Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Frozen Trail, Embark Studios’ update for ARC Raiders, went live on October 8, 2026, and the studio calls it the largest update since the game launched. Embark had expected its slower update schedule to cost it players and hoped a bigger release would bring them back. Whether that has happened is not yet settled by a verified figure. A community claim that the game passed 100,000 players on Steam after the patch is circulating, but no timestamped Steam chart backing it has been identified, and no official post-update player count is available at the time of writing.
What Frozen Trail adds
Embark described Frozen Trail as its largest in-game update, with a new largest-in-game map, a major ARC operation featuring new enemies and behaviors, progression goals, an improved skill tree, and new weapons, items, instruments, and cosmetics.
A GamesRadar+ preview published October 2, 2026 provided more specific details. Those specifics come from that preview and should be checked against Embark’s official patch notes before you rely on them:
- New map: Pendola Pass
- New ARC enemies: Frigate, Bully, Skulker, and Hydra
- New weapons: the Stiletto battle rifle and the Bantam revolver
- Systems: traversal items, weapon modification, weapon transmog, customizable bases, quests, and trials
- Progression: a free and a premium battle pass
Why the update schedule changed
On May 13, 2026, Embark announced that major updates would move from a monthly cadence to twice a year. Routine live operations were not part of the change. Embark said it would keep shipping balance changes, bug fixes, store updates, and player events. The studio’s reasoning was that a monthly cycle limited how much each release could change the game, and that a slower rhythm would let the team build more transformative releases and spend more time on progression, economy balance, fair play, and anti-cheat.
#1 Best Overall
| Update type | Before the change | After the change (announced May 13, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Major content updates such as Frozen Trail | Monthly | Twice a year, with the stated target of roughly six months between major batches |
| Balance changes, bug fixes, and routine live updates | Continuing | Continuing |
| Store updates and player events | Continuing | Continuing |
Embark’s announcement put it in its own words: “Over time, we’ve found that the pressure of a monthly cycle limits how impactful these updates can be.”
What Embark expected to happen to player numbers
The studio did not present the longer gap as free. In a GamesRadar+ interview published October 7, 2026, executive producer Aleksander Grøndal said Embark had accepted that it would have fewer players over a period of time when it changed the cadence. The hope was that larger pieces of content such as Frozen Trail would bring those players back.
Rank #2
- MLB The Show 26 Full Game on PlayStation 5
- Includes 5 The Show Packs
- NEW Road to Cooperstown & Expanded Amateur Years Career
- Build your ultimate fantasy team with a new Red Diamond rarity tier and World Baseball Classic player cards featuring elite game-changing players
- NEW Revamped Front Office Experience Play the nail-biting key matches and moments of your Franchise GM career with streamlined seasons and Custom Game Entry
That is the basis for the rebound story. The studio anticipated a dip and designed the bigger release partly to counter it. It is a stated expectation, not a measured result.
What the player numbers do and do not show
The last verified figures are from January 2026
Publisher Nexon reported, in a January 13, 2026 announcement, more than 12.4 million units sold and 960,000 concurrent players ten weeks after launch. Those figures predate Frozen Trail by nine months and describe the game’s earlier period, so they cannot show whether the October update changed anything. The reported concurrent figure was not broken down by platform in the source we reviewed.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Rank #3
- Only at Amazon Limited Edition Content - The Rogue Infiltrator Character Pack includes cosmetics for Kay and Nix.
- Discover a galaxy of opportunity. Explore distinct locations with bustling cities and cantinas. Race across sprawling outdoor landscapes on your speeder. Each location brings new adventures, unique challenges, and enticing rewards if you’re willing to take the risk.
- Experience an original scoundrel story. Live the high-stakes lifestyle of an outlaw. Turn any situation to your advantage with Nix by your side: fight with your blaster, overcome enemies with stealth and gadgets, or find the right moments to distract enemies and gain the upper hand.
- Embark on high-stakes missions. Take on high-risk, high-reward missions from the galaxy’s crime syndicates. Steal valuable goods, infiltrate secret locations, and outwit enemies as one of the galaxy’s most wanted. Every choice you make influences your ever-changing reputation.
- Jump into the pilot seat. Pilot your ship, the Trailblazer, as you engage in thrilling dogfights with the Empire and other foes. Find the right opportunities to chase, evade, and attack to get the upper hand.
The post-update claim is unverified
The “numbers it hasn’t seen in months” framing needs a dated baseline. The only post-update claim we found is a community post, surfacing in search results, saying ARC Raiders passed 100,000 Steam players after the October 8 patch. That is a claim, not a statistic. It does not identify a measurement window, and it covers Steam only. It says nothing about PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Epic Games Store, or GeForce NOW.
How to read a future player count
Any figure published for the update should be checked against these points before it is repeated:
- Metric: Peak concurrent users, daily active users, unique players, and units sold are different measures. A surge in one does not imply the others.
- Platform: A Steam concurrency chart covers Steam only. An all-platform claim needs a source that covers every platform.
- Window: Compare like with like. A post-update peak should be set against a prior peak measured over a comparable span, with start and end dates stated.
- Timestamp: Player counts move hourly and daily. A number without a date describes an unknown moment.
Platforms
Embark’s official site lists ARC Raiders on Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and GeForce NOW. Steam describes it as a multiplayer extraction game in which players scavenge, craft, repair, and upgrade gear in an in-game workshop, and allows solo play or parties of up to three.
Because the platforms report separately, an update can lift one storefront’s chart and leave another unchanged. Treat a single-platform number as a single-platform number.
Best Value
![Assassin's Creed Shadows [PlayStation 5]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51cgBmgsqGL._SL160_.jpg)
- Experience an epic, historical action adventure in feudal Japan and become a deadly Shinobi assassin and a powerful legendary samurai as you explore a beautiful open game world in chaotic times
- Sneak as a Naoe to not be discovered, use your agility to confuse your opponents and stretch down your opponents with deadly precision and power as a Yasuke
- Use information as weapons and build your own spy network to have eyes and ears everywhere and find your targets easier and recruit new allies on the go with unique skills to help you with your missions
- Create a fully customizable hideaway for your growing Shinobi league, where you train recruits, craft new equipment and interact with important characters; set the room layout, decoration and accessories yourself
What would settle the question
A verified answer would need an official post-update player count, or a timestamped concurrency chart from a named tracker with the platform and window stated, compared against a prior window measured the same way. Until one of those exists, the accurate summary is that the update is large, the studio expected a dip and hoped to recover from it, and a rebound has not been quantified in a source that meets the standard above.
The official patch notes are the place to confirm the content details listed above.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
