The next update for Arc Raiders shouldn't be until October. That means you can actually try playing it.

At this point, I think it's fair to say that I'm experiencing live service burnout. Almost every game I play seems to have some sort of live service built into the way it operates, from Path of Exile 2 (technically still in early access, but the theory still applies) to Battlefield 6 to Arc Raiders.

Even new titles outside the traditional triple-A space, like Subnautica 2, are running early access periods ahead of full release that are closer to a live service than anything else. This is one of the main reasons I stopped playing Arc Raiders relatively early on, even though I was having a really good time with the game. Because I couldn't afford to pay attention every month every time something new and shiny was added to Extraction Shooter.

So the news that Arc Raiders' next update, Frozen Trail, won't be released until October actually got me excited again. According to Embark Studios' official press release, this will be their “biggest update” to date. Huge new maps, new arcs to defeat, new progression systems, and more story to uncover. This is the kind of thing that draws players back, rather than small limited-time events or content drops that always feel lacking. I think biannual drops are the perfect solution to one of the biggest problems with the live service genre.

I wrote late last year that I hoped the live service concept would die by 2026, and while Arc Raiders is still a live service title, this is the kind of change I was hoping to see. More meaningful updates delivered in larger batches, giving the development team time to iron out issues between content drops and a reasonable ebb and flow of the player base rather than gimmicks designed to keep player retention at all-time highs with little reward.

Arc Raiders player standing in front of a drone.

This approach may not be suitable for everyone, but it works well for extraction shooters like Arc Raiders. For example, Battlefield 6 is now in its third season, and I wouldn't really care if I had to wait a few months for new maps and guns to come out. But for escape shooters, the long wait actually makes a lot of sense.

Jump in, play Wipeout until you're done, grab everything you can, and then set the game aside once you're basically 'complete' with that round of content. It's natural for players to decline between updates, but if Arc Raiders can bring more players back with each big content release, it's a win-win for both players and Embark.

That doesn't mean Arc Raiders won't still be supported every week (in fact, we're adding a new Trader next week). Embark will have to strike a careful balance to address the inevitable cries of a 'dead game' that we'll see online in the coming months. Studios must maintain exclusive player content through seasonal events and real-time updates. Otherwise, there may be too many interruptions between major updates to handle. I think the most dedicated Arc Raiders players are feeling a little worse after this announcement, but this will be a positive thing in the long run.

An Arc Raider character who carries a gun and wears various skins.

Major updates to the biannual release schedule allow Embark to pretty much reinvent the game twice a year, and most importantly, if they can deliver sweeping changes that make them feel good, we can't see this backfiring. Think of it like a progression system in a game. Coordinating multiple small updates is a challenge because players are so actively engaged with the system and adjusting mid-season of content is absolutely impossible. People will be angry.

By the time Arc Raiders was released, the hype was huge. Embark already had a lot to offer, including new maps, modes, and Arcs, but it appears they're having trouble maintaining the flow of content updates.

This initial content boom led to a growing gap between content and many players began to churn. This announcement is the official word on what Embark appears to have already implemented. The studio will do updates very differently going forward. I'm all for it. Roll up in October.