Arc Raiders studio Embark is making the pull-shooter free-to-play for four days alongside the launch of the game’s biggest update yet, Frozen Trail. The studio has spent the last few days detailing everything new in the update, and has now announced a way for players curious about the game to try it out.
The trial takes place from October 8 to 12. Arc Raiders will be free to download and play on Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox during this time. Surprisingly, the trial doesn’t feature any locked content, with Embark saying it “grants access to the full Arc Raiders game.”
This also extends to the new Pendola Pass card, which weekend free players can technically access immediately. That said, since the map must be unlocked by progressing through the levels, it may take you a while to get there. Alternatively, you can ask a friend who has already unlocked Pendola Pass to invite you to their team.
Frozen Trail should be a major moment for Arc Raiders. The expansion-sized update adds a massive new map, several new Arc enemies, and new weapons and gadgets. The update also marks the first major overhaul of the metagame, with changes to ammo, crafting, and the addition of a more standard battle pass.
Arc Raiders has long since lost its massive launch audience, but I could see Frozen Trail being reason enough to attract players again. Given how big the update’s changes are to the base game, Embark probably also sees it as the best entry point for new players.
By the way, right after the free trial ends, Arc Raiders will be holding a PvE test to give everyone who doesn’t want to fight other players what they’ve been asking for since the game launched. The test runs from October 13 to 20 and simply disables player-on-player damage, essentially formalizing the attitude of the game’s famously friendly lobbies.
Gn tech
