ARC Raiders Playtest Sneaks Up on Players with 1 More Day to Play: “This Game Is Fantastic”

ARC Raiders has changed a bit from the original concept, which was unveiled at The Game Awards back in 2021. At that time, it was intended to be a largely co-op PvE game, though it has since pivoted to more of a PvPvE third-person extraction shooter. With the pivot, some gamers weren’t sure what to make of ARC Raiders. Currently, several thousand gamers are getting a chance to check it out thanks to the second wave of ARC Raiders play tests, which began on April 30th and will wrap up on May 4th.

Coming from The Finals developer Embark Studios, ARC Raiders will be a multiplayer PvPvE extraction shooter. In it, players will explore a post-apocalyptic version of future Earth, filled with menacing mechanical enemies known as ARCs. Gamers will explore the surface, trying to scavenge important items for their underground home while evading and battling both machines and fellow Raiders.

Once considered a fairly niche genre, extraction shooters are becoming more popular these days, with games like Deep Rock: Galactic capturing a dedicated fanbase. Even some, many gamers are hesitant to sign on for yet another big multiplayer shooter game without a clear reason why it stands above the rest. So, many gamers went into the ARC Raiders playtest with low expectations, only to find that the game, even in its early stages, is ready to surpass them.

As one gamer shared on Reddit, ARC Raiders is impressing many players with how polished it is, even in the Alpha playtesting stage. Often, games run into issues during playtests, from network connection errors to performance issues and more. However, many gamers are finding that ARC Raiders runs smoothly already, with solid graphics and performance. Even those who aren’t overall impressed with gameplay admit that the production value, at least, is pretty high so far.

What Gamers Like About ARC Raiders So Far

The ARC Raiders playtest is letting gamers in on a rolling basis, meaning that some gamers who signed up could still get codes before the playtest ends on May 4th. That’s good news for those eager to see why the game is impressing players who’ve been among the 14,000+ gamers to try it out so far on Steam alone. And clearly, there’s a reason that the concurrent number has stayed so high throughout the playtest.

“This game, it just works though,” says one player who got to try it out during the playtest. The fast-paced gameplay and overall feel of the game have even die-hard traditional FPS fans enjoying the more niche extraction genre. In particular, gamers are enjoying the intense combat and sci-fi atmosphere. The ARC enemies are actually tough and keep players engaged right along with the immersive graphics and solid performance.

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Not everyone is interested in the extraction shooter genre, and some gamers are still disappointed about the pivot compared to what ARC Raiders was originally supposed to be. Others think the gameplay looks a bit boring, even with the solid graphics and stellar performance. Even so, it seems like the game might be worth keeping an eye on if you’re at all interested in playing extraction shooters like this one.

The current ARC Raiders playtest ends on May 4th and is available for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC gamers. You can still sign up via the Embark website, though time is running out to get that coveted invitation. There is not yet a confirmed full release date for ARC Raiders, and with this being its second Alpha playtest, it may be a little while before the game is ready for a full launch. When it does come out, ARC Raiders will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.