ARC Raiders turns one: what Frozen Trail added, the deadlines this month, and what's next

Embark's extraction shooter hit its first birthday Oct 30. Here's what the Frozen Trail 2.0 update and Update 2.3 changed, the Twitch Drops (Nov 4) and Souls Offering (Nov 16) deadlines, and what it costs on PS5 and Xbox right now.

ARC Raiders launched on October 30, 2025 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, and Embark Studios just celebrated its first anniversary. Per GamingBolt's write-up of Embark's anniversary post, players have run more than 6 billion rounds, destroyed over 14.8 billion ARC (including 3.9 million Queens and 2.9 million Matriarchs), and the Anvil was the community's favourite weapon. Here's where the game stands now and what to do this month.

Frozen Trail (2.0): the biggest update since launch

Frozen Trail dropped on October 8, 2026. Embark's patch notes list the headline additions:

• New map: Pendola Pass, plus two new map conditions, Frigate and Redirection. Pendola Pass is also testing a Dynamic Loot Zone system, so the value of an area changes from raid to raid and fixed loot routes are less reliable.
• New ARC: the Bully, Skulker and Hydra.
• New weapons: the Bantam and Stiletto, plus Amplified Weapons.
• New gear: Grappling Hook, Basic and Advanced Cameras, Tether Launcher, Yank Grenade and the Mountaineer's Detector.
• A revamped Skill Tree where the mid- and end-branch nodes are now choices between skills.
• The Outpost, a new base unlocked through a project, with a Research Bench and 100 furniture Designs.
• 22 new quests, and quests now grant XP.
• Reward Pass: Raider Decks became the Legacy Pass, Cred was replaced by Reward Points, and the new Frozen Trail Pass has 60 levels across Free and Premium tracks.
• Bigger stash: two more upgrade tiers, up to 328 slots before Expedition bonuses.

Two changes that matter in fights: the Anvil moved from Green to Blue rarity, with the Bantam taking over as the uncommon hand cannon, and the "Solo vs. Squads" matchmaking option was removed while Embark re-evaluates it.

Update 2.3 (Oct 27): Souls Offering and balance changes

Live Update 2.3.0 added the Noxious Set cosmetics, a new player project called Souls Offering, and a batch of fixes. The changes you'll notice most:

• Heavy Shield base charge went from 80 to 90.
• Flame Spray damage went from 10/s to 13/s, with 50% less durability drain. The Firefly Burner now activates when it hits something after you throw it.
• The Dolabra, Bobcat, Equalizer, Jupiter, Tempest and Vulcano blueprints can now drop in any major map condition, at a slightly lower drop chance.
• The Expedition Vault is being disabled. Whatever you had in it moves to your stash, and purchased slots are compensated with Bronze Statuettes.

Embark also says it's going back to fixes every three weeks and store updates every week.

Deadlines this month

• Twitch Drops end November 4. Watch ARC Raiders streams for 60 minutes to get the Oxygen Respirator backpack attachment and 120 minutes to get the Mailbox. Catch DexyDaGod on Twitch if Dexy is streaming it, but check that drops are enabled on whichever stream you watch.
• Souls Offering runs until November 16, according to community guides. Embark's notes don't give an end date, so check the countdown in the Projects tab. It has four stages. Three are material donations, and the last one has you set off a firework on the Santa Maria Houses rooftop in Buried City. Stage 3 gives you three Fireworks Boxes, so keep at least one for Stage 4. Finishing gets you the Pilgrim Backpack and the Offering Display Table Design for your Outpost.

What's next in Year 2

• Major updates are now coming twice a year, per Embark's update-schedule post, with live updates, balance fixes, store updates and events in between. Embark hasn't dated the next major update.
• Expeditions are paused until early 2027. Embark says they will come back with major changes to the departure windows, rewards and access for new players.
• PvE is undecided. The PvE matchmaking toggle test ran October 13–20 and logged more than 30 million PvE rounds. Embark calls the response "polarizing" and says it expects to share more in November. A permanent PvE mode has not been confirmed.

What it costs right now (PS5 & Xbox)

As of November 3, 2026, the PlayStation Store lists ARC Raiders at $39.99 (PS5 only, no PS4 version, and PS5 Pro Enhanced). The Xbox Store lists it from $39.99 and the Deluxe Edition from $59.99. On Xbox it's also Play Anywhere with cross-platform play. You need PS Plus to play online on PS5 and an online multiplayer subscription on Xbox consoles.

The recent PS5 half-price sale ($19.99) ended October 22, so there's no official discount live as we write this. GG.deals and XD.deals both record $19.99 as the official-store low, which makes it a sensible target price to set an alert for. Prices change, so check the store before you buy.

Our take

If you stopped playing after the early maps, Frozen Trail is a good time to come back. There's a new map, a reworked Skill Tree and the Outpost to build up. Want help with PvP fights, ARC weak points or getting your stash and workshop sorted? Our ARC Raiders coaching, duo/trio raid runs and progression help cover PS5 and Xbox. We always play together on our own accounts, with no account sharing.