The new Arc Raiders 2.0 update has triggered a seven-month high for its concurrent player count on Steam as fans show up for its "Spider-Man" grappling hook, a new map, a free weekend, and more.

Embark's once-viral extraction experience has had a rough few months. As the studio slowed down updates and vowed to rework its divisive Expedition prestige system, Arc Raiders players have largely left it behind, hoping to one day return to Speranza should more enticing updates arrive.

After reaching an all-time peak of nearly 500,000 players on Steam (via SteamDB), it's consistently struggled to reach more than 35,000 players on PC since July. It was a fall from grace that's left fans missing the honeymoon phase, but the Frozen Trail update, which launched two days ago, October 8, across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, has almost immediately brought back some of that hype.

In September, Arc Raiders reached a player count low of just 10,000 on Steam. As of the publication of this story, 166,670 people are logged onto Arc Raiders on the PC platform alone, and it looks like it could keep climbing. It's a number Embark hasn't hit since early April, and although it's too soon to tell if these are the kind of results needed to give it a proper second wind, it does mark the first time the game has achieved a notable spike since December 2025.

It's all thanks to Frozen Trail and the free weekend that helped usher it in. The update, which brought the first substantial changes Arc Raiders has received since Riven Tides in April, introduced a collection of game-changing content. Its crown jewel is Pendola Pass, a snowy mountainous region located beyond Raiders' usual home in the Rust Belt. New buildings to loot and shoot through would surely be enough to bring fans back, but it's really just the tip of the iceberg.

New Arc threats like the Bully, Skulker, and Hydra have shaken up combat encounters. The Tether Launcher, which can tie enemies to objects against their will, and the Grappling Hook have given players new tools to experiment with. That aforementioned free weekend, meanwhile, which runs from October 8 – 12, has allowed even newcomers to check out how Embark has changed Arc Raiders for the better. Individually, these are updates that would pique the interest of even the most casual fan, but the only reason so many are installing the game again is because of how these tweaks add new toys to the sandbox.

I was not a believer. This is one of the best updates ever in a video game.
by u/Artistic_Annual8918 in ARC_Raiders

"I was not a believer," one popular post on Reddit said. "This is one of the best updates ever in a video game."

The same post continued, first praising Frozen Trail's scale. They admitted to being a lapsed Arc Raiders fan, explaining that the mix of Embark's new elements not only got them to return but also has them looking forward to what's next.

"I absolutely loved Arc Raiders for its first 6 months but I got frustrated with it since they announced the twice a year update," they said. "I quit playing, said that these devs don’t know what they’re doing, they fumbled, etc. I know it probably won’t reach the popularity and number of players it had in December but that doesn’t matter to me, what matters to me is that I was flat out wrong about these devs and their ability to update the game. What they did here is special and I just wanted to come out and admit I was wrong and give them their flowers. I’m now extremely excited for the future of this game."

While not everyone is willing to go as far as to call it an all-time great video game update, it's hard to find anyone being too critical of what Embark had to offer. Pendola Pass' size seems to be an especially notable bright spot, with others mentioning the new UFO-style Arc ship known as the Frigate as another big highlight.

Managed to get on the frigate it's no joke up there like a destiny raid
by u/cybrsloth92 in ARC_Raiders

The FRIGATE in ARC Raiders is enormous! How are we supposed to fight this thing? 😭

📽️ u/cybrsloth92 https://t.co/w2HHvCDEkK

— ARC Raiders Alerts (@ArcRaiderAlerts) October 8, 2026

"Just played an hour before work, and I couldn't even explore more than 15% of the map," one player said. "There were so many things to check out and explore, this time they really delivered a big map!"

"I agree, not to mention the new weapons, skills, weapons mods, it’s hard to believe they did all this in less than 6 months. Frigate is so damn cool," another said.

With such a drastic and sudden increase in attention, more highlight reels have started to find their way back to social media, too. New tools like the Grappling Hook come with obvious opportunities for shareable clips, as it allows Raiders to attach to everything from steep cliffs to flying Arc. Others can't help but draw comparisons to how the toy allows players to swing through maps like "Spider-Man."

