Arc Raiders Is Free-to-Play for a Limited Time

October 9, 2026, 12:04am

Arc Raiders has been one of the few live service success stories over the years. Developer Embark Studios is still up and running and the game hasn’t shut down, and that’s quite the achievement in 2026, a year that has claimed more than a few developers. Embark is giving even more players a chance to try its extraction shooter, as it is holding a few free trials for those curious. And it’s even on sale for those who want to take the plunge.

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The free trial is currently being held across PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam and will last until October 12th. Embark specifically noted in its initial announcement of the trial that it will end at 1:00 a.m. PT, so there won’t be much time to play on that final day. Regardless, that’s the entire weekend. Subscriptions to PlayStation Plus and Game Pass are not required here for players on the two consoles, either.

Players who want to grab the full game can do so at discount, too. It is currently $19.99 — a 50% discount — across all digital platforms. The deal expires on October 15th on Xbox and Steam, but the discount will be up on PS5 until October 21st at 11:59 p.m. PT. The Deluxe Edition is also on sale for $29.99 — also a 50% discount — for the same duration as the base edition across the three platforms, which comes with a handful of extra cosmetics and some currency.

Arc Raider‘s Free Trial Comes at a Good Time

This free trial is coming to the game at a fitting time, too. The extraction shooter just got its biggest drop yet with the Frozen Trail update. Said patch added another map, new enemies, amplified weapons, a revamped skill tree, more additional items, improvements to the quest system, and much more.

The update has even done quite a bit to get players back to the game. While just a snapshot of one storefront on one platform, the daily number of users on Steam has shot up dramatically. Just before the update, it was pulling in around highs of 30,000 to 40,000 concurrent players each day. After the update, that average rose dramatically and has topped out at around 130,000.

According to estimates from analytics firm Alinea Analytics from near the game’s launch in late 2025, the lion’s share of sales were on Steam, so those numbers probably represent a decent chunk of player base. However, it’s incredibly likely the Xbox Series X|S and PS5 player counts rose during the past few days, as well.

Are you finally going to try Arc Raiders? Or are you going to use this trial as an easy way to wipe out some new players? Tell us in the comments.