I have to say I didn't expect it Arc Raiders to hook me as much as it has, but here we are. Being much more of a solo PvE player than a PvP player, I half expected to jump in, get ganked a few times by a few attempts, and then quit. But to my great surprise, almost 20 hours later, I'm still here. Don't get me wrong, I've had a cold once, and I still run into attempts sometimes – but I just can't stop playing Arc Raiders. There are many reasons for that, reasons I'm sure are shared by society, and it's a new obsession that now borders on irresponsibility.
All I want to do right now is play Arc Raidersbut unfortunately I have to work. The responsibilities of life call me away from the needs of future Earth as it continues to be torn apart by the ARC, and I'd much rather be there helping Speranza and its citizens thrive amidst the devastation. I have my gaming headset on and Arc Raiders running in the background, the sounds of its incredible soundtrack and the atmosphere of Speranza keep me immersed as I write.
However, I will admit that I have occasionally queued for a round, as I simply can't resist the temptation to play when it's there waiting for me. Fortunately, Arc Raiders has a small quality-of-life feature that is not only well-suited for an environment like this, but also fits my real life perfectly.
Arc Raiders tells me when it's time to go from above
I am one Arc Raiders newbie, meaning I didn't participate in the server slam before its official release, so going in I only had a general sense of what to expect. The gameplay itself has surprised me, mainly because Embark has somehow managed to create a PvPvE experience that effectively balances its PvE gameplay with PvP without leaning too much in one direction.
Actually, I would say about Arc Raiders leans more in one direction than another, it's PvE rather than PvP, as ARC's machines are incredibly formidable, and it's easy to be overwhelmed by them to a quick and very painful death. For the most part, I've found myself teaming up with other solo players who are just out there trying to survive like me, and the general sense of unspoken camaraderie really makes the whole experience for me.
All that said, one thing that has surprised me as much as the game is a very subtle quality of life feature that I've never seen directly in an online game, although I know Arc Raiders is not the first to do so. As I play during the day, I'll sometimes keep the game I'm writing about running in the background, in case I need to clarify terms or knowledge. Plus, as I mentioned before, I like the atmosphere. But I have taken breaks from time to time to actually play Arc Raiders rather than just bask in its soundscape, so I queue up for a round and then tap out to continue signing matchmaking.
The first time I did this, when a round was ready to go, a small message appeared in the lower right corner of my screen. “Look sharp, Raider: you're coming from above,” it read. At first I thought nothing of it. I'm actually not sure how I was ignorant of it at first. I thought maybe the game window somehow interferes with my work window. But after the second and then the third incident, I realized Arc Raiders actually let me know it was time to get back into the game as the round I had queued for was about to start.
Look sharp, Raider: you're coming from above
Very briefly, I had taken this little quality of life feature for granted, but when I recognized how boring it can be just to wait in line, that little feature meant so much more to me. In reality, it just means Arc Raiders I myself know how boring it can be to wait in line. Like a new one Arc Raiders fan who's regularly torn between going from above on another raid and actually taking charge of his time, it's nice to know I can get some extra work done while I wait for my next round to start. Even if I'm not working, I can do whatever I want while I'm waiting, instead of staring at my character or mindlessly cycling through menus.
Thank you for thinking of us and our need to always be on the go, Embark.
- Released
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30 October 2025
- ESRB
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Teen/violence, blood
