HANDS ON - ARC Raiders combines tight mechanics and equally taut encounters
Straight in the platter.
By Jonathan Garrett
16/06/25
Previewed on Xbox Series X.
Access via Tech Test 2.
ARC Raiders has no business being this good. A reasonably objective eye can see it’s not a particularly original conceit within the extraction shooter space, and the scale of its ambition is such that one might expect servers to be wonky or combat to be unbalanced. Yet despite these assumptions, what remains is a title that is fiercely confident in its delivery, and a developer that is leveraging its considerable talent pool (following their barnstorming work on The Finals) to make a game that feels cohesive and ready to drop.
The recent Summer Game Fest reveal of an October launch was initially disappointing to many, but letting something this good simmer is only going to lead to a better finished product. We can’t help but marvel at the visual polish. Performance and detail go hand in hand as broad outdoor spaces and cramped abandoned warehouses both pop with a silky smooth framerate. There is countless examples of common sense decision making; balancing early game encounters by dropping you into less populated worlds, the cleanliness of inventory management and interface, and the underlying feeling of sustained threat that permeates the whole experience.
Embark has crafted a world that encourages you to explore without breadcrumbing or holding your hand. Trips to high value loot areas have to be weighed against the proximity of nearby exit elevators. You’ll find yourself wanting to poke around while still keeping your head on a swivel. The door mechanics, where you can use gadgets to seal yourself in or create barricades to block paths, are responsible for some of our most memorable moments facing off against other squads.
As you’d expect from a team peppered with Bad Company veterans, the audio design is stellar. Every weapon feels as though they have guaranteed viability with overpowering and impactful sound which elevates every fight. Music is used sparingly, which is appreciated, and tends to create a secondary atmospheric effect without diverting your attention. It is perfectly pitched and as crisp as can be. A clear standout that will hopefully be recognised for technical nods.
There’s a sense that prepping enough content for the launch window is the reason for the slightly further out than expected date, but the journey to get there will undoubtedly be worth it. ARC Raiders is absolutely our most anticipated game of the year, and we can’t wait to see how the final game brings together all of these recognisable but smartly iterated elements into an arresting and polished final release.
We want it now. But… let them cook. But… shadow drop?! We know the date. Can’t that date be… now?!
TARPS?
At the bottom of some of our articles, you’ll see a series of absurd looking images (with equally stupid, in joke laden names). These are the TARP badges, which represent our ‘Totally Accurate Rating Platform’. They allow us to identify specific things, recognise positive or negative aspects of a games design, and generally indulge our consistent silliness with some visual tomfoolery.
