Extraction shooters tend to come with one promise and one headache, sweet loot if you survive, and the constant threat of other players ending your run. ARC Raiders flips that script a little by leaning hard into hostile PvE. That change makes the loop feel friendlier for people who avoid extractions but still like looting and crafting. The game has something special to it, and I don’t think I’d ever explain it properly, because you need to get in to feel it. It’s super weird, honestly. One thing, however, if you played Tarkov, the insurance is here is way more forgiving and maybe that encourages players to do wild stuff in the game and engage in PvP literally any time they want.
ARC machines are intelligent, relentless, and dangerous. They demand attention, which means fewer straight PvP rushes and more moments where players either avoid each other or actually cooperate. Encounters with other Raiders often play out like impromptu social experiments – sometimes a wave, sometimes a trade, sometimes chaos. That alone changes how the game feels on every run. Progression in ARC Raiders leans into crafting and stash management. Materials, blueprints, trinkets, and upgrades all matter, and the stash keeps your haul until you decide to use it. There are voluntary wipes available through the Expedition Project if you want a reset for extra rewards, but there are no mandatory wipes that throw your progress away. That lowers the pressure and makes it easier to jump in with a lighter commitment.
Not everyone plays nice – you will still run into players who camp, betray, or shoot on sight. But the number of times random players actually stick together long enough to extract is unusually high for an extraction game. The match feels less like a zero-sum free-for-all and more like a shared event where the PvE threat keeps everyone on their toes. If this sounds like something you might enjoy, but you want a closer look before jumping in, read our Arc Raiders play test for deeper impressions and examples of raid flow, or our overview of why ARC Raiders is topping player charts for context on its launch performance.
Short runs, memorable encounters, and stash persistence make ARC Raiders a good pick for players who like looting and progression but have historically avoided full‑on extraction shooters. Give a raid a shot and see what kind of run you get.
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