ARC Raiders Celebrates 1st Anniversary with 6 Billion Cumulative Rounds Played

ARC Raiders has released player engagement stats to mark its first anniversary, revealing that cumulative rounds played have surpassed 6 billion. According to NEXON, the game's peak daily concurrent player count on Steam…

Launched globally on October 30, 2025, ARC Raiders commemorated its past year of achievements through a 1st anniversary accolade trailer and infographic. The game surpassed 16.3 million cumulative global sales in just nine months after launch and earned a total of seven awards across major global ceremonies. It continues to maintain a Metacritic score of 86, OpenCritic's top rating of "Mighty," and a "Very Positive" user review rating on Steam. Its awards include honors from The Game Awards 2025, The Steam Awards, the D.I.C.E. Awards, and the BAFTA Games Awards.

The "Frozen Trail" update, the largest update introduced since launch, added new endgame strategies and equipment. The game's first dungeon-style encounter, the "Emperor," and a large aerial warship, the "Frigate," were introduced as endgame content, alongside new gadgets including the "Grappling Hook" and "Camera". Nexon explained that the update triggered a wave of returning and new players, maintaining high user engagement metrics even three weeks after release.

The "Grappling Hook" is a gadget that enables 360-degree directional movement using pendulum physics. Players have used it to navigate hard-to-reach terrain while sharing community tips on clinging to small flying "ARC" units to lower themselves safely when disembarking from the "Frigate". With the "Camera," players documented their combat and exploration, capturing selfies just as a "Reaper" swooped in from behind or photographing moments while fleeing a "Rocketeer" attack.

During a week-long limited-time PvE matchmaking test conducted starting October 13, over 30 million rounds were played. Players responded positively to being able to focus on hunting "ARC," exploring, and completing quests without the pressure of PvP combat. Feedback also highlighted the value of experiencing the game in a distinct format separate from the standard PvPvE model.

Following the test, community discussions emerged proposing a wider reward gap between the two matchmaking modes to delineate their purposes, as well as offering PvE on a temporary basis under specific environmental conditions. Other players argued that the tension and spontaneous interactions of encountering rival Raiders must be preserved. Embark Studios is reviewing the in-game data and community feedback collected from the test to refine future gameplay experiences.

Beyond the game itself, film and television adaptations are actively underway. Nexon has partnered with U.S. film and television production company Chernin Entertainment to develop video content based on ARC Raiders and THE FINALS. Chernin Entertainment has produced major films including Ford v Ferrari, Hidden Figures, The Greatest Showman, and the Planet of the Apes franchise. Nexon plans to expand the game's universe and player experience across diverse media channels to broaden touchpoints with audiences.

Aleksander Grøndal, Executive Producer of ARC Raiders, said, "We want to express our deepest gratitude to all the Raiders who have shown endless love for 'ARC Raiders' over the past year. We will continue doing our utmost to deliver new experiences and fun together with everyone, so please look forward to the next steps of 'ARC Raiders' journey."

Originally written in Korean, this article was translated with AI assistance and edited by a native English-speaking editor. Every translation is reviewed by our editorial team before publication. [Read Original]

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Byungho "Haao" Kim

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