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ARC Raiders is worth playing solo if you want a tense, online extraction shooter and accept that other players can kill you. You can queue alone, complete quests, fight ARC machines and extract with loot, but there is no offline campaign and no permanent PvE-only playlist in the live Western game as of November 12, 2026. Every normal raid is PvPvE: human Raiders and machines share the map.
That makes the purchase question straightforward. Buy it for autonomy, atmosphere, scavenging and high-stakes decisions; wait if relaxed co-op against AI is your main requirement; skip it if offline play or guaranteed safety is non-negotiable.
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At a glance
| Name | Best for | Key spec | Free plan / price | Platforms | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo PvPvE (live) | Independent players who enjoy risk | Party size 1; ARC and Raiders can deal damage | Standard $39.99; Deluxe $59.99 (Steam US) | PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S; cross-play | November 2026 |
| Duo/Trio PvPvE (live) | Revives, shared information and coordinated fights | Up to three players; squad-size matching is a priority | Standard $39.99; Deluxe $59.99 (Steam US) | PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S; cross-play | November 2026 |
| October PvE toggle (ended) | Relaxed AI-only co-op while it existed | Zero player damage; lower loot value; mixed squad sizes | Not available in the live menu | PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S | November 2026 |
Prices are Steam US figures checked November 2026; console prices vary by storefront and region.
Can you play ARC Raiders solo?
Yes. On the Play menu, set Fill Squad to Off in the bottom-right corner, then queue. You will deploy, loot and extract without randomly assigned teammates. The maximum party size is three, and solo is an explicitly supported party size in Embark’s Steam description: “Play solo or in parties up to three, navigating the constant threat of ARC’s machines and the unpredictable choices of fellow survivors.”
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Fill Squad Off does not create a private server. Other human Raiders still enter the map, and occasionally matchmaking can produce an encounter with a squad despite efforts to separate party sizes. The live experience remains online-only, with broadband required, an Embark ID created at first launch, and progress tied to that account.
ARC Raiders launched on Windows, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S on October 30, 2025. Cross-play is supported. Steam lists multiplayer, online PvP, online co-op and cross-platform multiplayer; it does not list a single-player category or an offline mode.
Does ARC Raiders have a PvE mode or offline campaign?
Not in the current Western live menu. Standard raids always combine ARC machines with the possibility of hostile or friendly human Raiders, and there is no offline campaign that lets you play without a network connection.
Embark did run a limited PvE matchmaking toggle from 11:00 CEST on October 13 to 11:00 CEST on October 20, 2026. Player-to-player damage was disabled, including gunfire, stun and fire throwables. Physical interactions such as barricades and ziplines still worked, so the test was not completely free of player disruption. Loot value was intentionally lower, while the regular PvPvE pool received a small baseline increase to protect the economy.
The test mixed solos, duos and trios rather than prioritising equal squad sizes. It excluded Night Raid, Locked Gate, Hidden Bunker, Frigate and Redirection conditions, while sharing the same stash, quests, skills and character progression as PvPvE. A crawling player could still be reacquired by ARC enemies; community documentation described roughly an eight-second grace period if the downed player remained still.
Executive producer Aleksander Grøndal warned that “This test is not a promise that there will be a PvE mode in the future.” After the test, he told Eurogamer that the studio was studying the results and considering several directions: a chill side mode, an AI challenge mode or a full PvE-only experience. Reporting on November 10 found no permanent playlist confirmed. A dedicated PvE product in the Chinese version is a regional distinction, not an option currently shown in Western matchmaking.
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How does solo matchmaking work?
Embark tries to keep solos with solos and duos with duos, but describes this as a priority rather than an absolute guarantee. Ossen said the team was focused on “maintaining the split between solos and squads to keep those groups on an even playing field whenever possible” and wanted rounds that were “varied and interesting, but fair,” as reported by PC Gamer.
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Since Live Update 1.36.0 on July 7, 2026, the game tracks solo, duo and trio playstyle separately. A player who repeatedly makes non-aggressive solo runs can therefore keep that history associated with solo matchmaking rather than having it blended with squad behaviour. Low-population regions, peak-time fluctuations and deliberate queue manipulation can still produce unexpected opponents.
