Arc Raiders is down but not out - dwindling player numbers and a long wait for the next update mark an important time for the extraction shooter

Published: July 15, 2026

Extraction shooters haven't been around for all that long, really, and more often than not, skew to the hardcore end of the spectrum by their very nature. The idea that a player could lose everything with one wrong move, or one over-extension, makes those victories taste so sweet, but the losses so bitter. It's a serious genre with relatively limited appeal - until Arc Raiders arrived.

Escape from Tarkov, Hunt Showdown; these games are, and have been, incredibly popular in their niche. Extraction shooters are a siren call for PC gamers who want that sense of risk and a challenge - Arc Raiders, though, managed to take what makes the genre so compelling and propel it into the mainstream, without watering down the concept.

The idea of Arc Raiders, on paper, doesn't look that much different from many of its extraction brethren: go on 30-minute runs in the wilderness, loot as much as you can, try to exfil in one piece. What it did, though, was inject a layer of accessibility and add a social context into the normal grind.

The threat of harm in Arc Raiders is twofold: there is the Arc itself, roaming robotic enemies that shoot on sight, and there are the other Raiders. The Arc can quickly overwhelm and easily carry enough firepower to take down an inexperienced Raider in no time, while the other players can often be a little more insidious in their operation. Co-operation often ensures safety, but trusting the strangers you meet can be a big ask, especially with your entire inventory on the line.

People love talking in Arc Raiders - I've never really seen anything like it. Whether friendly or otherwise, those on excursions Topside are constantly communicating. It's amazing, really. The standard greeting for those you meet is the "don't shoot!" selection from the emote wheel, but many have taken to voice comms. "Friendly?" I'm asked often - sure I am.

Streamers flocked to this at launch, farming clips of humorous interactions, feats of stupidity, and even heartbreaking betrayals. A combination of genuine enthusiasm and what turned out to be a surprise package of a game was the thing that caused Arc Raiders to break containment and go fully mainstream.

It also helps that the nuts and bolts of Arc Raiders are unbelievably well put together. Every location you visit while topside feels authentic, lived-in, and subsequently abandoned due to the overwhelming robot presence. The Arc threats themselves, the sometimes walking, often floating AI enemies that want to immolate you on sight, they move convincingly, naturally - as naturally as a heavily-armored drone can.

The authenticity of location and foe gives it a grounded feel, and that's before the soundscape comes into play. From footsteps on concrete tiles to swishing through a bog, the atmosphere on show here is astounding. Ambience envelops, so when I hear an Arc threat or the sound of one of the many firearms cutting through, it gets my attention. Meaty clunks, deafening explosions - it comes together to form one engrossing whole.

Arc Raiders received some very valid criticism at launch about its use of AI voices, utilizing text-to-speech technology to flesh out every item name and location in-game. Design Director, Virgil Watkins, has since spoken about the AI usage and has gone on record stating that many of the generated lines have been re-recorded using real actors since launch. I hope this continues and puts the devs off from using TTS tools in the future - there's so much good, human work in Arc Raiders, and even a peripheral use of genAI tools is a huge black mark in my opinion.

With a steady release of updates, maps, and game modes since launch, there's plenty here for someone arriving fashionably late to Arc Raiders. The issue is: those who have been playing since day one are running out of things to do outside of the regular gameplay loop - significant additions to the game are now only coming twice a year, with the first of these in October. Because of this, Arc Raiders has seen a steady decline in player count, beginning in December of 2025.

From almost half a million daily players last year to around 50 thousand today, there's no denying that plenty have dropped off after moving on with their favorite streamer or simply ticking off every box Arc Raiders has to offer. This drop has steadied somewhat, but with the next large update not due for another four months, it may get worse before it gets better.

The issue with this for the newer player stems from one of Arc Raiders' strengths: its matchmaking system. Your actions while on a run are monitored and ranked in terms of aggression - some players are kill-thirsty and non-cooperative, while others enjoy working together with strangers against the Arc threat. Over time, players are placed into matches with those of a similar mindset.

This aggression-based matchmaking ensures that players are theoretically placed in their ideal lobbies. Those who enjoy PvP can go in all guns blazing, and others can make a judgment call depending on the vibe from a particular Raider. With less of a pool to pull from, though, especially if the numbers continue to dwindle, it means that players on opposite sides of the playstyle spectrum will begin to be thrown in the same lobbies. PvP players will likely enjoy this, but those who enjoy a more cooperative experience will suffer.

This is the worst-case scenario, mind, and at the moment, everything is still working as intended. I can load into a match right now, say hi to a passing Raider, and get on with my business, no problem. There's still a tension when brushing up against humanity Topside as there always is, but that's part of what makes Arc Raiders so compelling in the first place - I hope it never goes away. A high ceiling for kindness makes those who eschew humanity all the more galling.

The next big update for Arc Raiders isn't coming for some months. In the meantime, we have trials (missions) and the expeditions (Arc's version of a wipe), which can probably keep the hardcore ticking over, but those who aren't quite as committed may simply run out of things to do.

I can't wait for the Frozen Trials update - a new biome, new Arc threats, a new map. Embark is also working on significantly improving the progression systems, giving players a more meaningful way to grow within the game. No idea what this is, but I hope it's good enough to make the wait worth it. Such sweeping changes make the next update almost feel like a relaunch, and with it, the hope to reach those dizzying concurrent player counts again.

The question of whether players should still play Arc Raiders today is an easy one for me to answer: yes. New players have a huge amount to explore and experience, and the integrity of morality and the matchmaking system are still finely balanced. The real test for Arc Raiders is the Frozen Trail update - reducing the volume of expansions inherently puts more pressure when one does come along, but I think Embark has what it takes to bring those old Raiders back.