Arc Raiders Review

The gaming world has been craving some decent shooter action for some time. All of a sudden, everything arrives at once, and we become spoilt for choice. After the monumental success of Battlefield 6’s launch, with impressive player counts across the board, Embark Studios made the brave choice to release Arc Raiders. With Call of Duty Black Ops 7 in amongst the mix, I admire the team for sticking to their guns and bringing their game out against some tough opposition. Officially announced at The Game Awards in 2021 as a free-to-play co-op third-person shooter, the game has undergone alterations in the course of its development.

High Stakes, High Rewards, Tense Runs

Let me start by giving Embark Studios a big clap. Arc Raiders features Xbox Play Anywhere technology. Meaning that if you have purchased the game on Xbox Series X|S, then you can access it anywhere you can play your Xbox games. Be it your PC, ROG Ally X or any other device. Arc Raiders is an extraction-focused third-person shooter which built around short high-risk runs.

Crew up as a squad of three or go it alone with the premise of gathering loot and getting out alive. When preparing your run, you can either go in tooled up with your own tailored loadout or with a free loadout. Going in with your own gear is high risk, though, because if you’re killed, then you risk losing it all. Going in with a free loadout is low risk, but you are on the back foot when it comes to tackling ARCs and firefights.

Trust Nobody, Look Over Your Shoulder

What I love about Arc Raiders is how players interact with the game’s environments. When dipping into matches as a solo, I found the majority of players to be friendly. I’ve even had moments where I’ve tackled ARCs coming after me when they have used their smart detection systems to spot, and another player has helped me fend them off. Be wary, though, as I’ve also tagged along with other players throughout a run, only for them to shoot me in the back and rob all my gear towards the end. It is the uncertainty that always makes each run feel different and fresh. Tension is almost always there, and being strategic about runs may fare better for you. Do you dive in and grab as much as you can and get out, or do you utilise all the time you have to try and find the best gear?

Workbenches, Crafty & Scrappy the Rooster

Crafting is key to your long-term progression in Arc Raiders. All the loot you gather and extract from runs will work towards completing challenges and crafting weapons, upgrades and improvements like armour, bandages and more. Multiple workbenches can be built, which allow you to craft certain items. As you progress, you can upgrade benches to allow you to work towards higher-tier items.

Scrappy the rooster will be in the background, accumulating materials between your raids. This will, at times, speed up resource gathering, which will decrease the grind for certain materials. Using the rooster and upgrading them will allow you to focus on hunting down other items as a priority. You may be thinking, Why is a rooster in the game in the first place? After a little research, the rooster made it in after one of the 3D artists’ photoscanned a real rooster named Hakan after he famously wandered into one of the Zoom meetings.

A Visual Masterpiece

Arc Raiders is a visual masterpiece, especially on Xbox Series X. Embark Studios has clearly pushed the Unreal Engine 5 to its limits in the console space. Utilising high-resolution textures, beautiful dynamic lighting and detailed effects that blend in well with the atmosphere. If you’re playing for the first time, I suggest turning off motion blur and all that jazz to enhance the experience.

On Xbox Series X, I found no visual performance issues whatsoever in 30+ hours of playtime. Running at a smooth 60fps on console, it just looks incredible on a huge 4k screen. I can only imagine how exceptional it looks and performs on a high-end PC. For my review, I also tested the game on my Acer Nitro V15 gaming laptop and the Lenovo Legion Go handheld. Functionality on these devices was acceptable considering the limitations of both, with tweaking settings. Embark Studios has done superb work in the design of maps so far, all of which encourage exploration with detailed points of interest and the intrigue of rare loot being potentially anywhere.

Superb Audio

I’m often very critical when it comes to shooters when audio isn’t on point. Embark Studios has nailed the audio presentation, and I’d go as far as to say it’s probably the most immersive shooter I’ve played when it comes to how it sounds. What I adore about the audio design is that you could be within a confined building, and the slightest of noises has you on high alert. Knowing that an enemy could be around the corner, looting or waiting to pounce, or someone who could be openly friendly but still difficult to completely trust.

Weapon sound effects are impactful and not only heard but felt. You could be moving through foliage with your squad to hear the crack of gunshots in the distance or in the immediate vicinity. Not only are you contending with the ambient sounds of the game world, but you’re also listening in for the reaction of the ARCs that patrol the world. Being sighted by these is a certainty to give your position away to closeby raiders. Put it this way, Embark deserve awards for their work in the audio design, absolutely incredible.

An Ambitious Studio Willing To Take Risks

I’m full of admiration for Emark Studios, as the team was formed initially from former DICE employees. Whilst the studio was founded in 2018, the team grew to around 50 employees by 2019. Arc Raiders was the first project to be worked on, but The Finals actually progressed quickly and launched first. The Finals actually fared well with high-scoring reviews and even nominations for the best online game of the year, fantastic for a new studio with a small team. Yes, they had a wealth of experience in the gaming industry, but they took risks and created an experience that was unique and fresh. Enough about the history, though, how is Arc Raiders?

Final Thoughts

Arc Raiders is simply magnificent in what it sets out to achieve. Even if you haven’t played the game, all you have to do is look at videos to witness how spontaneous this game can be. If you’re after a third-person shooter experience that has you constantly on edge with repeated runs always being different, intense and exhilarating, then this is right up your street. This is one of those games that can create and unlock core gaming memories with friends, matches that you’ll discuss and remember for years to come.

Not only do you have to salute Embark Studios for creating one of the most polished and atmospheric games of 2025, but you also have to take your hat off to their pricing. Whilst the game has shifted from a promised free-to-play shooter as it was announced in 2021, what we have ended up with is potentially a game of the year contender for many. For a very reasonable cost of £30.99 for the base edition of the game, which you can purchase on Xbox Series X|S HERE, it is well worth the investment for the amount of content and gameplay on offer. If you’re a fan of shooters, then this is a must-buy.