Arc Raiders 2.0 hailed as 'best video game update ever' with Spider-Man grapple and more

Sometimes, all it takes is a little patience and a shiny new toy to remind players why they fell in love with a game in the first place.

Live-service games are particularly guilty of testing that patience, with players often left waiting months for meaningful new content to arrive - And when an update finally lands, developers are faced with the rather difficult task of convincing lapsed players that it's worth returning.

Fortunately, it looks like Arc Raiders has managed to pull off exactly that.

Embark Studios' extraction shooter has enjoyed a pretty spectacular resurgence following its latest free-to-play update, with players going as far as to call it "one of the best updates ever in a video game."

Better still, a certain web-slinging superhero might have something to do with it.

Arc Raiders reaches seven-month high after beloved Frozen Trail update

The update in question is the Frozen Trail expansion (quickly being dubbed Arc Raiders 2.0), which launched on October 8.

The gargantuan update included a mass range of features, including a new snow-laden map, a wealth of quality-of-life improvements, and more weapons than you can think of. In fact, it's hard to quantify just how massive the update is.

But to put it into some perspective, reports suggest that the Frozen Trail update helped push the game's concurrent player count on Steam to over 166,000, which marks a seven-month high.

Those numbers are pale compared to some of the biggest games in the world, but when you consider that the developers issued worrying updates about its live-service program, and concurrent player counts had reportedly fallen to around 10,000 in September, it's a magnificent turnaround.

So, what is the deal all about?

Well, the newly introduced Pendola Pass snowy map, alongside fresh enemies, weapons, a revamped skill tree, and a collection of new gadgets, grabbed players' attention.

However, it's the Grappling Hook that's seemingly stealing the show.

As players have pointed out, the new gadget lets Raiders swing around the environment in a manner that's reminiscent of Spider-Man. You can use it to traverse tricky terrain, reach new heights and generally make a nuisance of yourself while exploring the Rust Belt.

It's the sort of addition that can completely change how a game feels, and the community appears to be having an absolute blast with it.

Read More: Players go wild for free Game Pass extraction fantasy title that combines Elden Ring and Arc Raiders

Over on Reddit, one returning player admitted they hadn't been convinced by the game's recent direction, but said the update had completely changed their mind.

"I was not a believer," they said, adding that it is "one of the best updates ever in a video game."

"Just the sheer scale of the update with the emperor and the frigate, the new map, the outposts, and a bunch of other things. This is one of the best updates in any game, ever."

Other players have praised the sheer amount of new content, with the expanded movement options and new encounters giving them fresh reasons to jump back in.

Of course, one successful update doesn't necessarily guarantee that Arc Raiders will maintain these numbers long-term. The real test will be whether Embark can keep players invested once the initial excitement dies down.

For now, though, things are looking rather promising.