Arc Raiders and yes, before you say, not another extraction shooter, let’s just be happy that we are getting a few making their way to the console. PC seems to have a lot of them but consoles personally don’t have that many. This is why when I heard about ARC Raiders, I was more excited rather than disappointed. Genres that need to calm down in my opinion are Battle Royales and Hero Shooters but that’s a rant for another article.
From the studio that brought us The Finals, we have their newest venture which is an extraction shooter that pits you against AI Robots and other Raiders in a PvPvE setting. I stumbled across the trailer just before the second tech test and immediately went onto the website to register my interest in the Tech Test and with the game and to my luck, I got the invite to participate in the 2nd Tech Test that took place on the 30th of April. I got a PS5 code and after a quick download, it was time to jump in and become a Raider.
What is ARC Raiders?
ARC Raiders is an upcoming third-person multiplayer, extraction shooter adventure game set in a lethal future earth. This earth is ravaged by a mechanized enemy known as the ARC and you have to do whatever you can to survive in this hostile world. You the player enlist as a Raider and must go above ground to scavenge resources and loot to shape your legacy in the sprawling underground neighborhood called Speranza.
Though it won’t just be ARC machines you have to watch out for while scavenging, there will also be other Raiders that are out for loot and prey on others. Ensure you kit yourself out before going out otherwise, you won’t last long. ARC Raiders is due out shortly with an anticipated 2025 release schedule on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation.
Boy was it fun
With ARC Raiders the loop is well-tuned and feels great. Like most extraction shooters you do find yourself doing the same sort of thing over and over until you get better gear, loot, and resources and that is similar to ARC Raiders. You make it to the surface to loot, kill, and survive, bring what you have found back to the Speranza to improve your abilities and craft stronger gear and resources so that you can better yourself and allow you to take on stronger ARC robots above ground. Higher risk brings higher rewards.
The third-person camera angle is enjoyable and I love the fact that you get to see your Raider rather than it being first-person. There are various customisation options for you Raider which again is amazing because you can customise the way you look so not everyone looks the same above ground. You’re not just some generic character you get to bring along some of your flare with you. I can see there being more options available when the game fully releases, I mean they have already shown off a Battle pass system which you just become accustomed to nowadays.
There is a progression system too so that you can customise your raider when you go out scavenging. It has three different routes you can pick from which gives your character certain perks. For example, you can get quicker and quieter looting or better stamina regeneration which allows you to cater your Raider to your playstyle.
If you are playing with others you can each, take certain equipment out that makes you a more diverse team while taking on other Raiders and ARC robots. It feels like the developers have taken a lot of thought into what makes a good extraction shooter have put their ideas into action and have given us ARC Raiders.
While above ground you have to be on your toes at all times. The ARC robots are no easy feat and are a challenge to take on, with ammo being a valuable resource you don’t want to waste it. So, picking your fights is vital to having a successful scavenge. Make sure to check your corners as you could get taken down by other Raiders or even sentry turrets. It is safe to say that it is very hostile in this future dystopia and even though you could trust other Raiders when you come across them 80% of the time the people I encountered ended up bloodshed and most of the time me dying.
Though when I did win the fights it was awesome and stratifying. I feel like when playing Solo people were more inclined to team up and help but you still had to put a lot of trust in them and hope they wouldn’t double-cross you at the last second.
Graphically the game looks amazing and feels like a finished product. The whole world is full of some much detail and all the ARC robot designs are fantastic. Above all the weapons, story, and customisation options are amazing and I can’t wait to see more of the game as we get closer to release.
Conclusion
For a Tech Test, I was highly stratified with my time with ARC Raiders. It sticks to what we know and love from the extraction shooter genre and implements its uniqueness with its theme. The game feels super polished and ran so smoothly, if anything performed better than a lot of AAA titles that get released as “finished products” so to see if running so well in a Tech Test gives me high hopes for the full release.
There is a familiar and simple gameplay loop that is satisfying and intense at the best of times and when you go out with a full team it elevates the experience due to the increased risk factor with other squads and of course the killer robots. There was such a good level of satisfaction when you loot up, go to the surface, and come back with a successful scavenge. Even more so when you go against other Raiders and ARC machines.
I’m eagerly waiting for another Tech Test or earlier access weekend to get more time hands-on and to continue polishing my skills before release. ARC Raiders is one to watch out for this year as I believe it will be up there as one of the best games for 2025.
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The code was provided by the distributor.
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