What is aggression-based matchmaking (ABMM)?
ABMM is the community name for matching players partly by their tendency toward PvP or PvE behaviour. WillyB attributes a plain-language confirmation to CEO Patrick Söderlund: players are matched “based on how prone you are to PvP or PvE.” Several non-hostile raids may be needed before the filter settles, and there is no safety guarantee. Community reporting has described aggressive players entering calm-looking lobbies deliberately, particularly after the PvE test.
You can influence the signal without treating it as a promise: holster your weapon, use the “Don’t shoot!” emote, speak through proximity voice and avoid opening fire when a contact is not blocking your route. A stranger can still betray you, and the game permits that outcome.
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The former Solo vs Squads option is not live. Introduced in HEADWINDS 1.13.0 for level-40-plus solo players, it placed them in the trio queue and awarded a 20% XP bonus whether they extracted or were eliminated. Frozen Trail 2.0 removed the option on October 8, 2026. Later coverage citing the full 2.0 notes says Embark felt the mode did not give players a compelling enough reason to use it and was reconsidering its role.
Older guides that still describe a level-40 toggle are outdated. No official post through October 27 confirmed a return.
What are the biggest risks of playing solo?
Solo removes the rescue systems that make squad raids forgiving. The following risks are the reason the mode feels tense even when no one shoots.
- No revive net: one bad peek, a third party or overlapping ARC aggro ends the run immediately.
- All losses are yours: carried weapons, armor and backpack contents drop on death. Items in the Safe Pocket survive, but that limited space cannot protect a whole kit.
- Extraction exposure: elevators and metro stations are loud and slow. A Raider Hatch is quieter but consumes a key and remains open for only about 15 seconds, according to SlashSkill.
- Information overload: you must listen for machines, footsteps, ziplines and breach noise while choosing routes without a second set of eyes.
- Trust is temporary: an emote-friendly player or pickup ally can cooperate now and shoot later.
- Bosses advertise your location: Queen and Matriarch encounters attract server-wide attention; winning can draw players toward the fight.
- Weather and night add pressure: darkness changes visibility and audio, while Frozen Trail conditions can add snowfall, footprints and Frostbite concerns when active.
- Gear fear: extraction-game loss anxiety encourages hoarding. Community guides generally argue that affordable crafting makes regular, sensible loadouts healthier than keeping every item in storage.
What makes solo play rewarding?
Solo gives you complete control over pace. You can leave as soon as a quest item or valuable component is secured instead of waiting for a group objective. There is no three-way loot discussion, no teammate noise and no need to hold an extraction for a slower player.
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Several independent guides describe solo lobbies as calmer than squad play, with more opportunities for spontaneous alliances against large ARC machines. Design director Virgil Watkins has said solo players tend to be more social and combat-avoidant than squads. That creates an unusual rhythm: a holstered weapon, a proximity-voice greeting and a shared machine fight can become a temporary partnership, but the possibility of betrayal keeps the encounter meaningful.
The soundscape and machine threat also land differently alone. Smoke grenades, stealth tools, vertical gadgets and hatches are useful because the game gives a solo player ways to evade rather than win every gunfight. Security Breach lockers, night missions and peripheral loot rooms provide structured objectives that reward route planning. Compared with harsher extraction games, guides from Dignitas and GamesRadar describe ARC Raiders as more approachable for players without a regular squad.
How do you start a solo raid safely?
Use a low-cost loop until extracts, audio cues and ARC patrols become familiar. Bring only what supports the objective and leave room for loot.
- Disable teammate fill. Open the Play menu and switch Fill Squad to Off. Confirm that you are entering as a one-player party.
- Use a cheap or Free Loadout first. A lost starter kit teaches more cheaply than a premium weapon. Upgrade once your route and extraction timing are reliable.
- Protect an extraction key. Put a Raider Hatch Key in the Safe Pocket before deploying. Keys can be bought from Shani’s shop for 9,000 Credits once per 24 real-world hours, crafted at the Utility Station with 50 Plastic Parts and six ARC Alloy, or earned through Hatch Repair quests.
- Choose two linked objectives. Plan a primary objective and a nearby secondary one on the same corridor. Mark a primary extract and a backup, then verify which extracts are active on that raid’s map.