"I was going to get that," one fan said, referring to a new wall-running skill, "but then I remembered grappling hooks exist now. It's sooo much more fun to swing around like Spider-Man and then run around at 100mph with no stamina usage."

There's also the new Advanced Camera. It works exactly how you'd expect, giving players the tech to capture memories, all with the click of a button. Considering Arc Raiders has thrived on the comedy presented by its in-game systems, a camera has really only given that chaos another chance to shine.

ARC RAIDERS LETS YOU SWING LIKE SPIDER-MAN WITH THE NEW GRAPPLE HOOK!

🎥MisterMediocre https://t.co/XM22wmv5RZ

— ARC Now (@ArcRaidersNow) October 9, 2026

Bullying a Rocketeer in ARC Raiders using the new grappling hook 😂

📽️ u/BranandWiller https://t.co/q8Q0AYUSzm

— ARC Raiders Alerts (@ArcRaiderAlerts) October 10, 2026

THIS IS WHY ARC RAIDERS’ NEW CAMERA FEELS SO GOOD

🎥JojoBobaguard https://t.co/5xvYzcdVfN

— ARC Now (@ArcRaidersNow) October 8, 2026

Arc Raiders is having a bit of a moment, but we'll have to see if it has truly managed to recapture the magic that made it such a hit at launch. Up next is testing for a dedicated PvE mode, something fans have begged to see implemented since launch. Embark is certainly at least trying, with the game also available for 50% off on all platforms as players flock to its free weekend.

IGN gave Arc Raiders a 9/10 review when it arrived almost exactly one year ago, saying, "With polished gunplay and an irresistible grind, Arc Raiders sets a new standard for extraction shooters." Even if Embark can't entertain a consistently high number of players, it's clear the studio has more plans for the IP in the future. Both it and the studio's game-show-inspired FPS, The Finals, are set to receive TV show and movie adaptations at some point in the future.

Frozen Trail brought more new content to Arc Raiders than we could list. You can see the full patch notes below.

Arc Raiders Frozen Trail Update 2.0 Patch Notes

Raiders!

The cold has arrived, and it's brought a lot with it. Frozen Trail is our biggest update since launch, packed with new features, fresh challenges, and a long list of fixes and improvements.

We've been working on this one for a while, and we couldn't be more excited to finally put it in your hands. Whether you're here for the new content or just want to know what we've fixed, there's something for everyone. Grab something warm, settle in, and read on for the full breakdown.

Thank you for playing, for reporting bugs, and for sticking with us.

Highlights
  • New Map - Pendola Pass
  • New Map Conditions - Frigate & Redirection
  • New Enemies - Bully, Skulker, Hydra
  • New Weapons - Bantam & Stiletto
  • Amplified Weapons
  • Revamped Skill Tree
  • New Items - Grappling Hook, Basic & Advanced Cameras, Tether Launcher, Yank Grenade, Mountaineer’s Detector, Banjo & Harmonica
  • The Outpost, including a new Research Bench
  • Lootable “Design” items that unlock craftable Outpost furniture
  • Quest System improvements, 22 new quests added
  • New Reward Pass system
  • Weapon Stencils
  • Updated default gamepad mapping
  • Reworked Map Selection screen, including visual and usability improvements
  • Collector DLC is available now
  • Max Stash Size increased by 2 new levels (328 Max without Expedition bonuses)
Skill Tree Revamp

Changes to the Raider Skill Tree include new skills and improvements to existing skills, enabling players to better embellish their playstyle with more impactful skill choices.

We've heard the comments (and seen in the data) that the Skill Tree was not living up to its role in offering sufficiently interesting ways of building your character to better define and refine your playstyle. The goal of the Skill Tree revamp is twofold: to look at under-performing skills, modify or replace them, and to get closer to the goal of making choice and expression a more core feature of the Skill Tree.

Alongside some new skills and a reshuffling of the layout, new functionality has been added to replace the previous 'large' nodes at the middle and end of the branches. Now, for the middle of each branch, instead of having two selectable skills and two 'paths', there is one path where the node is a binary choice between two skills. You can only choose one; you will be able to make the choice again when you reset your skill tree. At the end of each branch are two nodes where you must make a choice out of three skills. Here, you can choose up to two of the three, after reaching the required skill point investment.

