Arc Raiders Goes Free for Four Days With Frozen Trail Update
Anyone curious about Arc Raiders can play it free for four days this week.
Developer Embark will unlock the full game from 09:00 UTC on 8 October 2026 to 08:00 UTC on 12 October 2026, with no locked content during the trial period, according to its official announcement ARC Raiders. It is free to download and play across Steam, PlayStation and Xbox Eurogamer.
The dates match the launch of Frozen Trail, the update arriving on 8 October. It is labelled version 2.0 and will be available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam and Epic Games Store GamesBeat. Arc Raiders is an extraction shooter, a multiplayer format where teams enter a dangerous zone, collect gear and try to leave in one piece.
Frozen Trail centres on Pendola Pass, a snow-covered new map, alongside several new Arc enemies and new weapons and gadgets. Trial players get the same access as owners. The map unlocks through level progression, or through a squad invite from a player who has already unlocked it.
The update also revises ammo and crafting and introduces a more standard battle pass, a seasonal track of unlockable rewards. The Frozen Trail Pass has 60 levels across Free and Premium tracks ARC Raiders. The Free track is earned by completing Feats, in-game challenges, and includes 200 Raider Tokens among its rewards.
That reward pool includes five new outfits and 20 cosmetic items. Cosmetics change how a raider looks and do not affect weapons or survival odds. The Premium track sits alongside the Free track for players who want the wider set.
For players who prefer cooperation to fighting strangers, more follows right after. Embark will run a separate player-versus-environment test, usually shortened to PvE, from 13 to 20 October in which damage between players is switched off. Teams still face the Arc, the game’s hostile machines, but not each other.
What makes this stand out is the timing. Newcomers arrive on the same day as regulars, with the same map to learn and the same gear to chase. No separate demo. No cut-down version.
