Arc Raiders review: A solo and co-op gaming gem

These days, you can tell how much hype exists for a game by the activity on social media: early memes, meta discussions, incredible clips on YouTube or TikTok from beta or playtests. Arc Raiders certainly had all of this ahead of launch, with huge anticipation from gamers genuinely excited for a game mercilessly wedged between BF6 and Black Ops 7.

But hype is transient, and cementing joy is far more important. Arc Raiders’ minor delay from its official release time was concerning, true, but it was soon washed over with tides of glee. The fun of the Server Slam is back. Arc Raiders is real, and social media suggests Embark Studios’ title is an instant classic. Is it? Well, this Arc Raiders review was a pleasure to write.

Arc Raiders is a game for gamers, not just for extraction fans. Yes, you ultimately need to extract at the end of your runs Topside, but what happens in between is the joy. We’ve previously reflected on the game’s world-building and the elements it shares with other titles, extraction or not. Both are key: Arc Raiders is multi-faceted in both familiarity and fun. 

There’s a lore here that humans inherently understand. Humanity pushed to the brink, striving to survive, a looming threat, and vast lands and quests to undertake; each a minor victory. It’s this backdrop and the thrusting of your own raider into this world that makes the title so rapidly engaging. You are part of Speranza, part of humanity, and its survival.

There’s nothing truly original about this. Beautiful, deserted maps have you traipsing around to find shiny things, avoid robots, and fight, flee, or befriend others. It’s a solid concept, and Arc Raiders delivers it excellently. Character customisation could be improved, but you get to choose your look and loadout, and then it’s time to roll. 

Every time you ‘ready up’, you’re opening yourself to innumerable possibilities topside. Every time you return from a run, you can feel at home, safe, part of a resistance. And you know that Scrappy, your lovable scavenging rooster, will be waiting for you regardless of what happened. You can’t die, you just get knocked out. Lose progress? No, you just go again. 

This cosy familiarity and easy relatability underpin the Arc Raiders experience. And yet, like the best games, every match will be different. You can pick a free loadout to scavenge essential items with nothing but your raider tool. Or you can take your best guns, grenades, and gadgets for a high-value loot run. Either way, the air is thick with tension and excitement.

Running solo, there’s a pure joy in finding the exact items you need for a workshop upgrade, a rare blueprint, a rubber duck (really), and getting the hell out of dodge. But single-player PvP is great fun, and group fighting can be epic, too. Both depend on tactics, quick thinking, and sharper shooting. There’s an air of Warzone or RedSec in rushing to get a downed ally.

Of course, Arc Raiders isn’t a battle royale and has a lot in common with third-person adventure titles, too. But it’s this fused-together experience that means your time Topside can reflect your playstyle. You choose the fun you want to have with friends, or your priorities in completing missions and levelling up. 

A word of advice, though: don’t shoot at Arc robots without solid firepower. You can quickly learn that without backup, you’re in well over your head. Arc can and will make PvP firefights even more complicated PvPvE affairs, and take no prisoners. But don’t be surprised to find other raiders watching you struggle to come in and clean up everything, including your loot. 

Ultimately, action and gunplay in Arc Raiders feel rewarding, tactical, and well-thought-out. Arc’s machines are a proper threat, and you’ll want to become a walking thesaurus on types, abilities, and weaknesses. Learning is a huge part of the Arc Raiders experience, too, but the game brilliantly leaves an important space for “I don’t know if this will work” moments. 

Whether it’s climbing onto flying robots, being inventive with traps, forming the perfect ambush attack, or parkouring a new route, Arc Raiders feels like a playground as much as it is about getting the best loot, guns, and progressing in your skill tree. Of course, you could always focus on quests, that skill tree, and its extensive and pretty impactful abilities.

After all, do you focus on your Raiders’ conditioning, mobility, or survival skills? Moving more quickly with a heavier shield or weight is useful. But faster crouching is good, as is more agile climbing. You really do get to prioritise based on your playstyle, in pretty much everything from how you want to look, move, shoot, adventure, and engage with others. 

In modern gaming, having choice is key, with multiple ways to feel rewarded in your experience. And while you can be punished in Arc Raiders, being knocked out and losing loot doesn’t feel devastating (unless you ignore your safe pocket). However, what Arc Raiders does feel is hugely fun, immersive, and effortlessly replayable. 

Arc Raider’s 24-hour Steam player peak, as I write, is 264,673. That puts Embark’s new release just behind BF6 and Escape From Duckov. That seems right, because Arc Raiders is a genuinely enjoyable, immersive, and flexible gaming experience. It offers an easy ‘one more run’ feel, and can be played pretty much how you want to play it. 

Is Arc Raiders perfect? No. I’ve had a couple of matchmaking errors and nearly been stuck between rocks in awkward places. Plus, a day two hotfix has been pushed to resolve bugs. Long may such improvements and updates roll out as Embark feels Arc Raiders is a 10-year game. I’d certainly try it now. A gem, and for me, yes, an instant classic.