proximity chat to assemble your ultimate Avengers team if you want, and battle the threat of mechs like it’s a war of humans vs AI.
In short, you can use the voice chat feature to group up with other raiders when the beasts like Bastion or even the boss Queen ARC appear. This sense of teaming up adds a taste of realism while keeping things fun without doing too much. It is social, engaging, and definitely a survival against the ARCs. Unless you wish to be a backstabber.
In some raids, the ARCs outthink you and shell you into scrap. That is not a warning. It is like a haunting memory for me and the boys who tried to overcook a push against ARCs. Well, our reckless push against ARCs always put us in tough situations, where they scooped us up, slapped us awake, and we sprinted like thieves with sirens at our backs. We could ride the wasps to safety, but when life is at risk, only the elevator to extraction is visible.
But let me be honest, that is where Arc Raiders is at its best. I can’t remember the countless times my friends revived me after I tried to be the bold and the brave against an army of ARCs with two rounds of ammo in my secondary pistol. But it is a chucklefest, even when you always risk losing your favorite golden loot. But when it comes to serious gameplay, the map design and tactical gameplay step up.
A Playground Built to Punish and Reward in Equal Measure
On release, Arc Raiders lets you play in four diverse maps designed to encourage different playstyles and tactical choices, featuring dynamic weather and environmental hazards that affect gameplay risk and reward. On top of that, different raids make you want to enter the chaos of the unknown whenever you feel a simple loot session is not enough. The maps support multiple extraction points with varying difficulty and loot, which requires strategic planning and quick decision-making.
And it is not a free exploration of a lifetime. There is a timer attached to each zone you enter, and once it is over, in a dramatic fashion, the nuke explodes the map, including the players who haven’t extracted yet. This lore-accurate zone ending cinematic is one of the most poetic visual storytelling in a live service game. But just the story and lore of the maps are not all.
This lore-accurate zone ending cinematic is one of the most poetic visual storytelling in a live service game.
The four different maps stay tense and loud, and extraction is the drumbeat in your head, but a bad death does not ruin your night. It feels harsh in the moment. However, it is not a wipe of your life’s work. Your progress survives even when your backpack does not. Which brings us to the next thing worth breaking down: how progression keeps these beautiful disasters fair.
Progression Hits Like a Slot Machine That Hates Sleep Schedules
Progression in Arc Raiders is divided into two parts: one, the items you extract, and another, your player progression. If you extract with the materials in your bag, they help you craft better weapons, complete quests for some Raider Coins, and upgrade your tools. The loots include some rare findings that you would not want to lose, and sometimes simple lemons and apricots. That is where the safe pocket helps you secure them. That way, even after death, the saved item stays with you.
Meaningful Looting, Crafting, and Upgrades
Once looting is done and your bag is full, you get into crafting. These looted parts go straight into new guns, healing items, shield upgrades, and even specialized workbenches back at base that unlock better gear. Crafting is fast and actually worth spending time on.
All the guns have personality. You are not assembling factory AR-15s. You are duct-taping sci-fi parts onto beat-up Cold War clones like you are modding a rifle inside a flea market. I’m glad it is not drowning in synth and glow like some modern game. Arc Raiders has its own flavor, and it sticks to its roots and lore. Guns are rare enough that finding one mid-run still feels electric, if you are one for the gambles. Or, you can purchase them from traders.
All the guns have personality. You are not assembling factory AR-15s. You are duct-taping sci-fi parts onto beat-up Cold War clones like you are modding a rifle inside a flea market.
Looting never slips into mindless farming either. Every garage, elevator shaft, or ruined office has something genuine to grab, but staying still for five seconds is loud and dangerous, which is why playing with friends is pure chaos. Or you can chill and let your pet rooster Scrappy at base generate materials on its own. Yes, the rooster is real. Yes, you need to upgrade it. No, it does not fight for you. Yet.
But all of that is the calm part. The real game starts the second you reach the topside. Arc Raiders lives on that extraction knife-edge: do you bail now with decent gear, or risk another five minutes for something stupidly rare? Every run asks that question. Get greedy and you might lose everything. Walk too safe and you feel like a coward. That tension never stops being addictive. But what about the player progression?
Arc Raiders lives on that extraction knife-edge: do you bail now with decent gear, or risk another five minutes for something stupidly rare? Every run asks that question.
Level Up Skills and Be Better, Raider
Well, as a raider, you keep collecting experience for every action in the game. This helps you get new levels and skill points. The skill points are invested in the skill tree in Arc Raiders, which lets you choose which type of raider you want to be in the game. Want a tip? I suggest you go for the ‘Mobility’ route. Being a speedster in a world full of savages always comes in handy. But these are not the only progression you get for playing Arc Raiders.
The Expedition Project: A Voluntary Prestige System Innovating Live Service
To keep the extraction aspect of the game fresh, the developers designed the Expedition Project. Expedition Project is essentially an Embark Studio solution to the age-old problem of how to keep an extraction shooter fresh without frustrating players with mandatory wipes. Instead of doing global resets like Escape from Tarkov or seasonal rollovers that erase everyone’s progress, Arc Raiders puts that power in players’ hands.
Expedition Project is essentially an Embark Studio solution to the age-old problem of how to keep an extraction shooter fresh without frustrating players with mandatory wipes.
It is a voluntary prestige style system that kicks in once your character reaches level 20, giving hardcore players a reason to start over while letting casual players keep their hard-earned gear and progress intact. Once you hit level 20, the expedition interface unlocks, a sort of long-term mission thread that tracks your progress over the course of an 8-week cycle. During that time, you’ll complete raids, missions, and objectives that gradually fill up your expedition progress bar.
