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For solo players, the better current choice is PvPvE played cautiously; for duos and trios who want a relaxed session, PvE was better while its temporary matchmaking test was available. The test ran from 13 to 20 October 2026, and the toggle was removed afterward. ARC Raiders is back to its standard PvPvE queue: other Raiders can attack you as well as the ARC machines. Embark had not announced a permanent PvE mode or a return date in information published through 29 October; it said a follow-up was expected in November, not that a mode would launch then.
At a glance
| Name | Best for | Key spec | Platforms | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PvPvE (live queue) | Solo players seeking the current, comparatively calmer route; squads wanting high-stakes extracts, map conditions, and player combat | Other Raiders can damage you; ARC machines remain a threat | PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S | Nov 2026 |
| PvE matchmaking toggle (ended) | Duos and trios questing, teaching a new player, or playing without player-on-player damage | Zero player-to-player damage; ARC threat remained | PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S | Nov 2026 |
Does ARC Raiders have a PvE mode right now?
No dedicated PvE queue is currently documented: the October 2026 PvE matchmaking toggle ended on 20 October, and the game returned to its standard PvPvE matchmaking. The distinction matters because PvPvE is not simply a choice between fighting players and fighting machines. Both are potential threats in the live queue.
Embark ran the temporary toggle from 13–20 October 2026. In its PvE experience, Raiders could not damage one another, leaving the ARC threat and co-op play as the focus. When the test ended, the option was removed. Live Update 2.3.0, released on 27 October, brought cosmetics and fixes, not a PvE queue.
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Embark said in its 20 October wrap-up that it expected to provide more information in November, while emphasizing that it did not yet know what the analysis would show. That is a news window, not a promised patch date or confirmation that PvE will return. The latest published status established here is dated through 29 October 2026; do not treat the test toggle as a selectable feature unless Embark announces a new one.
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What is the difference between PvE and PvPvE?
PvE removed player-to-player damage but retained the ARC machines; PvPvE combines machine danger with the possibility that another Raider will attack, deceive, or avoid you. ARC Raiders launched around that higher-tension extraction loop after Embark changed its original concept.
PvPvE: machine danger plus human uncertainty
In the live mode, other players can damage you. Stun and fire throwables can affect players, and a downed Raider can be finished by another player or by ARC. That makes proximity to other squads a tactical decision: communication may lead to cooperation, but it is not a guarantee of safety. Betrayal, ambushes, and camping are part of the risk the mode creates.
Embark’s official description presents the choice as playing with a squad or going alone, while warning players about both machines and Raiders. Steam lists Online PvP and Online Co-op, as well as cross-platform multiplayer; parties can include up to three players. The design rewards teams that want social encounters to carry real stakes, not just shared firepower.
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PvE: the October test’s no-player-damage rules
During the toggle, players could still encounter other people, but those people could not deal player-to-player damage. Stun and fire throwables did not affect other Raiders either. It was not an offline or solo-only mode: other players were in the same sessions, and squads of different sizes could be mixed together.
The distinction was not absolute immunity from interference. Barricades, ziplines, and other physical objects still worked, which left room for disruption and trolling without gun damage. Nor did PvE remove the ARC threat. Embark described the mode as an alternative to PvP encounters, not a tougher AI challenge or a separate progression track.
Which mode is better for solo players?
For a solo player today, PvPvE is the practical answer because it is the live queue—and it can be played socially without seeking fights. Solo matchmaking tends to be calmer than squad play, and players who consistently avoid aggression can be routed toward less hostile lobbies by aggression-based matchmaking (ABMM). That lowers the odds of a fight; it does not guarantee a friendly lobby.
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Embark design director Virgil Watkins told PC Gamer in November 2025 that solo players tend to be more social and combat-avoidant, while squads often feel emboldened by being together and are more likely to chase action. That distinction helps explain why the PvE test changed the experience more for groups than for many solos. Gamer Guides’ account of the test said solo players felt the change less because solo matchmaking was already calmer.
How to make a solo PvPvE raid friendlier
- Give matchmaking time to read your behavior. ABMM is based on aggression, so a few consistently non-hostile raids may be needed before the lobby mix settles. Destructoid reported on 27 October 2026 that friendly solo lobbies commonly use greetings and “don’t shoot” signals, while noting that aggressive players may try to enter those lobbies.
- Signal intent before another Raider has to guess. Use the “Don’t Shoot” emote and proximity chat where available. A clear greeting or request to pass can reduce uncertainty, but another player can still ignore it.
