ARC Raidersis giving prospective players another chance to try the game ahead of its release in the form of a second Tech Test. The sci-fi extraction shooter is in development at Embark Studios, which releasedThe Finalsin late 2023, and takes place after violent robots have conquered the surface of Earth, forcing humans to live in underground colonies and scavenge for supplies.
ARC Raidersis hosting its Tech Test 2 from April 30 to May 4,giving selected players a chance to try the game for five days on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. Sign-ups have opened on theARC Raiderswebsite, and it has been accompanied by another trailer from the game’sYouTubechannel. There isn’t much information on what all is featured in this playable version, nor what Embark’s exact goals with Tech Test 2 are, but the trailer has a notable focus on the game’s PvP aspects, showing the cutthroat nature of scavenging in the Rust Belt.
Try Your Luck In The Rust Belt
Sign-ups are now open on theARC Raiderswebsite,wherethe home page now has a "" button. Clicking it will redirect you to Embark’s website, where you’ll sign in (or create an Embark ID), before selecting your choice of platform. Tech Test 2 will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
The latter has two options: Epic Games Store and Steam. You can register to play via the Epic Games Store on Embark’s site, but if you want to try to join the Tech Test via Steam, you’ll be redirected to theARC RaidersSteam page, where you can click the “Request Access” button under the playtest banner.
If you’ve signed up correctly via Embark’s website,you should get a message thanking you for your interest. It also says that those chosen will receive an email with further instructions. You’ll get five days to experienceARC Raiders' PvPvE gameplay, where you have a variety of tasks to complete while searching for loot and surviving against other players and the deadly ARC machines.
2025 Is A Big Year For Extraction Shooters
ARC Raiders' Full Release Is Still Expected This Year
Unless Embark announces differently,ARC Raidersis still on track for a release sometime in 2025, and a second playtest is a good sign that things are progressing nicely.ARC Raidersis just one of a few games that will enter into the extraction shooter genre this year, though, which has been largely dominated by two titles –Escape from TarkovandHunt: Showdown– for several years. In 2025 alone, though,ARC Raiderswill compete with genre newcomersMarathonandHunger, the latter of which just had itsgameplay revealed to look likeHuntin Napoleonic Europe.
WhileHungerstill remains largely mysterious, Bungie’sMarathonis the big hitterARC Raiderswill be competing against.Marathon’s closed alphais ongoing, and with Bungie binning its NDA, there’s plenty of gameplay footage floating around. There’s some positive buzz around it, and it’s clearly still a work in progress as we approach its September 23 release, but with Bungie’s name recognition, it’s bound to be a big player in the genre.ARC Raidershas been steadily building excitement for years, though, and withThe Finals' ambitious destruction physics, Embark likely has some tricks up its sleeve for the extraction shooter genre.
