It has officially been one month since the release of Embark Studios’ hit extraction shooter ARC Raiders, and it is still holding its position as one of Steam’s most popular titles. According to SteamDB, ARC Raiders is still one of Steam’s top sellers, most wishlisted titles, and most played games over 30 days since its launch.
When ARC Raiders was released on October 30, 2025, it was certainly anticipated, but it’s likely few expected it to explode as much as it did. Within a little over a week after its launch, it had already peaked at more active players than Battlefield 6, and wasn’t even phased by the arrival of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 soon after that. It has proven to be something of a phenomenon, especially considering how niche (though decreasingly so) extraction shooters have been historically.
ARC Raiders’ Steam Performance Across Its First Month
While Steam player counts aren’t everything in a cross-platform game like ARC Raiders, they still offer a glimpse into the extent of its popularity. A closer look at its peaks over its first month helps show how that interest has both risen and settled over time.
- November 2: 354,836
- November 9: 460,858
- November 16: 481,966 (all-time peak)
- November 23: 449,369
According to SteamDB’s data, Sunday is ARC Raiders‘ most popular time to play, with each of its weekly peaks occurring then around 20:00 and 21:00 UTC. Beginning on November 2, just a few days after it was released, ARC Raiders saw its first peak reach 354,836 players on Steam alone, with the following Sunday seeing nearly a 30% increase in that count when it hit 460,858. November 16, 2025 marked the biggest day for ARC Raiders yet, with its peak reaching an all-time high of 481,966, and while the next Sunday only peaked at 449,369, that is less than a 7% drop and still nearly 27% higher than its first peak.
Now, a month out from launch, ARC Raiders is still #3 in Steam’s top sellers, though it could technically count as #2, right behind Counter-Strike 2, with the top-most seller being the Steam Deck. It has also had consistently higher daily player counts than Battlefield 6, reaching a daily average of about 367,000 players, versus Battlefield 6‘s daily average of around 220,000 players. And considering why people are still playing ARC Raiders, as well as what is yet to come for the game, those numbers could continue to rise even beyond the peaks they’ve already achieved.
Why People Are Still Playing ARC Raiders
The reason Embark’s extraction shooter is still holding players’ attention a month after launch is because its core loop has proven to be satisfying, even after multiple repeats. ARC Raiders‘ physics-driven feedback, tangible atmosphere, iconic audio design, solo matchmaking, and accessibility uncommon for the genre have all contributed to its long-term popularity.
There is also plenty to do in the game thanks to its live-service structure, like completing quests, preparing for ARC Raiders‘ Expedition wipe on December 21, participating in live events, ranking up in Trials, and completing the Raider Deck for free cosmetics and Raider Tokens to spend in the store. And even though some players have already completed most or all of these things, ARC Raiders still has more to come that is just around the corner.
There Is Still More to Come for ARC Raiders
ARC Raiders is far from through leaving its footprint on Steam’s top charts too, so it’s possible it will retain its position among the most notable titles on the platform. Arriving very soon is its Cold Snap update, which is scheduled to add a host of new content to the game:
- New snow-themed map condition
- Limited-time event called Flickering Flames
- New quests
- New Raider Deck
Needless to say, players should have plenty of fresh reasons to jump back in soon. Furthermore, Embark’s long-term vision for the extraction shooter extends far beyond 2025, as the studio has confirmed ongoing content additions well into 2026, with no fixed seasonal model, but updates released once they are ready. In other words, it appears ARC Raiders‘ month-long Steam domination may only be the beginning.
- Released
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October 30, 2025
- ESRB
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Teen / Violence, Blood
