Arc Raiders isn’t actually a PvP game, and that fact is what fuels the incredible social dynamics that are thriving within it. You see, Arc Raiders is actually a PvE game with PvP elements. Don’t believe me? Let’s run it down.
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 most 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.
Battlefield’s identity has always been about large-scale combined arms warfare, at least up until the hero shooter TEMU version that was 2042. As Battlefield 6 finished up its two open betas, I’ve seen plenty of sentiments proclaiming that Battlefield is back, baby! Yet as an old-time fan, I feel like I’ve woken up in a bizarro world.
Now don’t me wrong, there is a lot I liked about the beta. It’s certainly better than 2042, but that’s not saying much considering the bar was quite literally on the floor. However, the large-scale combat and combined arms both felt notably missing in the beta. There were moments where, if you had handed me the game blind and told me it was Call of Duty without the crossover madness, I might have believed you.
Dead by Daylight is a 9-year-old asymmetrical multiplayer game that is still going strong in 2025. I intentionally ignored the game for the longest time. I’m not a horror fan, be it movies or video games, and I tend to shy away from things that are creepy or gore-filled. That meant the entire concept always gave me the ick, and I just wrote it off.
That was a mistake. A friend recently got me to try it, and there’s a lot going on with this game that makes it really special. To be fair, Dead by Daylight has had 9 years of refinements, but I want to talk about some key things that I think really make it a great game that’s worth playing, even now.