It's officially been a month since the release of Embark Studios' hit-extraction shooter ARC Raidersand it still holds its position as one of Steam's most popular titles. According to SteamDB, ARC Raiders remains one of Steam's top sellers, wishlist titles, and most played games over 30 days since launch.
When ARC Raiders was released on October 30, 2025, it was certainly expected, but probably few expected it to explode as much as it did. Within just over a week of its launch, it had already peaked at more active players than that Battlefield 6and was not even fazed by the arrival of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 soon after that. It's turned out to be something of a phenomenon, especially given how niche (but increasingly smaller) extraction shooters have historically been.
ARC Raider's Steam performance in its first month
While Steam players don't count, everything in a cross-platform game is like ARC Raidersthey still give an insight into the extent of its popularity. A closer look at its peaks in the first month helps show how interest has both risen and fallen over time.
-
November 2: 354,836
-
November 9: 460,858
-
November 16: 481,966 (all-time high)
-
November 23: 449,369
According to SteamDB's data, it is Sunday ARC Raiders' most popular time to play, with each of its weekly peaks then occurring around 20:00 and 21:00 UTC. As of November 2, just days after its release, ARC Raiders saw its first peak reach 354,836 players on Steam alone, with the following Sunday seeing a nearly 30% increase in that number as it reached 460,858. November 16, 2025 marked the biggest day for ARC Raiders Still, with its peak reaching an all-time high of 481,966, and while the following Sunday only peaked at 449,369, that's less than a 7% drop and still nearly 27% higher than its first peak.
Now, a month after the launch, ARC Raiders is still #3 in Steam's Top Sellers, although technically it could count as #2, right behind Counter-Strike 2where the most sold is the Steam Deck. It has also had consistently higher daily players than Battlefield 6and reaches a daily average of about 367,000 players, vs Battlefield 6s daily average of around 220,000 players. And considering why people still play ARC Raidersas well as what is yet to come for the game, these numbers may continue to rise even beyond the peaks they have already achieved.
Why people still play ARC Raiders
The reason Embark's extraction game still holds players' attention a month after launch is because its core loop has proven to be satisfying, even after multiple iterations. ARC Raiders' physics-driven feedback, palpable atmosphere, iconic sound design, solo matchmaking and accessibility uncommon to the genre have all contributed to its long-lasting popularity.
There is also a lot to do in the game thanks to its live service structure, such as completing missions, preparing for ARC Raiders' Expedition clearance on December 21st, participate in live events, rank up in tests and complete the Raider Deck for free cosmetics and Raider Tokens to spend in the shop. And while some players have already completed most or all of these things, ARC Raiders still have more to come which is just around the corner.
There is still more to come for ARC Raiders
ARC Raiders is far from leaving its footprint on the Steam charts as well, so it is possible that it will maintain its position among the most notable titles on the platform. Coming very soon is its Cold Snap update, which is planned to add a lot of new content to the game:
-
New map condition with snow theme
-
Limited time event called Flickering Flames
-
New assignments
-
New Raider Deck
Needless to say, players should have plenty of new reasons to jump back in soon. Additionally, Embark's long-term vision for the extraction shooter extends well beyond 2025, as the studio has confirmed ongoing content additions well into 2026, with no fixed seasonal model, but updates will be released as they are ready. In other words, it seems ARC RaidersMonths of Steam dominance may just be the beginning.
- Released
-
30 October 2025
- ESRB
-
Teen/violence, blood
