Arc Raiders has made an explosive entry into the gaming world, capturing the attention of over a quarter-million players who were simultaneously exploring and scavenging within Speranza. This remarkable achievement has established a new Steam record for concurrent players within the extraction-shooter genre, specifically those featuring intense PvP elements.
On October 30th, its launch day, Arc Raiders hit an impressive peak of 264,673 players on Valve’s platform. While this massive influx did cause some initial server instability, it also stands as a testament to Embark Studios’ bold decision to launch their title confidently, even amidst upcoming releases from giants like Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.
However, a few nuances are worth considering. While Arc Raiders now holds the Steam record for PvP extraction shooters, the PvP aspect isn’t universally seen as a mandatory genre component. For instance, Helldivers 2 maintains its position as the overall top extraction shooter, having experienced a significant surge in its player base following its release on Xbox Series X|S in August. Additionally, ‘Escape From Duckov’ recently saw its own peak of over 300,000 concurrent Steam players, briefly outperforming Battlefield 6 just last week.
This discussion wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Escape From Tarkov, a titan in the extraction shooter genre. This influential title, widely credited with defining the genre, is finally slated to arrive on Steam on November 15th as part of its version 1.0 launch. It’s important to note that existing owners of Escape From Tarkov will need to purchase the game again if they wish to play it through Steam.
Furthermore, Arc Raiders is not exclusive to PC; it’s also available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Therefore, the total number of concurrent players across all platforms is considerably higher than the Steam figures alone. The game also boasts full cross-play and cross-save functionalities, offering a seamless experience for players across different devices.