Gideon’s Perspective
Arc Raiders isn’t merely an extraction shooter. It’s an extraction shooter that is so perfectly well-made that it offers some of the best emergent gameplay moments and organic storytelling that I’ve ever seen. I’ve always said that the best stories a game can tell are the ones that are organically told through gameplay, and every day that I play Arc Raiders, I have stories to tell.
You can find a video version of this review on YouTube!
I could tell you about the time that I was overencumbered with valuable loot, and so worn down from Arc Drones that I had run completely out of ammo. When another Raider opened fire at me, I had no choice but to run, only to come face to face with a Leaper, a Spiderlike Robot that could squash me flat. I slid behind a bus, it crept around that bus, slowly, eerily searching for me, and I very much felt like I was living out the scene in Jurassic Park where the T-Rex was trying to find its meal that was hiding behind an overturned car.
I could tell you about the time that I was outgunned by drones near extraction and was about to die when suddenly shots rang out from the trees. Other raiders had been trying to extract too and rescued me from the drones. I thanked them and we extracted together.
I could tell you about the time that my friends and I took on a Bastion for the first time, a Hulking Armored beast of a machine. When it finally fell, we suddenly heard the whoops of cheers over the Proximity Chat. Another group of Raiders had been watching us take on the Bastion and cheered when we succeeded. We were battered and bloody, they could have killed us and taken our prize. Instead, they wished us well, and we parted ways.
I could tell you of a particularly intense night raid, where I had my pockets full of loot. A door opened behind me, and bullets shattered my shield. I hid in a nearby garage and heard the sounds of a colossal battle. No less than 7 raiders had been swarmed by Arc’s at extraction. However, one of those 7 was the one who had tried to kill me. I didn’t know if I was safe to join them. However, they were 7 strangers, and they wouldn’t know I wasn’t already one of them. As they cheered over the Leaper they had just killed, I slipped into the group and blended in, as if I had been with them the whole time.
Arc Raiders has a bunch of very finely tuned systems at play that exist not only for gameplay purposes, but to affect the very psychology of the people playing. There is an ever-present tension coupled with an intense unpredictability that makes every match full of memorable moments.
| Gideon’s Bias | Arc Raiders Information |
|---|---|
| Review Copy Used: No | Publisher: Nexon |
| Hours Played: 80+ | Type: Full Game |
| Reviewed On: Xbox Series X | Platforms: PC, Xbox Series, PlayStation 5 |
| Fan of Genre: Yes | Genre: Extraction Shooter |
| Mode Played: N/A | Price: $39.99 |
The Psychology of Arc Raiders
Arc Raiders is unique in that it plays on the psychology of the players to enhance its unpredictable tension. You must venture out to the various maps to look for crafting materials and loot. Every other Raider up there is free to shoot you, loot you, and vice versa. However, Arc Raiders doesn’t really encourage you to be a murderhobo, although you can certainly be one if you wish.
It instead prods players toward being more pragmatic. First of all, the NPC enemies, The Arc, are exceptionally dangerous. Even the basic drones can take you out. Even when you are geared up, that threat never vanishes.
This automatically gives you something in common with the other Raiders, an incredibly dangerous outside threat. Furthermore, your inventory space is very limited, and there is more than enough loot on the map for every player in a match to fill up and leave. Looting other players is in no way required.
Fighting another Raider is dangerous. You might not win, even if you get the jump on them. If you do win, your victim’s corpse fires off a flare, alerting others nearby and putting you in even more danger.
Finally, well, given the context of the gameplay…it doesn’t always feel good to gun down another Raider.
When video games give people the option of being good, 60% to 70% of gamers choose the good path. When you gun down people unprovoked in Arc Raiders, it can be hard not to feel like a villain.
I myself can’t do it. I’ve had numerous occasions where I had a gun trained on someone who never knew I was there, but I can’t bring myself to pull the trigger. I know how bad that death would feel, because other players have done it to me. This isn’t a game like Battlefield where there’s a designated enemy team. The other players are just out gathering stuff and doing quests like I am. There are no winners or losers.
I instead have become something of a vigilante, at least in solo play. I’ll rescue other players from the Arcs, revive them when they are down, and hunt down aggressive Raiders that are attacking others. I still get to take part in the PvP, but on terms I find agreeable.
At the same time, there are reasons to fight other Raiders even if you’re friendly. Being friendly doesn’t mean people are free to do whatever they want in your presence. I’m not obligated to share a loot room with you, especially if it’s one I opened with a key. I’ve warned people to back off, and backed those words up with gunfire when needed.
On one particular raid, I was loaded and scared of getting killed. I ran to the subway to extract, as the train arrived, so did another Raider. He didn’t see me, I could have attacked him. Instead, I came up behind him with my shotgun, held him at gunpoint, and demanded he push the extraction button. He complied, and we escaped together. In Arc Raiders, kindness is best backed up with a big gun.
This is all aided by an emote system where you can say things like “Don’t Shoot” and proximity chat where you can talk to nearby Raiders. It works so well, it’s convinced me, an extreme introvert, to slap on my mic to more or less roleplay with other strangers.
That’s why the tension works so well. You never know what’s going to happen, who’s going to be friendly, who’s going to try and gun you down…and on the darker side, who may pretend to be your friend only to shoot you in the back later. Arc Raiders is designed in such a way that hostility is an option but not the default, and it works very well.