As this is a fairly big reimagining of the Skill Tree, there will likely be more tweaks and updates in the near future, to existing and new skills, as we see how you are engaging with it.

Weapon Stencils

The Frozen Trail update introduces Weapon Stencils, a new cosmetic option that lets players personalize the look of their weapons with a range of stencil patterns. Note that stenciled weapons can still be lost like any other weapon: if you're downed, other Raiders can loot your weapon along with its stencil.

  • 14 Weapon Stencils:
    • 5 Stencils are exclusive to Frozen Trail Premium Pass
    • 1 Stencil is exclusive to DLC
    • 8 Stencils can be found Topside

Stencils are similar to blueprints, once learned you can apply them to compatible weapons. Applying Stencils requires Stencil Parts, which can be found Topside.

Outpost

New Outpost can be unlocked by completing a project.

  • Remember to accept the quest and bring your camera!
  • Outpost can be expanded with different modules
  • Unlocking the outpost will unlock access to the research station

Furniture Designs:

Similar to blueprints, they can be learned and used to craft different furniture for your Outpost.

  • 100 Furniture Designs have been added to the game
  • 4 Furniture Designs are exclusive to Frozen Trail Pass
  • 1 Furniture Design is exclusive to DLC
  • 73 Furniture Designs can be found Topside
  • 22 Furniture Designs are unlocked by upgrading the Outpost
Reward Pass

The Reward Pass is our new progression system and the evolution of Raider Decks. Alongside this change, Cred has been removed from the game and replaced by Reward Points, a new currency that's automatically applied toward your progress on whichever pass you currently have active.

The first new pass is the Frozen Trail Pass, featuring 60 levels across a Free and a Premium track.

Your existing Raider Decks haven't gone anywhere. They've been moved into the new Legacy Pass, and any rewards you've already unlocked are kept and will appear as granted. You can continue progressing through the Legacy Pass at any time by setting it as your active pass. Note that only one Reward Pass can be active at a time, so your Reward Points will go toward whichever pass you've selected.

Feats Rework

Feats are now split into 3 different categories: Easy, Medium and Hard.

  • Easy: 15 Reward Points, +1 weekly milestone progression
  • Medium: 25 Reward Points, +2 weekly milestone progression
  • Hard: 50 Reward Points, +3 weekly milestone progression.

Weekly milestones are granting 250 Reward Points each, there are 3 of them available per week:

  • Milestone 1: Get 4 weekly milestone progress
  • Milestone 2: Get 8 weekly milestone progress
  • Milestone 3: Get 12 weekly milestone progress

After completing your weekly milestones, you can keep completing Feats, but no major milestone rewards will be granted until the weekly timer is reset.

Twitch Drops

You can grab some new backpack attachments by watching your favorite streamer play ARC Raiders! You’ll need to watch at least 60 minutes to receive the Oxygen Respirator, and 120 minutes for the Mailbox. These drops will be live between October 8 - November 4, 2026.

Content and Bug Fixes

Animation

  • Knockback animations now align with the actual direction you’re pushed in.
  • Fixed an issue where, after reconnecting and being revived, your character could jitter and display broken animations while moving.
  • Fixed an issue where you could get stuck on small obstacles when sliding.
  • Added animations to show the player interacting with their map and inventory.
  • Added mouth animation for when players are talking in proximity chat.
  • Added new contextual character animations; like exhaustion when running out of breath for a while and brushing off dust after sliding.
  • Fixed an issue where players kept some items in their hands during the knockout animation or during some interactions.
  • Additional animation polish and tweaks.

ARC

  • Adjusted the multi-target laser from the Vaporizer to give players a clearer window for dodging with fast traversal and dodge mechanics.
  • Added fire status effect visuals for ARC drones.
  • Moved higher tier loot from the armor pieces of the legs to the legs pieces for Queen and Matriarch.
    • The armor plates are supposed to protect the legs, so it made sense to relocate the loot to the protected area. Having the loot inside the armor took away from the experience and was inconsistent with how other ARC work. Armor pieces can still contain some loot.
  • Improved AI sight handling to prevent rare detection errors in enemy awareness.
  • The Matriarch can once again use all of its ranged attacks.
  • Rebalanced physical force effects against certain ARC enemies.

