ARC Raiders (PC) Review

After years in development, multiple playtests, previews, and server slams, Embark Studios’ PvPvE sci-fi extraction shooter ARC Raiders has finally gone live. Does the studio’s sophomore title live up to the wild hype that’s been building over the past year? After spending what is, frankly, an embarrassing amount of time with ARC Raiders this past weekend, I can say the answer is an emphatic yes.

For a live-service title, the launch of ARC Raiders has been remarkably smooth, with servers holding up under some hefty player counts—over 350,000 on Steam alone. If you’re unfamiliar with the game, it’s a third-person shooter that pits players not only against each other but also against armies of murderous drones. As an extraction shooter, matches unfold against a ticking clock, where raiders must scavenge loot, complete missions, and escape before time runs out.

ARC Raiders takes place in the distant future, long after a force of killer machines known as ARC has laid waste to... Read more