Stop, don’t shoot
I’ve never been the guy lining up to play extraction shooters. There’s something about losing everything on a bad run that always rubbed me the wrong way. I don’t mind a challenge, but I usually like knowing my progress has some padding. So, when ARC Raiders landed on Xbox, I expected to bounce off it pretty quickly. Instead, it grabbed me harder than I expected and hasn’t let go since.
ARC Raiders is that rare game that respects your time, even when it’s actively trying to kill you. It’s a third-person PvPvE shooter set in a retro-futuristic wasteland, and the moment you step onto the surface, you feel that tension humming underneath everything. The world is striking; dusty highways, crumbled towns, and wide-open plains patrolled by the ARC machines; but it’s not just pretty scenery. Everything out there feels like it wants to test you, push you, or catch you slipping. What surprised me most is how quickly I got invested in this world. Speranza, the underground hub where you regroup, craft, and prepare for your next run, has this lived-in feel that makes the loop satisfying. It feels like more than a glorified menu. It’s a place where you exhale, plan, and then decide how bold you’re feeling before heading back out.
MSRP: $39.99
Platforms: Xbox (reviewed), PlayStation, PC
Price I’d Pay: $39.99
And once you’re topside, the game wastes no time making your decisions matter. Take a risky path for better loot? Stick to the outskirts and play it safe? Push deeper into hot zones for higher-tier rewards? ARC Raiders makes every choice feel deliberate, without tipping into frustration. Here’s where it really won me over: this game is genuinely friendly to solo players. I’ve gone into plenty of raids alone, and the experience never felt like I was banging my head against a wall. The pacing gives you room to breathe, scout, and pick your fights. Encounters with other Raiders aren’t constant, and when I do run into them, it’s always a delicious moment of tension where anything can happen. And what just has be floored is how absolutely nice MOST people are in this game when playing Solo.
I can’t tell you how many raids I went on alone where I teamed up with other players, had them give me some loot that they had found and I needed, and one even revived me after I was downed by yet another damned Hornet enemy. Mind you, he could have just knocked me out and stole all my gear but instead he used his own defibrillator and brought me back to life. The community, at least solo feels very welcoming, and that is surprising in a game where you arguably will get ahead the quickest by killing and stealing from other players. Please don’t take this to mean that everyone in solo’s are nice, because that is not the case. There are a few turds in the punch bowel so always keep your head on a swivel and be prepared for the double-cross.
On the other side of this experience is squads, players are free to team up in 3 person teams to explore the various maps and baybee, when I tell you its “ON SIGHT” in squads…bruh. As soon as someone sees a shadow of another raider they just start blasting. I originally tried to play this mode with the attitude of “as long as yall don’t shoot at me, I wont shot at you” and while there are a small minority in squads who are friendly, the overwhelming number of them will shoot you in the face, the back or even baby toe; they do not care. Once my group got used to this it went a lot smoother, we died less and managed to loot more which is awesome.
What ultimately sealed the deal for me with ARC Raiders though is the clutch moments that I have heard people talk about in extraction shooters; the ones where your palms are sweaty and your heart thumps. I’ve had narrow escapes where I was limping toward an extraction point with a backpack full of loot, ARC drones buzzing behind me, praying nothing popped up over the next ridge. I’ve had raids where I stumbled into a machine patrol far above my pay grade and had to sneak through rubble for five straight minutes just to stay alive. One time I was helping a group take down a dreaded Rocketeer ARC enemy. They are these big drones that fire rockets at the players from a distance. Well, it managed to knock me down after I landed the killing blow, and as luck would have it, we were right next to an extraction point. The other people there stabilized my wounds and I was able to extract instead of them just knocking me out and robbing me. These moments feel organic, not scripted; little stories that stick with you. And I truly believe that its moments like this that really make ARC Raiders sing.
The progression system is quietly excellent. You’re not drowning in throwaway perks or crafting junk you’ll never use. Everything from new weapons to mobility upgrades to tactical gadgets; feels like it has a purpose. Building out your Raider and tailoring your loadout becomes its own reward, and it makes each new foray feel more confident than the last. Even when I lost gear, I didn’t feel punished. I felt motivated. That’s a balance most extraction games dream of hitting. Plus, the addition of the ‘Free Loadout’ which is a thing in ARC Raiders that allows players to spawn with a randomized loadout, so that they don’t have to risk their own. Great for quick runs to finish up a mission or explore a new area.
For someone who’s never been on board with extraction shooters, ARC Raiders didn’t just surprise me; it has fully converted me. It balances tension and reward with a deft touch, makes solo play genuinely compelling, and wraps everything in a world that’s fun to exist in, even when it’s trying to tear you apart.
If you’ve bounced off extraction shooters before, this might be the one that clicks. It certainly was for me.
Review copy of game provided by publisher.