Audio

  • Adjusted how character sounds are occluded by walls and obstacles for more natural audio positioning.
  • Added more variations to metal groan sound effects to improve environmental ambience.
  • Added missing sound effects to the Snap Hook for attaching, detaching, and rope movement to improve audio feedback.
  • Updated the sound for Skill Tree unlocks and added a hold-interaction audio cue in the UI.
  • Fixed an issue where some weapon sounds could fail to play.
  • Improved the quality of the Raider Voice model, providing a higher fidelity of voice conversion.

Cosmetic

  • Updated Celeste’s appearance.
  • Added an Emissive Toggle for backpacks with light sources. That means you can now turn off the lights from your favorite backpacks to go full stealth mode.
  • The Zenith Outfit now has all of its intended toggles. Players who own the outfit will receive the missing toggles shortly.

Gameplay

  • “Solo vs. Squads” is no longer available in the matchmaking options.
    • We want players to have a proper incentive to use all of the available matchmaking settings, which Solo vs. Squads currently lacks. To that end, we're taking time to re-evaluate its role in the game.
  • Reworked the explosive damage formula for ARC. In practice this means that explosive weapons like the Hullcracker will deal over 50% more damage against armor plates but around 30% less damage against more fragile parts.
    • The intention is to make explosive damage feel more consistent across the board as well as increasing its effectiveness against heavy armor. Since most ARC are heavily armored and we want the numeric damage output to be more consistent this also means that its effectiveness against weak points is slightly reduced.
  • Made certain changes to skills that were in the previous Skill Tree iteration to fit them better within the new one:
    • Stamina gained from Fight or Flight increased by ~25% per level.
    • Stubborn Mule stamina regen values increased by ~33%.
    • Increase Back on Your Feet healing from 30 to 40.
  • Added more contextual Ping information for ARC and various objects.
  • The Stash can be upgraded further, by two tiers. The new maximum (without Expedition rewards or acquired Nomadic Envoy space) is 328 slots.
  • You can now drop loot to the ground directly from containers
  • You can no longer sprint-climb ladders when exhausted
  • Addressed some instances where vaulting onto destroyed ARC parts or other movable surfaces could unexpectedly launch or shove the player.
  • Weapon slot weight reduction now applies only to the loadout; other containers and sub-containers are unaffected.
  • You can now open the map while downed.
  • Improved hit registration when shooting while on top of ARC.
  • Heavy Shield: reduced durability decay from 0.20 to 0.15 and decreased movement penalty while equipped from 15% to 10%.
  • Added Scrambling. Sprinting at steep slopes will allow you to scramble up them for a short time.
  • You now automatically enter a sliding state after tumbling for too long.

Items

  • Increased Flame Spray range to better match its visual effect and improve usability.
  • Ziplines now break when intersecting something after being placed.
  • Reduced Snap Hook range from 20m to 18m, increased durability consumption from 2% to 4% per use, and raised power cost from 50 to 60.
    • As we added more personal mobility items, it became clear we needed to begin differentiating them to a greater degree. While the Snap Hook has previously been a ‘general use’ mobility gadget, with the introduction of the Grappling Hook, we felt the need to give them their own identity outside of a ‘linear upgrade’ path. With these changes, we aim to make the Snap Hook better fit its role as being a burst mobility gadget; something that is used to quickly close distance or traverse a location, but with more commitment when doing so. The power cost increase will still allow for multiple uses within a short time when at full power, but will no longer allow for immediate back-to-back uses.
  • Fixed an issue where items were appearing outside their intended areas or containers. These items will now only be available within their designated locations.

Weapons

  • Updated Anvil’s rarity from Green to Blue.
    • The Anvil has been a tricky weapon to evaluate. It comes with a versatility that allows it to effectively take on both Raiders and ARC alike, and is outperforming weapons both within and above its own level of rarity. But it is also a fan-favourite and a staple of the game in its own way. We felt that increasing the rarity level for it would put it in a better place within the economy, while still ma