Arc Raiders launch times and release date
Even as a rejuvenated Battlefield series dominates the shooter limelight, sci-fi extraction shooter Arc Raiders is poised to be a hit. Public playtests have been popular enough to propel it to the third spot on Steam's most-wishlisted games list, and a playtest back in April was so well-received that many hoped Arc's developers would drop the game immediately.
The shooter wasn't quite done cooking back then, but the oven timer's finally dinging: Arc Raiders will be out on October 30.
We'll have a full review after getting some time in with the launch version, but for now you can check out our Arc Raiders review-in-progress (the short version: we like it). Below is everything we know about the launch-day rollout.
When does Arc Raiders launch?
Arc Raiders launches at 2:30 am Pacific on October 30, 2025 on Steam, the Epic Games Store, as well as Xbox and PlayStation consoles.
The specific launch hour isn't listed on Arc's official site or Steam page, but developer Embark announced it on the Discord server. Here's when that is around the world:
- Los Angeles: 2:30 am PDT on Thursday, October 30
- New York: 5:30 am EDT on Thursday, October 30
- London: 9:30 am GMT on Thursday, October 30
- Berlin: 10:30 am CET on Thursday, October 30
- Sydney: 8:30 pm AEDT on Thursday, October 30
- Wellington: 10:30 pm NZDT on Thursday, October 30
As always, temporary server issues are a risk during the launch of a highly anticipated online game, so if you're on the US West Coast like me, I wouldn't recommend staying up till 2:30 in the morning hoping to get a few games in before bed, but you do you!
Does Arc Raiders have preloading?
Yes, you can preload Arc Raiders on Steam and consoles. Due to "an unforeseen issue," however, preloading is not available on the Epic Games Store.
Is Arc Raiders free-to-play?
Nope. At one point it was going to be free-to-play, but the developer changed its mind and decided to launch Arc as a $40 game, saying that the switch allowed it to "focus more on the engagement, fun, and impact on choices with regards to how the game evolves over time."
There's also a $60 deluxe version, and some pre-order bonuses for those who buy Arc before launch. You can see what's in the different versions on the Steam page.