ARC Raiders Is Free to Play Through October 12 Alongside Major Frozen Trail Update

Embark Studios has opened temporary free access to ARC Raiders alongside the launch of Frozen Trail 2.0, the extraction shooter’s biggest update since release. The full game is free to play without purchase from October 8, 09:00 UTC, through October 12, 08:00 UTC on Steam, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.

This is not a standalone demo: participants get access to the complete game. ARC Raiders has also received a 50% discount across all platforms. On US Steam, the standard edition is temporarily down to $19.99 from $39.99, with the sale running through October 15.

Pendola Pass, Frigate, and Three New Enemies

The centerpiece of Frozen Trail is Pendola Pass, a new snow-covered map. It features a former Italian village and Exodus transit hub with abandoned residential areas, an observatory, and an underground train depot. The focal point of the area is the wreckage of a massive Emperor machine holding rare tech. Sudden flash freezes introduce an extra environmental hazard. The developers showcased the new location in detail ahead of the update’s release.

The update also introduces the ARC Frigate and Redirection map conditions. Frigate drops players aboard a massive airborne ARC ship complete with dedicated interior sections, high-tier loot, and hostiles.

Three new ARC machines join the fray: the aggressively pursuing Bully, the stealthy Skulker, and the Hydra — a stationary turret made of three autonomous segments designed to challenge entire squads.

On Pendola Pass, Embark is also testing Dynamic Loot Zones, where loot quality in specific sectors can shift between raids. Zone specialization remains intact, however — a residential district will not suddenly start dropping an entirely different type of loot.

New Base, Weapons, and a Complete Progression Overhaul

Patch 2.0 introduces the Stiletto rifle and the Bantam heavy revolver, as well as the Amplified Weapons system. After fully upgrading the research station in the new Outpost, players can elevate 15 weapon types to tier five and select custom traits that significantly alter how a specific gun handles.

The Outpost itself functions as an upgradable personal base that players can expand with modules and furnish. The update adds 100 furniture designs, 14 weapon stencils, and 22 new quests. Maximum stash capacity without Expeditions bonuses has been bumped to 328 slots.

The skill tree has also undergone a major rework: underperforming abilities were rebalanced or replaced, adding new branching paths with mutually exclusive perks. Meanwhile, Raider Decks have transitioned into a Reward Pass format. The debut Frozen Trail Pass features 60 tiers across free and premium tracks, while legacy Decks have been shifted to a Legacy Pass, keeping already unlocked rewards intact.

As a result, Frozen Trail delivers far more than just a new map and weapons; Embark has substantially reworked long-term progression for both characters and loadouts. The free weekend gives newcomers a chance to check out these changes without buying the game, and players can jump straight into Pendola Pass by teaming up with someone who has already unlocked the map.