ARC Raiders Hits Nearly 1 Million Concurrent Players: How Embark Studios Conquered the Genre
Emark Studios and parent company Nexon have revealed that ARC Raiders almost hit 1,000,0000 concurrent players last month on PC alone, as the game reaches 6 million active users per week.
ARC Raiders is one of the most popular extraction shooters on the planet, having launched on October 30, 2025. In a recent investor presentation, Nexon revealed that the PvPvE shooter reached 960,000 concurrent players on PC and maintained 6 million active users in January 2026.
Beneath the data lies a gameplay loop that manages to be both punishingly tactical and exhilaratingly smooth, a feat few thought possible when the game was first revealed as a simple co-op shooter.
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ARC Raiders: The New Titan of the Extraction Genre
The numbers don’t lie. 14 million units sold and a sustained 6 million weekly active users as of February 2026. ARC Raiders’ success is a masterclass in “pivoting with purpose.”
Originally teased as a cooperative shooter, Embark Studios made the cut-throat decision to lean into the extraction genre a move that has paid off by capturing the “Post-Tarkov” crowd.
The game thrives on mechanical polish that its competitors lack. While other extraction shooters feel clunky or suffer from “indie-jank,” ARC Raiders inherits the movement DNA of The Finals and Battlefield.
The gunplay is tight, the retro-futuristic aesthetic is visually arresting, and the AI, specifically the towering “Matriarch” and “Queen” ARC units, provides a PvE threat that actually demands tactical respect rather than being mere fodder.
By lowering the barrier to entry with free loadouts while keeping the ceiling high with the new Level 40+ solo-vs-squad matchmaking, Embark has built a tent big enough for everyone.
ARC vs. The Competition
We’ve all seen the “Tarkov-likes” come and go. Most of them are either too clunky or too punishing for their own good.
ARC Raiders sits in that sweet spot. It has the polished, buttery-smooth movement we expect from former Battlefield devs, paired with “survival-lite” mechanics. It’s gorgeous to look at, sure. But the real magic is how it handles the “gear fear.”
The UI is clean, the matchmaking is fast, and the world feels alive rather than just a gray wasteland. It’s accessible without losing that edge that makes your palms sweat during an extract.
Can the Resistance Keep the Lights On?
One million concurrent players is a hell of a start, but the honeymoon phase eventually ends. If Embark wants to keep this momentum, they need to keep the mystery of the machines evolving. We need new zones, weirder tech, and reasons to keep going back into the fray.
The community is here and they’re loud. Now it’s up to the devs to prove that ARC Raiders is a long-term home and not just a quick fling.
Fueled by a passion for gaming and the ever-evolving world of gaming news, Daniel loves connecting with seasoned and new players to bring games to life on the page, exploring their narratives and gaming trends. A self-published fiction and fantasy author, Daniel has nearly 20 years of experience writing gaming news and a love for storytelling that drives his enthusiasm to deliver breaking news, in-depth analysis, and industry innovations. You will find him in-game as "Windfell."
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