ARC Raiders will receive a public network test at the end of the month, ahead of a full release later this year.
This will be the second test for the game and will include console players for the first time. It will run from 30th April until 4th May across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. Registration is on Steam, or the game’s website.
The PvPvE sandbox shooter comes from Embark Studios, which released The Finals in 2023. The studio itself was founded by former members of Battlefield studio DICE.
The shooter merges extraction and survival gameplay in solo and multiplayer (up to three players). As the titular Raiders, players will need to survive against both rival Raiders and ARC mechs in the game’s harsh sci-fi landscape.
This second test will provide a look at the game’s Battle Pass, as well as various tweaks and improvements including a wider range of ARC enemies; more weapons, gear, and gadgets; and deeper progression and crafting systems.
“Over the past six months, we’ve worked hard to expand the core experience, based on community feedback,” said Aleksander Grøndal, executive producer of ARC Raiders. “This is our chance to see how those changes perform at scale. We’re especially eager to gather feedback on progression, the combat experience, cross-platform performance, and how the experience feels now that it’s more expansive and layered.”
ARC Raiders is yet to receive a firm release date, but is due at some point this year.
The test will come just after Bungie’s test for its newly-revealed Marathon, which is due out in September. It seems the two shooters could go head-to-head on release.
ARC Raiders has been a long time coming, though. First shown at The Game Awards in 2021, it was delayed a year later into 2023 so the studio could focus on The Finals and received a genre change in the process.
It then had its first public test last year, along with the news it will no longer be free-to-play.