ARC Raiders prepares to go free-to-play on Steam, Xbox, and PS5

You may think it too early to consider the weekend that lies ahead of us, but organisation is a very good quality to have.

And now is the time to set a reminder on your phone - or write it down in your diary, if you prefer classic methods - as ARC Raiders will soon be going free-to-play for a very limited time.

Embark Studios has confirmed that ARC Raiders will be going free-to-play this upcoming weekend across PC via Steam, Xbox Series X/S consoles, and PlayStation 5.

The free play period will kick off on Thursday October 8 at 9am UTC and it’ll draw to a close five days later on Monday October 12 at 8am UTC.

This event grants new players access to the full game, so there are no limitations on how far you can progress throughout the duration of the free play event.

Of course, the hope is that you’ll love what you play and pay to pick up ARC Raiders for permanent access.

The servers should be bustling this weekend as alongside the free play period aimed at new players, existing users will be able to dive into the new Frozen Trail content.

Frozen Trail is described by Embark as its “biggest update since launch” - and if you’re a new player teaming up with an existing player, you’ll be able to access Pendola Pass immediately if that existing player has unlocked the new map.

It’s perhaps a good time for ARC Raiders to hold a free play weekend. The third-person extraction shooter dominated the scene when it launched in 2025.

Player numbers are now falling, however. There are no recorded numbers for PlayStation and Xbox, but ARC Raiders sits at a 24-hour peak of just shy of 50,000, correct at the time of writing.

The game’s all-time peak was set 11 months ago when it had just under 482,000 players, according to Steam DB.

All games witness a certain level of drop-off over time, but it’s of utmost importance that live service games remain somewhat consistent, keeping those dedicated players engaged.

Clearly Embark has two plans: to lure in new players and recapture the attention of those who may have called it quits.

Frozen Trail, the new free update, does look incredibly ambitious and is packed with new content for returning players.

READ MORE: Arc Raiders pauses live-service feature until 2027 with promises of a huge overhaul

What’s included in ARC Raiders’ Frozen Trail update?

Embark Studios

It centres around that aforementioned new map, Pendola Pass.

“With your help, Celeste and Shani have triangulated the source of the strange signal that’s been ringing across Toledo. All signs point toward an old Italian village and Exodus transport hub called Pendola Pass,” devs previously teased.

“Beyond the peaks that envelope the Rust Belt, icy air preserves Pendola Pass in its eerie grasp. Classic signs of an old-world civilisation punctuate the narrow stretch: a supermarket, and a lifeless town square. Signs of the Exodus Project loom large: the observatory and buried train depot that once served as a major transit hub.”

There are new enemy threats in the form of the Frigate, Bully, Skulker, and Hydra, plus you can look forward to the new outpost Raider Den extension as well as new weapons and gadgets.

The latter includes the Stiletto, Bantam, Grappling Hook, Tether Launcher, and Camera.

For new players though, all you need to remember is this: free access kicks off this Thursday, on October 8.