ARC Raiders Goes Free for Four Days Alongside Its Biggest Update, Frozen Trail

Embark Studios is holding a free weekend for ARC Raiders from October 8 to 12, 2026. During the event, players will get access to the full version of the extraction shooter on Steam, PlayStation and Xbox without having to buy the game.

The free period is timed specifically to the launch of Frozen Trail, the biggest update to ARC Raiders since release. Newcomers can jump straight into the base game, while the new Pendola Pass map can be reached by grouping up with a player who has already unlocked the location.

All the terms of the free weekend are posted on the official ARC Raiders website.

Frozen Trail Adds a New Map and the Massive Frigate Ship

The centerpiece is Pendola Pass, a snow-covered region around an abandoned Italian village and a former transit hub of the Exodus project.

The location includes an old town, a supermarket, an observatory and a buried railway depot. Sudden freezes and heightened ARC activity add to the danger.

The main high-level activity will be the Frigate, one of the largest ARC ships. Players will have to find a way inside, explore its corridors, open up new routes and fight off both machines and other raiders at the same time.

Three new ARC types join the enemy roster: Bully, Skulker and Hydra. The first actively hunts players, the second specializes in ambushes, and the Hydra is a three-section turret found on the Frigate.

Embark published the full list of additions in a Frozen Trail preview.

Weapons Get a Fifth Upgrade Tier

The arsenal is getting a major expansion as well.

The game adds the Stiletto rifle, the Bantam heavy revolver, the Grappling Hook, and the Tether Launcher and Yank Grenade gadgets. The latter two let players tether targets, pull enemies out of cover or even attach raiders to ARC machines.

Another addition is the Outpost, a personal zone between the Rust Belt and the new mountain region. There, players can place modules, furniture and research equipment.

A fully upgraded Research Workstation unlocks a fifth quality tier for 15 weapon types. Instead of the usual stat boosts, players will be able to choose branching upgrades that can significantly change how guns behave — for example, turning the Burletta into a fully automatic weapon or giving the Rattler incendiary rounds and an extended magazine.

Raider Decks Give Way to the Reward Pass

Frozen Trail also introduces a new progression system, the Reward Pass, which will gradually replace Raider Decks.

The free version of the pass offers 200 Raider Tokens, five outfits, in-game items and about 20 cosmetic rewards, including furniture, keychains, accessories and emotes.

The old Raider Decks won’t disappear: they’ll be merged into a free Legacy Pass, so accumulated progress carries over.

The update also brings a reworked skill tree, new storylines, map conditions and other changes.

A PvE Test Follows the Free Weekend

From October 13 to 20, Embark will run a separate test of PvE matchmaking.

In this mode, damage between users will be fully disabled, and matches will focus on fighting ARC together. Solos, duos and trios will be able to play in the same session at once.

Some high-level activities, including Night Raids, Hidden Bunker, Locked Gate and the Frigate, will be unavailable in the PvE test. Loot value will also be reduced to compensate for the absence of a threat from other players.

Once the test ends, the toggle will be removed. Embark stresses that the experiment does not guarantee a permanent PvE mode — the feature’s future will depend on stats and player feedback.

The free weekend is officially confirmed for Steam, PlayStation and Xbox. The Epic Games Store is not listed among the event’s platforms, even though ARC Raiders is sold there too.