A design leader from Embark Studios is discussing plans to expand the player-versus-environment (PvE) content in ARC Raiders. Since launching in late October, the game has become a major success with both players and streamers, selling 12 million copies and winning the “Best Multiplayer Game” award at the 2025 Game Awards. A key reason for this success is the game’s engaging gameplay.
ARC Raiders offers players diverse gameplay, blending both player-versus-environment and player-versus-player experiences. Players will battle the dangerous ARC enemies that roam the game world, while also facing off against other players who might try to take advantage of them. The game’s unique style has inspired creativity, with players going beyond typical roles to help each other or even establish themselves as in-game traders. Currently, the developers at Embark Studios are planning to expand the game’s player-versus-environment content.
ARC Raiders is Looking at “Escalating” Its PvE Content
In a recent GamesRadar interview, Virgil Watkins, design lead for ARC Raiders, discussed plans to expand the game’s PvE content. He explained that Embark Studios wants to make enemies more challenging, as players are becoming proficient at defeating the current “big boss” enemies like the Queens and Matriarchs. The team is exploring ways to improve these bosses and make them feel more intimidating, and is even considering adding the massive ARC enemies seen in the game’s environments as future opponents. Watkins noted that adding such a large enemy could present technical difficulties, potentially overloading the game servers.
Watkins also discussed how ARC Raiders plans to keep its cooperative gameplay interesting without needing huge expansions. One idea is to introduce new versions of existing enemies, giving them different ways to attack and new weapons to make combat more varied. Watkins emphasized that these new enemies need to feel like a natural part of the game world, rather than just being added for players to repeatedly defeat. He also hinted that the Shredder enemies, currently only found on the Stella Montis map, might eventually appear in other areas.
Image via Embark Studios PvP vs PvE Has Been ARC Raiders’ Biggest Player Split
The developers of ARC Raiders are considering updates to the game’s cooperative PvE content to make gameplay more exciting. There’s a clear divide between players who enjoy player-versus-player (PvP) combat and those who prefer the cooperative, player-versus-environment (PvE) experience, with many players not interested in PvP. Embark Studios has stated that the game tries to connect players with similar preferences using a system that considers how aggressively they play. Importantly, ARC Raiders doesn’t use skill-based matchmaking, unlike many other popular shooting games.
Image via Embark Studios Embark Studios is gearing up for a big year for ARC Raiders in 2026, recently offering a sneak peek at what’s coming. Virgil Watkins has mentioned that several new maps will be added, offering both close-quarters combat and vast, open areas to explore. The first major update, a “Toxic Swamp” condition for the Dam Battlegrounds map, arrives on January 19th. With these plans, Embark Studios hopes to maintain the strong start ARC Raiders has already achieved, giving fans plenty to look forward to.
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2026-01-18 23:34