At the same time, the fact that the game is both PvE and PVP is why that tension works. You couldn’t take either side away and still have a game worth playing. Blending them together in the way that Arc Raiders does it however, makes for a fantastic experience.
Well Oiled Machines
Psychology aside. There are a number of other gameplay systems that tie everything together with incredible precision. The maps have some of the best designs I have ever seen. Not only are they visually great looking, but they are a blast to move around and fight in. While Arc Raiders doesn’t feature any fancy parkour, you can sprint, slide, climb, and jump around these maps with a ton of freedom. A freedom that can be further enhanced with gadgets such as ziplines. It’s simply fun to move around in Arc Raiders.
Furthermore, fighting the Arcs is so much fun. The way they move is incredible and enhances that unpredictability. For example, you can shoot off the engines of a drone, and it will try to regain its balance. Sometimes, a single shot can send them spiraling into a tree to explode. Other times, they regain their balance and the fight continues. The Leaper will jump to great heights to get to you and tangle its limbs up in the environment. The Arcs are just cool enemies to fight, despite being a bunch of drones and robots.
The sound design is top-notch, especially with headphones. You can pinpoint which direction the gunfire is coming from, and with time, know exactly what type of gun made the shot. You can listen for the footsteps of other raiders to know if you’re in danger and use that information to either creep away, run away, or attack.
The loot system is great. You gather materials to upgrade workbenches, craft new gear, and contribute to an expedition project. Loot has rarities, but it is also found in logical locations. You will find stuff like wires in computers and whatnot. Every box or locker you open is a sweet splash of dopamine. Everything has a use, and if you continuously upgrade your gear, that hamster wheel keeps rolling.
Speaking of loot and equipment. Dying in Arc Raiders has consequences, and those consequences are important to the overall feel of the game. Upon death, you lose all the loot and gear you were carrying. However, Arc Raiders is also somewhat forgiving. First of all, standard loadouts have one or more safe pockets. Any item placed in a safe pocket stays with you, even if you die.
Furthermore, you can go in with a free loadout. A free loadout gives you a weapon, a basic shield, and a couple of items. This means you can go looting without risking anything. However, there’s a catch. You spawn with very limited ammo, a small inventory space, and have no safe pockets. So while free loadouts can help you in a pinch, you’re still incentivized to bring actual gear. It makes the game accessible while still maintaining its core values.
The power level of equipment in Arc Raiders also sits on a sidegraded line rather than a power curve. A higher rarity weapon isn’t objectively stronger than a basic one. Not exactly. Each weapon has a specific feel and niche against both the Arcs and Players. You aren’t at a disadvantage using starting weapons within their own niches.
The variety of equipment also encourages you to play smart. You can make traps, door blockers, and a variety of other items, and you can use them in interesting ways. I won a gun fight once by using an electric cloak to hide from Arcs that came buzzing overhead. They attacked my foe instead, and I was able to gun him down in the chaos.
There’s a trial system where you strive to accomplish certain objectives each week for placement on a leaderboard against 99 randomly chosen players, which comes with rewards based on placement. It’s a fun endeavor to keep you flush with things to do.
Finally, there is a wipe system that is optional but highly encouraged. You are free to sit on your fat loot forever if you want. But progression is a huge part of the game. So you can contribute toward the expedition project and retire your Raider every 60ish days. This resets you entirely, but comes with permanent boons each time you do it. That means if you ever run out of things to do, you can start again to keep the game interesting with some extra rewards for the trouble.
Everything in Arc Raiders is polished and finely tuned to make its experience work as well as it does. That experience is one of the most exciting, tension-filled, and satisfying gameplay loops I’ve ever had the pleasure of taking part in.
Verdict
Arc Raiders took the extraction genre and truly made something spectacular out of it. It’s one of the best games I’ve played in a long time, and it’s definitely my game of the year for 2025.
There are only a couple of bad things I can say about it. The voice-overs are really bad. Like, really, really bad. That’s not something I’d normally even call out, but because the game is so polished everywhere else, it stands out like a sore thumb.
There are a few tweaks that the game needs. There is one weapon that is far too strong in PvP, and one particular skill that gives way too much good loot. But I think the game’s potential biggest flaw is the precarious throne upon which it sits.
Arc Raiders works because all of its systems are tuned perfectly to line up and deliver a fantastic experience. The problem is just how easy that could come toppling down. It’s like a beautiful vase that could shatter if someone so much as sneezes.
Arc Raiders is planned to be supported for 10 years. Tweaking one thing the wrong way could ruin the game entirely. If Embark listens to the wrong voices in the community, the result will be disastrous. Any given player might have a singular complaint without realizing how any change would impact the overall game.
For example, you can sometimes spawn into a match later, but some players hate this. Without it, however, the server would be empty within 10 minutes, and you would never see anyone, as they would either have died or extracted. Late starts are absolutely needed.
I would like to be optimistic about Embark’s long-term vision, but I already had my game of the year for 2024 torn to shreds. I adored Helldivers 2 for its hardcore, squad-based cooperative focus. Then, within 6 months, it got turned into a cookie-cutter, mindless horde shooter that requires no teamwork at all. So the prospect does concern me.
For now, however, as long as Arc Raiders remains true to its initial vision. It’s one of the best multiplayer games ever released, with some of the greatest emergent gameplay I’ve ever seen. Arc Raiders is definitely my game of the year.
I’m giving it my Golden Shield Award.
