Arc Raiders Players Aren’t Happy About Its ‘Chicken Helmet’ Microtransactions

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Embark Studios’ game, Arc Raiders, has become very popular since it launched, but many players are unhappy with how expensive the cosmetic items are in the game’s store. Arc Raiders first came out on October 30, 2025, and is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

I was honestly expecting Arc Raiders to have a bunch of microtransactions, like most live service games do – even if they aren’t free-to-play. Right now, the standard edition costs $40 and the deluxe is $60. The deluxe edition does include some cool cosmetic items, but it also comes with 2,400 Raider Tokens, which are basically the in-game currency you use to buy more cosmetics. The problem is, a lot of us are finding that those tokens don’t go very far – the cosmetics are surprisingly expensive!

Arc Raiders Players Feel Cosmetics Are Overpriced

After its initial release, Arc Raiders just added its first set of cosmetic items to the in-game store. However, the community reacted with disappointment when the prices were revealed. Many players, including one user named PlatformThese4901, are upset about the cost of the “Deep Sea Bird Set,” which includes a hat for the game’s mascot, Scrappy. While players enjoy customizing Scrappy, who helps collect resources, the bundle costs 900 Raider Tokens – a price many feel is too high, especially since Scrappy is only visible in the game’s menus.

I was scrolling through Reddit and saw a post by TheOnlyRealOne43 showing two of the premium skins next to each other. Honestly, they’re practically the same except for the helmets! A lot of us are pretty annoyed because these skins are expensive, and it feels like they’re just reusing assets. It’s even worse because Arc Raiders isn’t free-to-play – we already had to buy the game to begin with, so paying a lot for what feels like a minor upgrade really stings.

While Arc Raiders appears to be popularizing the extraction shooter genre, Embark Studios risks alienating players if they don’t lower the prices for cosmetic items. It’s too early to tell how the studio will address these concerns, given the game is newly released.

Despite some complaints about the cost of in-game items, players are generally having fun with the new extraction shooter, Arc Raiders. Hilarious moments from the game are all over social media – for example, a video showing a player who ambushed others getting instantly taken down themselves. More and more people are sharing positive experiences, and many are impressed with the supportive community that’s formed. With plenty to do now and even more content planned, fans are hopeful about the game’s future.

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2025-11-07 20:34