I have to be honest with you, when I hear “extraction shooter,” my brain usually switches off. I picture getting sniped from a bush three minutes into a raid and losing all my hard-earned gear. It is usually a genre reserved for the super-hardcore, and frankly, I don’t often have the patience for it. But ARC Raiders has managed to do something genuinely special here.
In a month where the heavy hitters like Battlefield and Call of Duty dropped, this is the game that has completely stolen my attention. I have put around 20 hours into it, mostly solo, and I am here to tell you that even if you think you hate this genre, you really need to look again.
It is a PvE game first and foremost, disguised as a PvP shooter, and it’s brilliant.
Sights and Sounds
From a technical standpoint, this might just be the most polished package of 2025. We all know the horror stories associated with Unreal Engine 5 performance, but Embark has worked some serious magic here with Arc Raiders.
It runs like a dream. But more importantly, it oozes style. They have gone for this “Cassette Futurist” aesthetic – think terrestrial sci-fi rather than space opera, grounded in a retro vibe that feels tactile and lived-in.
The audio deserves its own mention because it is industry-leading stuff.
If you have ever played something like PUBG , you know what I mean. You play this game with your ears as much as your eyes. The soundscape gives you so much information, from the crunch of glass under boots to the distant whine of a drone.
It is immersive in a way few games achieve.
Fighting the ARC
The real stars here aren’t the other players; they are the ARC machines.
These aren’t your standard video game bullet sponges. There are 17 different types, and they are terrifyingly intelligent.
The animation work is staggering because it is AI-driven. If you shoot a propeller off a Wasp drone, it doesn’t just play a “damaged” animation loop; it physically struggles to recalibrate its flight path in real-time.
Engaging them is a tactical puzzle. You have to strip armour plating off the big guys like Leapers and Bombardiers before you can do real damage.
They will chase you, flank you, and genuinely stress you out.
It makes the PvE combat feel incredibly high-stakes and rewarding, which is rare for a multiplayer shooter.
Respecting Your Time
The biggest win for me is how ARC Raiders handles progression. Unlike Tarkov, there are no server wipes.
You keep your loot, your levels, and your blueprints forever. This is massive for anyone who can’t treat gaming like a full-time job. You can hop in for a quick run, grab some materials to upgrade your crafting bench, and get out.
There are over 60 quests that guide you through the mechanics, and a skill tree that rewards you just for playing the game, not just for killing players. If you are having a rough day, you can even take a “free loadout” run where you risk absolutely nothing. It is a loop that feels welcoming rather than punishing.
The PvP Panic
I know the PvP element is the sticking point for many, but hear me out.
Think of the other players less like enemies in a deathmatch and more like invaders in Dark Souls. Most of the time, you are just exploring and fighting robots. Occasionally, another player shows up to spike the adrenaline.
Because the game doesn’t explicitly reward killing on sight, and thanks to proximity chat, I found that many encounters actually end in a friendly wave or even a team-up.
Playing solo is surprisingly viable, too. The matchmaking tends to group solos together, meaning you aren’t constantly getting rolled by organized kill squads.
You learn to read the map, stick to the edges, and extract before the choke points get too busy.
It adds a layer of tension that elevates the experience without ruining it.
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Final Thoughts</h2>ARC Raiders is a breath of fresh air.
It is a stunning, confident release that doesn’t try to squeeze every penny out of you with predatory monetization—just some cool cosmetic skins if you want them.
It manages to be a deep, engaging RPG looter that I can play at my own pace, wrapped up in the tension of an extraction shooter.
If you are a loot goblin looking for a new world to get lost in, this is absolutely essential.
Don’t let the genre tag scare you off; this is one of the best games of the year.