Developer Embark Studios may have just hinted that player behavior in ARC Raiders does indeed influence matchmaking, which is what some people have recently begun to suspect. The third-person PvPvE extraction shooter launched at the end of October, and since then it has made its way onto the “favorites” list of many gamers, both those who enjoy PvP and those who prefer a more peaceful stroll while getting their loot. ARC Raiders offers a little bit of something for almost everybody.
For this reason, it was not a huge surprise when ARC Raiders took home the statue for Best Multiplayer Game during The Game Awards on December 11. The title is sitting at a comfortable 92 percent rating from critics on review aggregate site OpenCritic, and players have given it a solid 100. On Steam, ARC Raiders has a Very Positive overall rating from more than 150,000 reviews, and it feels like things are just getting rolling over at Embark.
ARC Raiders Is Starting to Look Like a Massive Social Experiment
ARC Raiders is starting to reveal something unexpected about its players, and the results feel less like a shooter and more like a social experiment.
ARC Raiders Does Pay Attention to Player Behavior
During a conversation with PC Gamer, art director Robert Sammelin confirmed that the ARC Raiders devs “analyse behavior and match accordingly.” What this implies is that nice players get matched with fellow friendlies, while those who like to pop other raiders on sight are likewise matched accordingly. Sammelin wouldn’t discuss the matter further, but it answers a few questions players have had about matchmaking since the game launched. Embark has already stated that gear-based matchmaking isn’t a thing in ARC Raiders, which has had people wondering just how they’re placed in matches.
The difference between solo queuing and jumping in with a squad already offers two greatly diverging experiences in ARC Raiders. Diving into a raid with teammates seems to lead to more sweaty and hostile encounters, with the general rule of thumb being to shoot first and maybe ask questions before knocking opponents out.
On the other hand, jumping into an ARC Raiders match solo seems to go two ways, which kind of jives with what Sammelin said. Players have noticed that if they’re generally friendly and play nice, just grabbing loot and maybe helping out here and there, they tend to get consistently placed in matches with raiders with a similar mindset. On the other hand, solo players with a “kill on sight” mentality will more often find themselves in matches with other trigger happy raiders. In other words, players seem to get what they give, and the results are pretty immediate.
Whether solo or in a squad, love to loot or love to shoot, there are a few unwritten etiquette rules in ARC Raiders that many players seem to follow. Acting friendly and then shooting a trusting player in the back is generally seen as bad manners, as is camping the extraction point or planting it with mines. Also, some raiders play with proximity chat turned off, so it’s always a good idea to use the emote wheel to toss out an amiable “don’t shoot” in addition to hollering “friendly” into the mic. It’s likewise not very polite to take out another player while they’re distracted by a fierce confrontaton with ARC. Of course, there will always be people who violate these unwritten do’s and don’ts, and that’s where the most important rule comes in: raiders should always go into a match prepared to lose all of their loot at any moment.
The game has only just come out, and Embark Studios seems to have plenty planned for the future. Though ARC Raiders’ first Expedition wipe has been delayed to December 17, there have been other things to keep players occupied in the meantime. There’s the caravan to prepare for the Expedition, for one thing, and lagging raiders now have a bit more time to get that done. There are also weekly Trials Challenges for players levels 15 and above to complete. Most of these are fairly straightforward, requiring gamers to kill a certain number of particular enemies, and the reward is some useful loot.
- Released
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October 30, 2025
- ESRB
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Teen / Violence, Blood
