Arc Raiders [REVIEW] – The Future of Extraction Shooters

Multiplayer gaming is absolutely stacked with heavy hitters, yet Arc Raiders storms in like it was built to remind us what makes competitive and cooperative play so damn thrilling in the first place. Embark Studios has created a third-person PvPvE extraction shooter that’s not only visually spectacular but also rich with tension, teamwork, and moments of sheer cinematic chaos… it’s bloody brilliant.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Arc Raiders is set in a future where machines have conquered Earth and humanity hides beneath the surface, with those who remain underground in the city of Speranza depending on brave scavengers (known as Raiders) who risk venturing topside to retrieve the resources that keep civilisation alive. The world above is stunning in its desolation, with rusted vehicles littering abandoned highways, moss clinging to the ruins of what once was, and the remains of colossal machines sprawling across the landscapes as a stark reminder of the threat at hand. Each of the four launch maps – Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, Spaceport, and Blue Gate – have a distinct identity that tell a story of a devastated world, and the longer you spend within it, the more you’ll understand what went wrong.

Despite the post-apocalyptic premise, there’s a real sense of vibrancy and beauty found everywhere in Arc Raiders. Flocks of birds scatter when startled, storms crackle with electrical fury, whilst the character and enemy design is striking throughout. Don’t expect a world of greys and browns here, but rather one that feels alive… almost like it’s WORTH saving.

Of course, the heart and soul of Arc Raiders lies in its gameplay, with the core loop simple and effective: head to the surface, scavenge as much as possible, and extract before the world (or maybe another Raider) kills you. Die, and everything you’re carrying is lost… it’s a high stakes, risk-versus-reward setup that brings with it equal parts fear and adrenaline, where every step toward an extraction zone feels like it could be your last – but that small detour to scavenge extra resources COULD be worth the risk, right? It’s tantalising stuff, with the core mechanics instantly hooking you in from the get-go.

It helps that everything in the game feels so finely designed to ensure exploring the world is consistently entertaining, with combat and movement both solid in their design. Weapons punch hard, enemies crackle satisfyingly, and the controls are tight without feeling twitchy, with player manoeuvrability intuitively designed to ensure that whilst the odds do feel stacked against you, you’re always able to find a way to survive each encounter.

That said, the AI enemies – the Arc machines that roam the surface – are genuinely dangerous, so you won’t want to be too reckless in your approach. They come in different forms, with the likes of Ticks or Pops acting as your standard fodder to deal with, but more elaborate foes like the Snitches that alert reinforcements with flares, Rocketeers that rain explosive destruction from afar, and Leapers that can clear entire buildings in a single bound help ensure you never get too complacent… and let’s not get started on The Queen, which is simply devastating to face off against. They’re fast, aggressive, and unpredictable, often forcing rival players to cooperate just to survive, with Arc Raiders easily standing out as one of the few games where PvE encounters are often more terrifying than facing human opponents.

“Arc Raiders is blends heart-pounding tension, emergent storytelling, and cinematic spectacle into something truly memorable with its PvPvE action.”

That being said, PvP is every bit as tense and rewarding as you’d hope. Encounters between squads are thrilling, with the moment-to-moment showdowns bringing with them both frantic and coordinated action, whether you’re blasting out bullets in chaotic shootouts or hiding in cover and picking your moment to strike. Proximity chat and gestures let players communicate or form uneasy truces too, and I’ll admit, this is the first time in a multiplayer game like this where I’ve found that it actually works. Don’t get me wrong, there’ve been plenty of betrayals in my time playing too, but there’ve also been multiple encounters with Arcs where I and other random players have pulled together, survived, and then gone our own way or even continued to work together… I dunno, there’s just something comforting about this sense of community within the game that has made the experience feel all the more alive.

Back underground, Speranza serves as your hub, offering a dense warren of traders, workshops, and NPCs who help keep the city running. Here you can craft, store gear, take on contracts, and upgrade your Raider, with the crafting and blueprint system hitting the sweet spot between depth and accessibility. It’s a clever way to tie long-term progression to risk and exploration, and with players having to spend time topside to get the blueprints and resources required to progress, it makes every run feel worthwhile.

The skill tree is compact but meaningful, divided into Conditioning, Mobility, and Survival paths that each offer clear and practical upgrades that noticeably change how you approach a raid. Conditioning boosts stamina and carrying capacity for tankier builds, mobility favours faster traversal and escape, whilst Survival improves stealth, scavenging, and awareness, with players able to shape their Raider to suit how they want to play. What’s refreshing is that these upgrades enhance flexibility without breaking the game’s tension, and even well-levelled players can’t afford to be careless – it keeps things balanced, and whilst levelled up Raiders hold an advantage, the dangers within the world of Arc Raiders mean you can never get too comfortable… it’s what makes it so damn exciting

Optional Expedition Projects offer an ambitious endgame loop for players to get stuck into outside of standard progress, with these multi-week events asking you to reset your character in exchange for permanent account bonuses and cosmetics. It’s voluntary, so you can enjoy the full game without ever touching this system, but for those who are planning on staying around the long-term, it’s a good way to really invest in the game.

That being said, a road map has been outlined that shows that the next few months are going to be very bright for Arc Raiders. A new map is launching this month that’ll give players a new battlefield to venture across, whilst fierce new Arcs to face off against, additional quests to complete, and fresh items and cosmetics will ensure that the game is going to be fully supported and consistently engaging. I still feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface on what’s on offer already, but I’m really excited to see what Arc Raiders will continue to bring.

Check out some screenshots down below:

What makes Arc Raiders feel so special isn’t just how it plays or how all of its mechanics come together, but also how it feels. Every raid feels distinct and special, whether that’s with the rush of anticipation as you emerge onto the surface, the quiet moments of looting under a crackling storm, or the panic when distant gunfire highlights that someone is fighting for survival – whether that’s against roaming Arcs or other deadly players. It’s rare for a multiplayer game to deliver such consistent tension and satisfaction, whilst the fact that success never feels certain ensures that surviving an encounter or extracting with rare loot feels like an earned victory. The game thrives on unpredictability, and with no two runs ever the same, not knowing what’ll happen next will keep you hooked long after the early hours of the game fade from memory.

However, for all its polish, Arc Raiders isn’t perfect. The inventory system can feel cluttered, especially when navigating with a controller on console, and the sheer number of scavenged materials can certainly feel overwhelming. It has a lot of systems in place within its gameplay loop, but it’s the moments of quiet where you have to organise everything that you’ve collected where it  can really throw you off. Playing solo also exposes the game’s harsher side, and with no dedicated lone player mode, solo Raiders are often thrown against full squads of three. The tension is real, but the odds can feel mightily stacked, with it not always fun to find yourself facing off against players alone. There can be a few small performance dips when playing on the Xbox Series X too, nothing too drastic, sure, but noticeable little hitches during some of the busier moments – they aren’t super problematic by any stretch of the imagination, but worth noting.

Developer: Embark Studios
Publisher: Embark Studios
Platform(s): Xbox Series X|S (Reviewed), PlayStation 5, PC
Website: https://arcraiders.com/en/