Yes—your behavior in ARC Raiders affects matchmaking. Embark says it considers how you interact with other Raiders across previous rounds, making similar playstyles more likely to meet. It is a gradual influence, not a switch that guarantees a friendly or aggressive lobby.
How playstyle matchmaking works
Embark’s May 20, 2026 explanation describes matchmaking as balancing fairness and enjoyment while accounting for queue time and latency. It may consider whether players have similar chances of success and, when possible, prioritize equal squad sizes. For playstyle, it looks at multiple factors across prior rounds, with particular attention to how you engage other Raiders. The studio has not published the algorithm, its numerical weights, or a precise lookback window.
Embark describes playstyles as a continuum, not two categories labeled “friendly” and “aggressive.” The system aims to make Raiders with similar tendencies more likely to share a lobby, while retaining unpredictability. In the studio’s words, “Your behavior shapes your future lobbies – gradually.” A single action does not immediately assign you to a different kind of lobby.
That distinction matters: matchmaking nudges the odds of the encounters you get; it does not promise a particular social outcome. Even if your playstyle resembles the other players in a lobby, one of them may still attack you. Embark explicitly says there are no PvE-only lobbies in the standard system where other Raiders will never attack.
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- ARC Raiders Deluxe Edition includes the base game and the following content: The Wanderer Set, including the following cosmetic items: “Valente” Outfit" “Pathfinder” Backpack,“Blanket Roll” Backpack Attachment.
- Plus: Character Cosmetic, Finger Gun Rapid Fire Emote, Cowboy Scrappy Body Type and Skin, 2 400 Raider Tokens.
Which actions affect your matchmaking profile?
| Action or setting | What Embark says |
|---|---|
| Starting a fight | Relevant to playstyle. Initiating PvP carried more weight than defensive PvP in the May 20 explanation. |
| Defending yourself | It counted at reduced weight in the May explanation. On July 28, Embark said it was testing a change to remove defensive PvP’s effect entirely; the reviewed update does not confirm the test’s final outcome. |
| A single shot or kill | Not enough on its own to immediately push you into PvP-focused lobbies; Embark says it considers patterns over time. |
| Looting a downed Raider | Does not affect matchmaking, according to Embark. The relevant behavior is engagement with Raiders, not what you do with their gear afterward. |
| End-of-round survey | Does not directly affect your next lobby. Embark says it uses feedback to identify trends and inform design decisions. |
| Loadout or kit cost | Does not affect matchmaking; Embark says it does not scale lobby difficulty based on loadout cost. |
| Squad leader | Gets no special weight. Each squad member influences the squad profile. |
| Crossplay setting | Changes the available player pool and queue time, but does not ensure a more cooperative or more PvP-focused session. |
Does matchmaking track solo, duo, and trio play separately?
Yes. Since Update 1.36.0, released July 7, 2026, Embark tracks playstyle profiles separately for solos, duos, and trios, then uses the history corresponding to your current squad size. Your behavior in one squad-size category therefore is not simply treated as the same profile for every group size.
What changed recently—and what is still a test
Defensive PvP weighting
Embark’s May explanation said defensive PvP counted less than initiating a fight. Its July 28 update said the studio was testing a change that would give defensive actions zero impact. That update establishes that a test was announced, not that the change became the permanent rule.
Separating known queue-teaming groups
In a September 30, 2026 anti-cheat update, Embark said it was keeping known groups that coordinate before solo-queueing apart in matchmaking. The studio reported that, after five days, the number of players engaging in this behavior was down 85%, and spoiled raids fell from around one in 50 to one in 300. Embark also said the intervention had no meaningful effect on queue times. These are the studio’s reported results, not independently verified measurements; they describe the anti-cheat intervention, not the accuracy of playstyle matchmaking.
Limited PvE-toggle test scheduled for October 13–20, 2026
Embark announced a limited PvE-toggle test for October 13–20, 2026. During the scheduled test, player-to-player damage was to be disabled; solo, duo, and trio players could be mixed; and some high-tension conditions would be excluded. Embark said these PvE sessions would not change a player’s PvPvE matchmaking rating and that the toggle would be removed when the test ended. The scheduled window was still in the future as of October 4, 2026, so these are announced test conditions, not a description of an already completed test.
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- If you regularly start fights, Embark’s system may gradually place you with Raiders who engage in PvP at a similar rate.
- If you mostly avoid fights, that tendency can influence later lobbies, but it does not create a guaranteed safe or PvE-only experience.
- Do not assume one kill, one defensive fight, your kit cost, or a survey response will immediately determine your next lobby.
- There is no published formula or fixed number of rounds that lets players predict exactly how quickly their profile changes.
Art director Robert Sammelin had confirmed the broad idea in a December 15, 2025 PC Gamer interview, saying, “We do analyse behaviour and match accordingly.” Embark’s later official explanation provides the useful detail: behavior is one influence among several, applied gradually and probabilistically rather than as a guarantee.
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- Capture and Tame Dinosaurs: Discover over 100 different dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures on the island, finding ways to tame them into useful additions for your tribe's dyno herd
- Survive Above All: Hunger, thirst, basic safety, and protecting yourself from the weather are all part of the game
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Sources
- Embark Studios, “Notes on The Matchmaking System,” May 20, 2026
- Embark Studios, “Live Update 1.36.0,” July 7, 2026
- Embark Studios, “Live Update 1.39.0,” July 28, 2026
- Embark Studios, “We’re testing a PvE Toggle: here’s what it means for you,” September 24, 2026
- Embark Studios, “An Update on Anti-Cheat,” September 30, 2026
- PC Gamer, interview with Robert Sammelin, December 15, 2025
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