Arc Raiders' New 'Headwinds' Update Releases January 27, Four-Month Content Roadmap Revealed

Arc Raiders, the hit extraction shooter from Embark Studios, is getting a new major update on January 27, kicking off the four-month update roadmap revealed last week. The latest update, titled Headwinds, brings a new solo vs squads matchmaking option, a new project to gain rewards, a new minor map condition, and more.

The Headwinds update will go live on January 27 across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X. The update is the first major one that brings new gameplay features and map conditions since December's Cold Snap update that brough snow-covered maps, new cosmetics, and more.

Arc Raiders' Headwinds Update Features

Arc Raiders' Headwinds update will add a solo vs squads matchmaking options for players above level 40. Eligible players will be able to queue up solo in a squads lobby and take on teams of players for an extra challenge. Solo players will get extra XP when they play against squads, Embark confirmed in a blog post on Monday.

The Headwinds update will also add a new player project called Trophy Display. As part of the project, players will be able to progress through levels and unlock rewards as they kill more Arc robots.

The new update also brings a minor map condition, called Bird City. As part of the condition, the Buried City map in Arc Raiders will feature hidden valuable loot in chimneys.

Finally, the Headwinds update will add the Sandwalker Set cosmetic set.

Arc Raiders Content Roadmap

Embark Studios revealed the Escalation roadmap for Arc Raiders last week, detailing major updates coming to the game from January to April 2026. The four-month content roadmap will bring new enemies, maps, conditions, or other changes to the game.

Following the Headwinds update in January, Arc Raiders will get the Shrouded Sky update in February, which will come with a new map condition, new Arc threat, player project, a new raider deck, and a map update.

In March, Embark Studios will roll out the Flashpoint update, bringing yet another map condition, Arc threat, player project, and Scrappy update. Finally in April, the Riven Tides update will add a new full map to Arc Raiders, alongside a new large Arc robot, and a new map condition.

Arc Raiders launched on October 30, 2025, with four maps — Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, Spaceport, and the Blue Gate — and a practice range. A fifth map, Stella Montis, was added as part of an update in November. The game received its Cold Snap update during the Holiday season in December.

Earlier this month, Embark and publisher Nexon announced that Arc Raiders had sold 12.4 million copies across PS5, Xbox Series S/X, and PC. The extraction shooter also hit a record of nearly a million concurrent players in January.

Embark confirmed in an interview that Arc Raiders is set to get multiple new maps in 2026.