ARC Raiders May Release Sooner Than You Think

As one of 2025’s biggest titles, ARC Raiders has been riding high since its recent tech test earlier last month. However, a recent leak discovered by fans may point towards a release date, and it’s a lot sooner than one could imagine. The multiplayer extraction shooter made by Embark Studios, which made The Finals, was revealed in 2021 at The Game Awards. Since then, the game has slowly been rolling out with betas and such, with the latest being a hit with fans, even more so than the AAA title Marathon. So, with the iron being as hot as it is, it’s no wonder fans have discovered a secret within the game’s files.

The extraction shooter genre has been one many titles have tried to break into. While Escape from Tarkov is the main example, other ones include Hunt: Showdown and Arena Breakout Infinite. Still, the genre has been oversaturated with many indies, and even major studios announcing projects in that vein, most notably Bungie’s Marathon, which is in some hot water at the moment for plagiarism. Despite that, ARC Raiders has proven many wrong with its engaging gameplay and fun multiplayer, as many cheered the title on during its tech test. So, a recent update to the game may have brought some people down an RNG rabbit hole that may lead to the release date.

ARC Raiders Release Date May Have Been Revealed Early

About yesterday's steam update.
byu/kzrts inArcRaiders

A user on Reddit called kzrts noted the discovery on the site in the /ArcRaiders subreddit. An update for the playtest on Steam was released early for a few minutes, and many were able to get it, despite it not being playable. The update led many to find the .exe file, which showcased a mysterious timer in the base64 code. What’s even more interesting about it is that the time is set to end on June 6th at a time which perfectly lines up exactly with this year’s Summer Game Fest event.

RELATED: New ARC Raiders Leak Shows Off Exciting Potential for Game’s Future

The timer confirms that we will see ARC Raiders at Summer Game Fest in some capacity. While it could be another beta test, many have brought up the game’s polished state, which looked much better than other betas. So, it could be possible that the game could release in its entirety on June 6th. It does make sense for the game to show up at Summer Game Fest given Geoff Keighley’s The Game Awards revealed the title back in 2021, so they have worked together. Currently, we know the game will be priced at $40, despite it initially being revealed as a free-to-play title. Still, with Marathon getting a lot of criticism for its price tag, perhaps ARC Raiders could reduce their price or cut it entirely so more people can play the highly anticipated game.

Do you think ARC Raiders will be released on June 6th? Did you play the recent playtest? How did you like it? Let us know in the comments below! For all things ARC Raiders, keep it here at ComicBook.