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Arc Raiders' Frozen Trail Update Boosts Player Count as Embark Studios Begins PvE Beta Test

Arc Raiders' Frozen Trail Update Boosts Player Count as Embark Studios Begins PvE Beta Test

Arc Raiders is beta testing a PvE matchmaking toggle from October 13 to October 20.

Written by Manas Mitul | Updated: 13 October 2026 16:21 IST

Arc Raiders' Frozen Trail Update Boosts Player Count as Embark Studios Begins PvE Beta Test

Photo Credit: Embark Studios

Arc Raiders' Frozen Trail update launched on October 8

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Highlights

Arc Raiders' new PvE toggle will be available in beta till October 20
Frozen Trail update adds the biggest map in the game yet
Arc Raiders has sold over 16 million copies

Arc Raiders' latest major update, titled Frozen Trail, released last week, bringing a new map, weapons, and widespread gameplay changes. The update, coupled with the free weekend that went live at the same time, has brought players back to the extraction shooter, pushing its concurrent player count to the highest it has been since March.

Following the launch of the Frozen Trail 2.0 update last week, Arc Raiders hit a high of over 185,000 concurrent players on Steam over the weekend, as per SteamDB charts. The number stands in contrast to the game's concurrent player count in recent months, which has hovered around 30,000 players.

The high concurrent player count also reflects the game's free weekend period between October 8 and October 12, where players across all supported platforms could access the game for free. Additionally, Arc Raiders is currently available with a 50 percent discount on all storefronts.

Arc Raiders' Next Major Update Brings New Map, Rewards Pass and More

The renewed interest in the game comes after months of dwindling player counts and lack of major post-launch updates. The last update that added a new map to the game—Riven Tides—arrived in April. In May, developer Embark Studios announced it was changing the cadence of updates, moving away from a monthly update cycle to releasing major updates twice a year.

Frozen Trail is Arc Raiders' biggest update yet. It adds the game's biggest map yet in Pendola Pass, along with a brand-new map condition that features a boardable Arc ship called Frigate. The 2.0 update also brings new Arc enemies, new weapons, a new tier of weapon upgrades, new gadgets, and fully reworked skill trees. The full list of changes can be seen in patch notes shared by Embark Studios.

📡 Attention, Raiders! Update 2.1 is live, introducing the Carrion Set and kicking off of the PvE toggle Beta Test! We know that the announcement of this highly requested feature has sparked both excitement and skepticism, so jump in, try it out, and let us know what you think. Check the patch notes for a comprehensive list of all the new fixes rolling out: https://t.co/rK2cPKcUVB
— ARC Raiders (@ARCRaidersGame) October 13, 2026

PvE Beta Test Begins

Arc Raiders is also starting a beta test for a PvE toggle that allows players to queue for PvE matchmaking only. The PvE beta will be live for a week from October 13 to October 20. The toggle will add a new PvE-only server in the game, where players won't be able to deal damage to other players.

However, overall loot value will be lowered in the PvE mode, Embark Studios confirmed in an update on the game's website. Additionally, the mode will not support certain map conditions, including Night Raid, Hidden Bunker, and the newly introduced Frigate.

The default PvPvE mode will continue with standard matchmaking rules. Embark said it would gather and assess data about the impact of the PvE toggle on PvPvE matches before making any sweeping changes to matchmaking. The studio will also collect feedback from players at the end of the beta.

ARC Raiders

KEY SPECS
NEWS

Genre Shooter

Platform PlayStation 5 (PS5), Xbox Series S/X, PC: Windows

Modes Single-player

More Embark Studios Games

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Further reading: Arc Raiders, Embark Studios, Frozen Trail Update, Steam, Arc Raiders PvE

Manas Mitul

Email Manas Mitul

In his time as a journalist, Manas Mitul has written on a wide spectrum of beats including politics, culture and sports. He enjoys reading, walking around in museums and rewatching films. Talk to Manas about football and tennis, but maybe don’t bring up his video game backlog. More