ARC Raiders gets release window, will no longer be free-to-play

ARC Raiders, The Finals developer Embark Studios’ “PVPVE action survival shooter” which was initially announced back during the 2021 Game Awards aiming for a 2022 release, has finally received a new release window following several delays. In addition to a clearer idea of when the game will be playable, the developers have confirmed that the game will no longer be free-to-play, and will have a $40 USD purchase price, not unlike Helldivers 2 and Concord.

In ARC Raiders, humanity has been exiled to the underground colony of Separanza following an invasion by a mysterious mechanised threat known as ARC. You play as a raider scavenging vital supplies on the surface and fending off both the ARC machines and potentially competing raiders.

In regards to the shift from free-to-play to a premium pricing model, ARC Raiders executive producer Aleksander Gröndal stated in a post on Steam that “there are many reasons for this change, and they all boil down to our conviction that a premium business model is a better fit for the type of game we’re building. A premium model allows us to create a more focused, balanced, and engaging action-survival experience.”

The final release is still some time away, however there will be opportunities to try out ARC Raiders firsthand fairly soon. Gröndal advised that a playable “Tech Test” will be available between the 24th-27th of October on Steam. This will give players a first hand impression of how the game plays, as well as allow the developers to take on additional feedback and ensure the multiplayer experience runs smoothly. Players who would like to take part can sign up on ARC Raiders’ Steam Store page.

It is intriguing to see ARC Raiders emerge from its bunker so long since its initial announcement. Following the tech test in October, the game is set to fully release in 2025 on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, as well as on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and on cloud streaming via Nvidia GeForce Now.