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Arc Raiders: What Happened After the Playtest Phenomenon?

Last Updated: November 20, 2025

Arc Raiders gameplay featuring squad-based combat and scavenging.

The servers for the Arc Raiders playtest have officially gone dark, but the data left behind pointed to initial success and significant changes for developer Embark Studios. The technical test, designed to push the game’s infrastructure, saw a peak of nearly 190,000 concurrent players on Steam. While initial impressions were strong, the game's fate took an unexpected turn.

This impressive figure initially suggested that Arc Raiders was poised to become a major contender in the competitive online shooter space. Attracting such a large audience for a limited, pre-release technical test was a remarkable achievement and a strong indicator of a potentially huge launch.

A Technical Test Turns into a Phenomenon

Embark Studios opened the doors to its sci-fi world for a limited-time playtest event. The goal was to stress the servers, gather data, and prepare the game's backend for the influx of players expected at launch. The build offered to players was a limited slice of the full game, focusing on the core gameplay loop to ensure the test generated relevant technical feedback.

Despite the limited scope, player interest surged dramatically. According to Steam's own player tracking data, the Arc Raiders Playtest achieved an all-time peak of 189,668 concurrent players. This number was significant for several key reasons:

  • Massive Pre-Launch Interest: It proved a huge, active audience was already invested in the game before it had even been released.
  • Successful Marketing: The hype generated by trailers and the game's unique premise resonated with a broad player base.
  • Confidence in the Developer: Embark Studios, founded by industry veterans, carried a level of trust that encouraged players to show up in force.

This level of engagement for a technical test is often what many full-release games hope to achieve, putting Arc Raiders in an incredibly strong position as it headed toward its official launch.

What This Meant for the (Initially Planned) Full Launch

The primary success of the playtest was, of course, technical. By attracting such a large number of simultaneous players, Embark Studios was able to gather invaluable data on server stability, matchmaking performance, and overall network infrastructure. A smooth test at this scale suggested a much lower chance of the server issues that can often plague the launch of highly anticipated online games.

Beyond the technical victory, the player count served as a powerful proof of concept. Arc Raiders was famously rebooted during its development, shifting from a purely cooperative player-vs-environment (PvE) experience to a more ambitious player-vs-player-vs-environment (PvPvE) extraction shooter. This was a bold move that carried significant risk, but the playtest results acted as a validation of that decision. Players had seemingly accepted the new direction and were eager to play.

However, despite the promising playtest and initial excitement, significant changes occurred.

The Road Not Taken: Arc Raiders' Cancellation and Embark's Shift

While the original article speculated on a bright future, Arc Raiders ultimately did not see the light of day as initially planned. In July 2023, Embark Studios announced that development on Arc Raiders had been halted. The studio shifted its focus entirely to their other project, THE FINALS, a free-to-play combat-focused game show. THE FINALS subsequently launched in December 2023 and has garnered significant attention.

Embark Studios cited various reasons for shelving Arc Raiders, including wanting to focus on THE FINALS and the challenges of realizing their vision for Arc Raiders within the constraints they faced.

Frequently Asked Questions about Arc Raiders (and its fate)

What was Arc Raiders?

Arc Raiders was a free-to-play, squad-based PvPvE extraction shooter developed by Embark Studios. Players would have teamed up to scavenge for resources on a hostile planet, battling both AI-controlled enemies and other player-controlled teams to successfully extract with their loot.

When was the Arc Raiders release date?

An official release date was never announced. Initially, the game was slated for release in 2023, then delayed to 2024 before being cancelled altogether. The successful playtest had been a positive sign, but ultimately, the project was shelved.

What platforms would Arc Raiders have been available on?

Arc Raiders was confirmed for release on PC (via Steam), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, but was ultimately never released on any platform.

Was the playtest the full game?

No, the playtest was a limited technical test. It featured a specific slice of the game's content and was primarily designed to stress-test the servers and core gameplay mechanics, not to represent the final, complete game.

Related Posts (Reflecting on Shifting Fates)

  • THE FINALS Launch Success: Embark Studios' New Direction
  • Most Anticipated Games That Were Cancelled
  • Free-to-Play Shooters: A Changing Landscape