- Holster your weapon when you want to appear non-threatening. This is part of the social script reported among solos, rather than a shield: a holstered weapon cannot prevent someone else from attacking.
- Keep an escape plan. Avoid treating a friendly opening as a promise about the rest of the raid. Hostile players can still appear, particularly in lower-population regions, and ABMM can be gamed.
The temporary PvE mode did have a solo use case: a player could take on quests or research without worrying about player damage. But if your question is which option to select now, there is no current PvE button. Friendly behavior in PvPvE is the workaround, not a guarantee of a no-combat session.
Was PvE better for duos and trios?
Yes, for co-op players who wanted to quest, teach a newcomer, or spend a limited session together without being ambushed by another team, PvE was the better fit while it existed. PvPvE remains the only live co-op queue documented here, and it better suits squads who want tense extractions where rival Raiders are part of the challenge.
Watkins’ description of squad behavior helps explain the difference: groups are more likely than solos to pursue action and shoot first. In the PvPvE queue, matchmaking tries to keep different squad sizes apart where possible, but that is not a promise that every lobby will contain only your own size. During the PvE test, by contrast, solos, duos, and trios shared sessions without player-to-player damage. A duo could meet a trio, but the other team could not shoot them.
That made the test useful for mixed-skill friends, parents playing with children, or a partner who dislikes losing a short session to a hostile ambush. It did not make co-op risk-free: the ARC remained dangerous, and physical objects could still be used to interfere with other players. But it changed the source of tension from uncertain human intent to the game’s machine threats and cooperative decisions.
There was also a queue-level trade-off. Gamer Guides collected player accounts describing PvPvE raids as more like free-for-all deathmatches after friendlier players moved into PvE, with duos and trios particularly affected. That is a community-reported effect, not a controlled measure of how every lobby changed. It does identify a design problem Embark would need to consider if players are split between permanent queues.
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What did each mode mean for loot, quests, and map conditions?
PvPvE offered the broader set of high-stakes map conditions, while the PvE test traded some loot value and event access for fewer player-on-player risks. The choice was therefore not simply “safe or dangerous with identical rewards.”
Loot and progression
Embark lowered overall loot value in PvE. During the test, PvPvE received a small baseline loot increase to protect the economy, because friendly players were extracting more often and with more value. An unofficial Gamer Guides player check found about 608,000 Raider Coins across five loot spots run three times in PvE, versus about 690,000 in PvPvE—roughly 12% less in that small comparison. Those numbers are not an official Embark figure and should not be read as a universal return rate.
Progression was shared: items extracted in PvE stayed on the same character, and the stash, skill tree, and quests carried across. PvPvE matchmaking rating was not affected by PvE sessions. Shared progression made the toggle convenient for players who wanted to gather supplies safely and later take them into PvPvE, but it also raised an economy and fairness question for any permanent version: how much should a low-risk queue feed a high-risk one?
Map conditions and encounters
Night Raid, Hidden Bunker, Locked Gate, and Frigate were unavailable in the PvE test, according to Embark. Gamer Guides also lists Redirection as unavailable in PvE. These conditions therefore remained reasons to queue PvPvE for players seeking the full set of high-tension or high-loot scenarios.
PvE did offer a different advantage for objectives in dangerous player hotspots. It opened up places such as Blue Gate Checkpoint and Spaceport towers, and made Matriarch or Queen fights and research tasks that required standing still less exposed to hostile Raiders. That could make a quest more manageable, although the machines and other session hazards did not disappear.
Downed players and non-weapon disruption
A PvE session was not a promise that a downed player could safely crawl away from ARC. Embark warned that machines might reacquire a crawling player; staying still could make them lose interest. Gamer Guides documented an eight-second grace period before movement could result in being finished. This is a detail reported for the test, not a general protection rule for the live PvPvE queue.
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Removing player damage also did not remove every way to frustrate another team. Community reports from the test described Bull Rush, Yank Grenades, barricading doors, camping key rooms, Snitch Scanners, and fake defibrillator revives as ways to interfere without ordinary weapon damage. These examples show why “PvE” in this test meant no player-to-player damage, not a fully controlled co-op environment.
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Why did Embark test PvE, and will it come back?
Embark tested the toggle because a substantial part of the community wanted co-op with the ARC without hostile player encounters, but the studio has not promised a permanent PvE mode. It said it needed time to analyze the test and a representative survey before deciding how to proceed.
