Arc Raiders release: gameplay, maps and features ahead of launch on PS5, Xbox and PC

Embark Studios’ new PvPvE extraction shooter Arc Raiders launches on October 30 with four maps and full crossplay

Arc Raiders, the latest title from The Finals developer Embark Studios, launches on October30 2025 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

The studio describes the game as an accessible yet intense PvPvE extraction shooter set in a post-apocalyptic Italy ruled by an artificial intelligence known as “Arc.”

In Arc Raiders, teams of up to three players compete against both human opponents and AI-controlled machines while scavenging for resources. The goal is to survive long enough to extract safely via elevators or escape hatches, keeping any loot collected along the way. Players who die lose all non-safeguarded items, though quest progress and experience points carry over between matches.

Exploration is key, with maps filled with lootable containers, cars and abandoned buildings. Players can complete objectives such as recovering specific items or defeating enemy units called Arc.

Progress between runs supports crafting and trading in the game’s hub, Speranza, where players can build weapons, tools, and healing items. Players are also accompanied by a pet rooster named Scrappy, who offers crafting materials after matches.

At launch, Arc Raiders features four main maps: Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, the Spaceport, and the Blue Gate, each with its own layout and difficulty level. Enemies range from small drones and patrolling bots to larger threats like the Leaper and the Queen, requiring careful planning and precision to defeat.

Speaking with Kotaku, design director Virgil Watkins explained that the studio aimed for balanced combat where “you should always have time to understand and react to what is happening to you.” The longer time-to-kill system encourages tactical engagements rather than instant eliminations.

Arc Raiders blends high-stakes survival with a focus on approachability, offering a mix of human and AI encounters, diverse environments, and progression systems designed to reward strategy as much as skill.