Arc Raiders has finally arrived, and with it comes a sense of refreshment I haven’t felt about video games — more particularly, video games of this kind — in quite some time. I’ve been trying to figure out why that is, because as a long-time fan of the extraction shooter genre, I’ve seen it all: gameplay design differences, unique weapons and gear, differing loot and reward systems. Upon reflection, however, the thing that stands out most about Arc Raiders isn’t just its mechanics or gameplay, but rather that the game feels kinder in a way, or considerate of my experience in a way its competitors don’t.
To be clear, the extraction shooter genre has always been about difficulty, which is a major part of its appeal, but “difficulty” isn’t some all-encompassing term, and Arc Raiders seems to understand this. The challenge should come from the tension of emergent encounters, not from fighting the UI, dealing with broken systems, or enduring a persistent sense of fatigue. It’s here, in these more subtle designs, that Arc Raiders separates itself from the genre norms of endless obtuse menus, punishing progression, and systems (and their bugs) that result in ruined runs.
Arc Raiders Is a UX/UI Design Wonderland
First and foremost, it’s difficult to overstate how much Arc Raiders‘ gameplay benefits from having an interface that’s both natural and intuitive, and it’s frankly shocking how rare that is in the genre. You can ping quests and quest items to tell teammates what you’re after, Ctrl-click to move multiple items between menus, and easily track loot for missions without fumbling through multiple confusing layers of UI. These aren’t exactly flashy features, but they make every interaction in Arc Raiders that much more intuitive.
Though much more common in FPS games these days, it’s nice that Arc Raiders also allows players to customize their crosshairs.
It also helps that the game looks good while doing it; the menus are simple and readable, but no less in line with the cassette futurism aesthetic Arc Raiders follows. Compare that to Delta Force: Hawk Ops, where navigating menus feels like sorting through the worst tendencies of modern FPS design, or the famous Escape from Tarkov, where even after eight years of beta testing, the UI remains awkward and dated.
No Bugs in the UX Either
What’s even more impressive is how technically solid Arc Raiders is. It’s a testament to how frustrating it can be when the game’s systems get in the way of the experience it’s trying to offer, and in Arc Raiders, I haven’t run into that once, not even during the pre-release beta and server slam. That reliability goes a long way to complement the rest of the experience as a quiet kind of polish that’s rare for a game in this genre, especially one this new.
Tarkov players are likely very familiar with bugs, especially in UI, where quests wouldn’t track, objectives bugged out, or inventory management just didn’t respond correctly.
Another critical character flaw in most extraction shooters is the sound design. It can make or break a competitive title, and Arc Raiders has miraculously managed to get it right from the start. Tarkov still struggles with buggy and inconsistent audio that can make a fight feel unfair, so it’s nice to finally have audio that’s both immersive and practical.
Gunfire sounds crisp and mechanical, footsteps are heavy and crunchy, and opening containers for potential loot is loud, to the degree that it’s relevant to your success within a run.
The world of Arc Raiders also hums with the kind of natural atmosphere that makes every moment feel living and breathing, and it’s just another huge win when you can also tell where danger’s coming from and rely on that information. That’s not something players in this genre take for granted anymore, and Arc Raiders deserves credit for getting it right immediately.
Though I run the risk of coming off even more curmudgeonly, this is also, probably, the most optimistic extraction shooter ever made, and what a joy that is. It’s not something I really ever expected to say about a game like this. Arc Raiders has a distinct identity, one that feels (and is advertised as) much more about the adventure of it all rather than the bleakness of some broken world.
I like darker, more grounded settings as much as anyone, but there’s something to be said about an extraction game that manages to keep you on edge but doesn’t leave you drained when you’ve finished playing it. The tension is still there, but it’s wrapped in a different coat of paint compared to the usual grit and gloom of something like Tarkov, or the general lack of style in Delta Force.
Optimism Manages to Shape Arc Raiders’ Gameplay, Too
That lighter tone shows up in how Arc Raiders plays, too. You finish enemies by knocking them out instead of killing them. Additionally, the overarching narrative objective is to fight the machines, not the other players. While a small change, it’s one that shifts the whole mood of the experience.
Through the Sheer Volume of Quality Systems and Style Choices, Arc Raiders Soars
At the end of the day, what Arc Raiders does best is take a familiar formula and get a little wild with it, while also making no less of an effort to polish it from top to bottom. It’s no perfect game, nor does it reinvent the extraction shooter genre, but it doesn’t have to be or do that. It succeeds at what it’s going for, and everything from the UI to the sound to the underlying systems works together to create something cohesive and confident, more so than any other recent outing in the genre, at least. That alone is an achievement for Embark Studios that’s worth celebrating.
For a genre that often correlates frustration and challenge, or simply doesn’t acknowledge frustration points quickly enough, Arc Raiders is proof that difficulty and accessibility can coexist. It’s still early, everything I’ve seen or played comes across as a game that respects my experience as a consumer, and rewards my hours spent. That might sound simple, but in this genre, it’s unfortunately anything but.
- Released
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October 30, 2025
- ESRB
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Teen / Violence, Blood