- Keep the profile quiet. Holster your weapon to sprint faster, walk or crouch on metal, and avoid unnecessary flashlight use. Slide down slopes, go prone in vegetation and stop moving when listening. Melee weak Ticks and Wasps when practical instead of broadcasting unsuppressed gunfire.
- Carry an escape tool. Smoke grenades help with open crossings, elevators and contested objectives. A mine, zipline or snap hook can create distance when a route collapses.
- Fight only for a reason. Before shooting, ask whether the contact blocks your route, carries a required item or threatens your extraction. Check cover, ammunition, information and an exit; if several are missing, disengage.
- Break contact with squads. Do not accept a fair 1-v-3. Let a squad fight ARC or another team, take one useful elimination if necessary, then relocate. Lure grenades can redirect machines toward pursuers.
- Move after loud events. Breaching a locker and killing ARC units create noise over a wide area. Relocate before opening valuable containers.
- Extract when the job is complete. Greed is the common solo failure point. A Raider Hatch is quieter: clear the area, activate it and enter during its short opening window. If forced to use an elevator, scout with binoculars or a scope, smoke the pad, holster for the final sprint and avoid standing in the open while it departs.
Which skills and loadouts suit a solo player?
Community guides disagree on the first skill points, so treat these as two valid schools rather than an official build.
- Mobility-first: SlashSkill recommends Marathon Runner and Youthful Lungs for stamina, then In-Round Crafting, followed by Conditioning health or resistance improvements and later looting perks. This suits players who survive by rotating and escaping.
- Loot-first: Dignitas prioritises Security Breach, Looter’s Instinct and Looter’s Luck to shorten exposure around high-tier lockers. This suits players who prefer quiet, repeatable value runs.
Medium Shield generally preserves more movement than Heavy Shield. Looting Mk. 2 or Mk. 3 Survivor augments are cited for value and health regeneration. Always carry healing, one utility item and enough empty pack space to make an extraction worthwhile.
Weapon examples in community guides are patch-dated rather than a permanent meta: SlashSkill’s February 2026 examples include Anvil Hand Cannon with Il Toro for budget runs and Venator with Vulcano for higher-end kits; Dignitas lists Stitcher or Kettle early, Pharaoh for range and later Bobcat or Tempest options. Balance changes can invalidate these choices, so build around controllable recoil, ammunition availability and an escape plan rather than a tier-list label.
Which maps and conditions are friendliest to solos?
Map advice is patch-volatile, but recurring guide suggestions provide useful principles. On Dam Battlegrounds, guides point to water towers, Marano Park and the underground Power Generation Complex; the latter is especially attractive at night, with a Power Rod opening a locked room. Buried City offers chimney nests, ziplines and concealed apartment drawers containing high-rarity attachments. On Spaceport, Vehicle Maintenance can provide a blind spot from the Control Tower. On Blue Gate, the underground maintenance wing is suggested as a quieter alternative to the popular security-breach door.
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Stella Montis (also written Stellar Montis) is less forgiving because of tight corridors. Staying on the edges and using the Assembly Workshop rocket-thruster area, near a hatch extract, reduces some exposure. Night missions are repeatedly highlighted as a strong solo system: darkness can hide movement, but it also magnifies audio mistakes and changes how ARC patrols and footprints are read.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsIs solo better than playing with a squad?
Neither replaces the other. Squads split machine aggro, revive mistakes and hold an extraction while one player completes an interaction. They are better for teaching a mixed-skill friend or learning unfamiliar interfaces. Solo gives faster decisions, full loot ownership and the ability to abandon a bad fight instantly.
| Consideration | Solo | Duo/trio |
|---|---|---|
| Failure recovery | No revive; one mistake ends the raid | Squadmates can revive and cover |
| Loot and pace | No split; immediate extraction decision | Shared priorities and slower coordination |
| Combat | Evade, ambush and third-party | Crossfire and aggro division |
| Social risk | More room for ad-hoc alliances, but no backup | More confidence, and squads are often more likely to shoot first |
Pick solo if autonomy matters more than insurance against a bad engagement. Pick a squad if a safety net, coordinated boss fights or social play is the main attraction.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How much does ARC Raiders cost, and what do editions include?
