ARC Raiders Review – Prime Extraction

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Many consider ARC Raiders to be the best extraction shooter available, and after playing the full game, I agree. Despite the pre-launch excitement and positive early tests, I wanted to be sure before making such a strong statement. Now, after dozens of hours of gameplay, I’m genuinely impressed with what Embark Studios has created. The game offers a unique experience – a blend of careful strategy and intense action – set in a fascinating post-apocalyptic world filled with both dangerous robots and unpredictable players, and it truly delivers.

The old tagline, “Enlist, Resist,” feels especially relevant now. Even though we haven’t physically explored Speranza, humanity’s last known base, the game perfectly captures the feeling of a diverse population through its interesting and subtle characters. But what really stands out is the ever-present danger posed by ARC, even in encounters with its simplest machines.

Generally, that’s okay because ARC Raiders isn’t aiming to slow things down. It focuses on sending you out to explore the beautiful, ruined world and gather resources to help you progress.

Okay, so in ARC Raiders, things kick off fast. I just got jumped and nearly robbed – might’ve even spotted the guy on a rooftop near a pizza place – and barely made it to this settlement called Speranza. The head of security, Shani, is immediately suspicious of me, which is fair enough, I guess. After a quick check-in, I’m officially one of them. It’s a nice place, with warm food and people trying to help each other out, but honestly, they’re really struggling to find enough supplies. Plus, Shani’s noticed some weird stuff happening, and that’s what drives most of the quests she gives out.

I’ve been learning a ton from the people I meet! They’re showing me everything from how to recycle and build stuff like workbenches, to even fixing those old signal towers scattered around. There’s a good amount of hands-on work to do between adventures, but trading with everyone is pretty simple. Honestly, I’m really getting hooked on the stories of characters like Lance, who’s lost his memory, and Celeste, the surprisingly polite leader of the Raiders. But you learn about their lives bit by bit, through little bits of conversation here and there, rather than big explanations.

For the most part, that’s perfectly okay, because ARC Raiders focuses on keeping things moving. The game encourages you to explore the beautiful, ruined world, gathering materials to help you achieve your objectives. Those objectives are largely up to you – you can tackle challenges like defeating ARC enemies or opening containers to earn Cred, which is used to unlock rewards in the Raider Deck (Embark’s version of a battle pass). You can also collect materials to improve your weapons.

Every journey into the unknown brings a blend of lessons, hardships, setbacks, triumphs, and a hopeful belief in people. The stress of navigating these dangerous environments – whether it’s fearing an attack from ARC Ticks or trying to evade and destroy a wandering Snitch – is genuinely intense.

Train your rooster, Scrappy, to find better items at the end of each round. Earn experience to unlock new skills and customize your Raider – you can become a powerful fighter who quickly destroys drones, or a mobile crafting expert. Everything is designed to be smooth and fit the game’s world…except for Scrappy’s surprisingly useful abilities!

Okay, so the maps are where ARC Raiders really shines. When you first start, you’ll only be able to play on Dam Battlegrounds, but you unlock the other three maps by completing expeditions. Basically, you drop into a random spot on the map, set a marker for where you want to loot, and get going – it’s a pretty straightforward system.

It’s natural to assume that’s how things are. Every journey involves a combination of lessons learned, heartbreaking moments, setbacks, achievements, and trusting in the best of people. And the stress of navigating these dangerous environments – whether it’s avoiding sudden attacks from ARC Ticks or trying to destroy a Snitch before it spots you – is genuinely intense.

Those moments don’t compare to the fear of hearing a Leaper nearby, or walking into a Night Raid and realizing others are already fighting for their lives against a Rocketeer. I once saw players struggling to take down a Bastion and did what I could to help from afar with my custom loadout, before quickly trying to avoid a Hornet that spotted me. Another time, I was almost out of ammo and health, but somehow managed to sprint to an extraction point someone else had activated, barely making it inside before it was too late.

It’s really impressive how polished this multiplayer shooter is, especially considering how complex and dynamic matches can be. It’s a great feeling to play something so well-refined right from the start.

Exploring the world alone is really captivating, and running into other players is a special experience. Because the ARC is so powerful and joining raids is simple with Free Loadouts, many players choose to avoid fights and focus on their own goals. However, you can’t always trust others – getting ambushed by a hidden Raider sometimes felt better than cautiously hanging out with strangers, constantly wondering if they might attack.

I’ve been playing ARC Raiders, and honestly, almost everything just feels right. At first, running out of stamina felt a bit annoying, but it actually pushed me to really think about how I was moving and using the environment – sliding down hills, quickly stowing my weapons to sprint, even grabbing ledges backwards to keep the momentum going. And the shooting? It’s fantastic! Each gun has a real weight to it, feeling both powerful and a little tricky to control. What really impressed me is how smoothly everything flows together – looting, shooting, moving, healing, using shields – it all just becomes natural after a while. It’s seriously polished!

The performance is truly outstanding. On my system – an Intel Core i5-11400, 32 GB of RAM, and an RTX 4060 – I consistently get around 60 frames per second at 1440p resolution with High settings, even with DLAA turned on. It runs incredibly smoothly with no lag, stutters, or any other issues.

Embark recently released an update to fix several problems, including visual glitches on the highest graphics settings, and also made improvements to lighting and textures. So far, the only bug I’ve encountered is getting temporarily stuck in debris, requiring the game’s ‘Fix Stuck Player’ feature to get free. It’s really impressive that a multiplayer shooter, especially one as complex and dynamic as this, feels so polished at launch.

Despite being a game about a straightforward goal, ARC Raiders manages to be surprisingly detailed and polished. It has a strong, unique style, particularly in its visuals and music, but these elements enhance, rather than distract from, the core experience of scavenging and the feeling of being in a dangerous world.

I’ve only touched on how enjoyable ARC Raiders is. Some people might question how generous the game is, particularly with the free starting gear, resources, and ways to earn money. However, that’s mostly at the beginning. As you progress, you’ll need to improve your strategy, create better equipment, and use everything you’ve learned to take bigger risks. Plus, it’s exciting to think about how other players will impact the experience!

Despite being a game with a straightforward goal, ARC Raiders manages to be surprisingly deep and polished. It has a lot of character, shown through its style and fantastic soundtrack, but these elements never distract from the core gameplay of scavenging and the intense feeling of being exposed. It’s easy to pick up, yet offers plenty of challenge, making it one of the most fun multiplayer shooters we’ve played in a long time.

This game was reviewed on PC.

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2025-11-04 20:13