Arc Raiders uses aggression-based matchmaking to group PvP-minded players

Embark Studios says its matchmaking does more than match skill. In a video interview with GamesBeat, CEO Patrick Söderlund said Arc Raiders tracks how aggressive players are and tries to pair PvP-minded players with each other while grouping more peaceful players together.

Söderlund framed the system as a tension reducer: “the game isn’t about shooting other players,” he said, “though you can do that if you want to.” He added that matchmaking is “skill-based” first, and that the studio has “introduced a system where we also matchmake based on how prone you are to PvP or PvE. So if your preference is to do PvE and you have less conflict with players … you’ll get more matched up [with that sort of play]. Obviously, it’s not a full science.”

What exactly Embark measures and how heavily those signals affect pairing remains unclear. Sorting by playstyle could help keep quieter lobbies calm, or it could concentrate highly aggressive players and change the early-game dynamic for them. It could also be tuned to avoid obvious ways of gaming the system, so developers may not publish the full details.

Arc Raiders already positions itself as a slightly calmer extraction shooter, and this matchmaking approach is a concrete way to support that design goal without removing PvP entirely. For readers who want a closer look at systems the game might need fixed next year, see our breakdown of what Arc Raiders should fix going into 2026.

Watch the full GamesBeat interview here.

It remains to be seen how the aggression-based layer changes the game’s feel over the coming months, but it’s a rare example of a studio explicitly accounting for general playstyle in matchmaking.

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