Players on Reddit ran a weeklong social experiment inside Arc Raiders to see which platform produces kinder cross-play teammates. The test compared PS5 and PC lobbies and found far more players the testers described as friendly on PC. The methodology was simple and low-tech. Two brothers played solo rounds and tried to signal peaceful intent by lowering weapons and telling other players they were just passing through and open to teaming up. They logged every interaction across seven days.
The raw counts are stark. In 84 PS5 rounds ,they recorded seven players they labeled friendly. In 51 PC rounds, they recorded 17 friendly players. The experiment did not include Xbox, and the sample is limited by time and number of matches. There are obvious caveats. The pool was small and limited to a single week. Matchmaking windows, time of day, and the testers playing solo could all skew behavior. Still the testers summed up their feelings bluntly and said they would avoid playing cross-play against console players again.
That anecdote fits other early social signals in the game. Some squads are already opting out of fights and talking players down instead of shooting. See our recent look at players choosing peace in Arc Raiders for more on that trend. The Reddit thread that started the test is available for anyone who wants to check the raw notes and examples. It was also highlighted in an article that pointed out the experiment. Readers should treat the findings as interesting but not definitive until larger samples and comparisons with Xbox are included.
Platforms, community culture, and the quirks of mixed matchmaking can change how people behave. For now the testers found PC lobbies to be calmer. That may matter if a player wants more social runs and fewer reflex shootings.
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ARC Raiders
Developed by Embark Studios
ARC Raiders is a multiplayer, extraction adventure, set in a lethal future earth, ravaged by a mysterious mechanized threat known as ARC.
- Genre: Shooter
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5
- Modes: Multiplayer, Co-operative
- Release: 2025-10-30
- Publisher: Embark Studios
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Age Rating:
ESRB T / PEGI 16 / GRAC 15+ / USK 18 / CLASS_IND 14 / ACB M
- IGDB Rating: 89.7/100