ARC Raiders is a paid game, not free-to-play. Steam US prices checked November 2026 were:
| Edition | Steam US price | Included |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | $39.99 | Base game |
| Deluxe | $59.99 | Base game, cosmetic Wanderer Set and 2,400 Raider Tokens |
| Upgrade to Deluxe | $19.99 | Deluxe content for Standard owners |
UK prices were £34.99 and £51.99; euro prices were €39.99 and €59.99. Console storefront prices can differ. Deluxe adds cosmetics such as the Valente outfit, Pathfinder backpack, Blanket Roll attachment, a lip scar, Finger Gun Rapid Fire emote and cowboy Scrappy, plus tokens. Embark has stated that gameplay items remain on free tracks and paid tracks are not pay-to-win.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →The game is also sold through Epic Games Store, and GeForce NOW was listed at launch. Steam’s minimum PC specification is Windows 10 64-bit, an i5-6600K or Ryzen 5 1600, 12 GB RAM, GTX 1050 Ti, RX 580 or Arc A380 graphics, DirectX 12 and broadband. Recommended specifications are an i5-9600K or Ryzen 5 3600, 16 GB RAM and RTX 2070, RX 5700 XT or Arc B570. Steam lists kernel-level anti-cheat and Denuvo. Refunds follow the policy of the store where you buy.
What do the player numbers and reviews indicate?
The game has substantial activity but also a changing audience. Nexon reported more than 17 million copies sold in 2026, including roughly one million in the third quarter, according to Eurogamer. Steam’s November 12 store reading showed 81% of 205,048 English-language reviews as Very Positive and 71% of 7,298 recent reviews as Mostly Positive. The Steam page lists an 86 Metacritic score; GameRant’s page cites an OpenCritic top-critic average of 87/100 with 91% recommending it.
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Steam-only evening concurrency rose from about 44,000 before Frozen Trail 2.0 to 185,443 within four days, then measured 159,445 during the PvE week and 87,647 on October 20 after the toggle ended. Those figures overlap the early access period for another major shooter, so the decline cannot be assigned solely to PvE removal. Embark also reported more than 30 million PvE rounds during the October test. Its player split, reported by RottenWiFi, was approximately 37% friendly co-op, 27% mixed and 34% pure PvP; the rounded categories do not total exactly 100%.
There is no official solo extraction rate, gear-loss rate or time-to-wealth figure. Treat internet claims such as “75–85% extraction rates” as anecdotal, not studio statistics. A limited five-location, three-run community loot check found about 608,000 Raider Coins in PvE versus 690,000 in PvPvE, roughly 12% lower in that small sample; it is not an official economy rate.
So, is ARC Raiders worth playing solo?
Yes, for the right solo player. Buy it when the appeal is tense scavenging, ARC combat, trader quests, flexible extraction routes and the satisfaction of surviving with no revive net. The live matchmaking tools, Safe Pocket, Raider Hatches and playstyle tracking make solo a first-class queue rather than an afterthought.
Wait if your ideal experience is relaxed AI-only co-op. Embark has discussed possible replacements for the ended test but has not confirmed a permanent Western PvE playlist. Skip if offline play, guaranteed PvE safety or zero gear loss is a purchase condition. The honest choice is not “solo or no game”; it is whether the risk of other Raiders is part of the experience you want to buy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I avoid random teammates without avoiding human opponents?
Yes. Set Fill Squad to Off on the Play menu. That removes teammate fill but still places you in an online map with other Raiders and ARC machines; it is not a private PvE instance.
Do Safe Pocket items survive if I die?
Items placed in the Safe Pocket remain after death, while carried gear and ordinary backpack contents are lost. Put a Raider Hatch Key there before deployment so a failed run does not consume your next quiet extraction option.
Is the October 2026 PvE test coming back?
There is no confirmed return date or permanent Western playlist as of November 12, 2026. Embark said it was weighing a chill side mode, an AI challenge mode or a larger PvE-only experience, each with different economy and population consequences.
What should a new solo player spend first?
Prioritise a repeatable extraction route, healing, one utility item and affordable replacement kits before expensive weapons. Skill guides differ between stamina and locker-looting starts, so choose the branch that matches whether you escape through movement or low-noise scavenging.