The project’s history makes that decision more complicated than simply adding another matchmaking option. Executive producer Aleksander Grøndal said on Embark’s 24 September 2026 blog that the original concept was a raid-based PvE co-op looter; the studio encountered significant challenges and reset the game into the PvPvE extraction adventure that launched on 30 October 2025. CCO Stefan Strandberg, quoted via the studio’s 2025 evolution documentary in an MP1st report, said the larger recipe for the original version was not there and the sessions could not be replicated consistently enough.
After launch, Embark found a larger friendly co-op audience than it expected. In its 2026 figures, the studio described 37% of players as friendly co-op players, 27% as mixed players, and 34% as pure PvP players. It said more than 70% of friendly players and 40% of PvP players wanted fewer hostile encounters. Separately, 51% of surveyed players expressed interest in a dedicated PvE option. These are Embark’s categories and survey figures, not a third-party study of match outcomes or retention.
The PvE week produced more than 30 million rounds, according to Embark’s 20 October wrap-up. The studio also called the reaction polarizing and said it would prioritize the game’s overall health and enjoyability. A high play count demonstrates that players engaged with the test; it does not by itself settle whether a permanent queue would improve the whole game.
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In an MP1st interview published 25 October, Grøndal described several options still under discussion: a chill side mode between intense PvPvE raids, an AI challenge mode, or a full PvE-only experience. Each would have different consequences for future updates. A permanent split could require maps, conditions, and events to be treated for two queues; shared versus separate progression would need a decision; and non-weapon ways to troll would still need attention. Embark also has to account for what happens to PvPvE lobby quality if many friendly players leave that queue.
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Grøndal told GamesRadar+, as reported by Eurogamer on 10 October, that the community was already divided along PvE/PvP lines and that a future split was possible. That is an acknowledgment of an option, not a confirmation of one. No independent third-party market-research firm published a PvE-versus-PvP win-rate or retention study in the sources available for this status.
How should you choose between the modes?
Use your goal for the raid, not a blanket claim that one mode is better for everyone. The PvE option is not live in the status documented here, so the practical choice today is whether to enter PvPvE and how much human risk you want to accept.
- Solo and mainly after a calmer session: queue solo in PvPvE, behave consistently non-aggressively, and use the social signals described above. Expect risk rather than guaranteed peaceful matchmaking.
- Duo or trio focused on quests, teaching, or relaxed co-op: PvE was the closer match during its test. Until Embark restores a no-player-damage queue, the current co-op option includes the possibility of other Raiders attacking.
- Want map conditions, intense extracts, or player combat: PvPvE is the fit, and the only live queue documented here. It includes the excluded PvE-test conditions and the uncertainty of encounters with other Raiders.
- Want to farm with little risk and carry the result forward: the test’s shared stash and progression allowed that, but the lower PvE loot value and PvPvE economy adjustment were intentional. A future permanent mode could change those rules.
The clearest short answer is that solo players can make current PvPvE more approachable through social play and ABMM, while co-op squads had more to gain from the October PvE toggle. Whether Embark brings back any form of PvE remains undecided in the latest dated announcement: the studio’s stated next step was further information in November 2026.
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What PC specs does ARC Raiders require?
Steam lists a minimum of Windows 10 64-bit, an Intel i5-6600K or AMD Ryzen 5 1600, 12 GB of RAM, and a GTX 1050 Ti, RX 580, or Intel Arc A380, with DirectX 12 and broadband. Its recommended specifications are an i5-9600K or Ryzen 5 3600, 16 GB of RAM, and an RTX 2070, RX 5700 XT, or Intel Arc B570.
Can I play ARC Raiders with friends on another platform?
Yes. The game supports cross-platform multiplayer across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, and parties can be up to three players. Those platform facts do not mean that players can choose a no-PvP queue.
When did ARC Raiders launch?
The Steam listing gives 30 October 2025 as the release date. The Frozen Trail 2.0 update arrived on 8 October 2026, five days before the PvE matchmaking test began.
Did the PvE test make ARC Raiders more popular?
Steam concurrent-user figures compiled by Gamer Guides rose after the 8 October update and reached roughly 138,000–164,000 during the PvE week, including 159,445 on 18 October. Those are Steam-only counts, and the update preceded the test, so the figures cannot isolate the toggle’s effect or represent PlayStation and Xbox players.
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