When the eighth week rolls around, a finalization window opens up. And this is where things get interesting. If you hit all your milestones, you can choose to finish your expedition, which triggers a full character reset. You’ll lose your levels, skills, crafted gear, and workshop upgrades. But in exchange, you’ll earn exclusive account-wide rewards and jump into the next cycle with new perks and bonuses.
No need to panic if you are happy with your progression. If you don’t finalize your expedition, you simply roll into the next cycle with your progress intact. There’s no force reset, no lost items, unless you choose to start fresh. Apart from player progression and skill tree, there is also a battle pass for cosmetics.
Player-First Battle Pass Structure
Unlike traditional linear battle passes, Arc Raiders’ multiple concurrent tracks allow players to prioritize rewards that fit their style and preferences. This reduces grind fatigue and increases player satisfaction by letting them cherry-pick cosmetics, utility items, or schematics. The use of an in-game currency to unlock tiers adds another layer of agency, encouraging a sense of control over progression. While the progression is where Embark aced it, the matchmaking is a questionable topic.
Solo vs Squad Matchmaking Remains a Hit or Miss
The matchmaking system in Arc Raiders attempts to group solo players with other soloists and squads with squads. However, sometimes Arc Raiders’ matchmaking puts solo players in a lobby of groups, increasing difficulty and frustration. While this unpredictability adds excitement for some, a dedicated solo experience will be necessary to fully satisfy all player types and maintain population balance. Imagine you become the leader of men who march onto defeating the biggest ARC bosses despite being strangers. Topside can be a place of brotherhood.
Smooth Frames, Sexy Explosions, and Zero Excuses
In terms of performance, Arc Raiders has been flawless ever since I tested it in Tech Test 2. Playing it on both high and low-end devices has a different experience. Despite that, the frames and performance never argue against your system.
My Specs:
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900x
CPU Cooler: CORSAIR H150 RGB
Motherboard: GIGABYTE B650M Gaming X AX
GPU: MSI GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB
RAM: 32GB (32GB x 1) ADATA XPG DDR5 5600FSB LANCER
SSD: 1TB AORUS Gen 4 5000E NVMe storage
Monitor: 1080p @165hz
Network: 100 Mbps
The game’s ability to run smoothly on mid to high-end systems with stable server-based networking is a major achievement for a live extraction shooter. The dedicated AWS servers and seamless world streaming demonstrate Embark’s technical maturity. This also promises responsive gameplay and minimal latency disruptions, which are crucial for competitive and cooperative experiences.
However, one thing that can be improved is the reduced foliage on lower graphics settings. Although Arc Raiders’ graphics settings for any mid-low-end devices are better kept at low, the developers have yet to balance the visibility. While it retains performance on lower devices, in a competitive scenario, the low-end visuals give slight unfair advantages. With this fixed, the game will have almost no flaws, no matter which devices you play the game on.
On a 5060Ti device without DLSS turned on, the game runs on an average of 100 FPS with all settings cranked up to Epic. As soon as I turned DLSS on, the game worked its magic and went to 130+ avg FPS.
Don’t worry, even if you don’t have a high-end device, the performance will not bother you. On my 1650 Super setup, the FPS was nearly a stable 60, which is massive for a 2025 game. Yes, Embark did hit it out of the park with the performance optimizations, but what will make it the greatest game?
Raiders Will Survive Only When the Future Is Secure
Embark has already shown real care. During the stress tests or server slam, they pushed hotfixes fast and explained what they were changing instead of hiding it. You could tell they were actually watching how people played. That honesty builds trust, and I believe in a live service game, it is important.
In a genre where silence kills games faster than bugs, that level of responsiveness matters. If Embark keeps that transparency post-launch, Arc Raiders has a real shot at surviving, not just debuting. But that community engagement alone won’t do it.
That is why, despite not releasing a roadmap yet, the developers already claimed that they intend to run a ’10-year game’ plan. That sounds ambitious: new maps, new enemy types, seasonal events. Sadly, we players have heard big promises before, and most live services can’t deliver on them.
What will matter is consistency and honesty. If updates feel meaningful and communication stays clear, Arc Raiders will keep its momentum. If it slips into empty updates or monetized bloat, the genre will move on fast. The pressure of the live service genre is real, and Embark has to innovate without losing focus.
If updates feel meaningful and communication stays clear, Arc Raiders will keep its momentum. If it slips into empty updates or monetized bloat, the genre will move on fast.
Verdict: A Mech War Too Wild to Tame and Too Fun to Quit
Arc Raiders is a total mess without being oppressive, in a good way. Yes, there is punishment for death, just like any extraction, but you are never discouraged. Every raid feels like a story; sometimes heroic, sometimes humiliating, but always memorable. It is not just the best shooters I have played in a while, but it also makes me laugh and tickles me to come back just to have a happy moment in my packed day.
Yes, there is punishment for death, just like any extraction, but you are never discouraged. Every raid feels like a story; sometimes heroic, sometimes humiliating, but always memorable.
The ARCs are unpredictable threats, not background AI, and that keeps you on your toes. The maps are loud, alive, and always daring you to get greedy. Even when everything goes wrong, progression never dies with your backpack, and that alone makes the loop dangerously addictive. Crafting is quick, weapons have soul, and proximity voice chat is either diplomacy or betrayal in its funniest form.
However, matchmaking still needs tightening, and visibility tweaks are overdue on low settings. But these are fixable problems and not deal-breakers. What matters is momentum. And Embark has already proven it listens faster than most studios in this genre ever have.
If the team maintains that honesty and keeps its updates meaningful, Arc Raiders could be one of the defining live shooters of the decade. Right now, it is already one of the most exciting games of 2025 and the first extraction game in years that makes losing feel worth the risk of dropping again. It is dangerous and almost perfect. And I cannot stop playing.
