Embark Studios has opened servers for a global free-access period in ARC Raiders across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S that started on Thursday (8). This limited promotion is paired directly with Frozen Trail, marking the most substantial content expansion released for the third-person extraction shooter since its debut.
Participants joining the promotion receive complete access to the core game mechanics and character progression without artificial account limitations. According to the Embark Studios Team, the free event allows newcomers to experience the entire extraction adventure without paying the regular US$ 39.99 retail price tag, noting that the trial aligns with their most expansive post-launch rollout to date.
Operating schedule and supported hardware for the promotional run
The active trial window kicked off on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at 09:00 UTC and remains open until Monday (12) at 08:00 UTC. Across the 95 consecutive hours of server availability, players on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S can cross-play while retaining their unlocked equipment and match progression.
- Available systems: PC through Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S
- Opening time: Thursday, October 8, 2026, at 09:00 UTC
- Closing deadline: Monday, October 12, 2026, at 08:00 UTC
- Event length: 4 days, covering 95 hours of continuous gameplay
- Baseline retail pricing: US$ 39.99 for the standard edition
Alpine territory and hostile machine variants arriving in Frozen Trail
Central to the Frozen Trail release is Pendola Pass, a snowy mountain region located around a former Italian transit hub tied to the Exodus project. Squad members who join higher-level hosts can explore the alpine landscape right away, discovering a buried railway station, an observatory, deserted commercial buildings, and high-altitude ballistic gondolas built for extraction.
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Beyond the freezing environment, the update adds deadly machine threats including the Frigate, Bully, Skulker, and Hydra to challenge survival squads. Combat capabilities also expand through the Raider Den outpost feature and a wave of new gear that includes the Stiletto and Bantam firearms, alongside the Grappling Hook, the Tether Launcher, and deployable surveillance cameras.
Commercial performance and active player figures on Steam
The game originally began production as a free-to-play project before the studio switched to a standard retail pricing format at US$ 39.99, officially releasing the title on October 30, 2025. Following its market arrival, the shooter achieved an all-time concurrent record of 481,966 players on Steam before activity gradually leveled out across its first operating year.
Concurrent daily player tallies on Steam have recently hovered around 50,000 active users, motivating the development team to pair a major patch with an open weekend trial to bring in new squads. The developers also confirmed that this promotion does not represent a return to a free-to-play model, ensuring that the US$ 39.99 purchase requirement returns as soon as the test ends.
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Cooperative player modes scheduled after the open weekend concludes
Alongside the open weekend, Embark Studios introduced a 50% discount across digital storefronts, temporarily reducing the retail price of ARC Raiders to US$ 19.99. The promotional discount gives newcomers who test the game during the event a direct option to purchase the full license at half price.
Following the conclusion of the free trial on Monday (12), Embark Studios plans to launch a secondary experimental phase centered entirely on player-versus-environment gameplay. That upcoming test will disable player damage between human squads, running from Tuesday, October 13, through October 20, 2026.