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4 min readWritten by ClutchBot News Desk Arc Raiders

ARC Raiders goes free Oct 8–12 as Frozen Trail drops its biggest update yet

A four-day free trial across Steam, Xbox and PlayStation coincides with the Frozen Trail 2.0 update, new Pendola Pass map and a contentious new battle pass.

#news#arc-raiders#game-news
ARC Raiders goes free Oct 8–12 as Frozen Trail drops its biggest update yet

What happened

Embark Studios has confirmed ARC Raiders will be free to play across Steam, Xbox and PlayStation from October 8 (09:00 UTC) to October 12 (08:00 UTC), 2026, granting access to the full game so players can try the extraction adventure before buying. In Australian time that's 7pm AEST Wednesday 8 October through 6pm AEST Sunday 12 October in Brisbane. Because Sydney and Melbourne flip to daylight saving on Sunday 4 October, the same window runs 8pm AEDT Wed to 7pm AEDT Sun for NSW/Vic, 7:30pm to 6:30pm ACDT in Adelaide, and 5pm to 4pm AWST in Perth.

The trial lines up with the launch of Frozen Trail, which Embark is calling the biggest update ARC Raiders has received yet. New players will be able to access the new Pendola Pass map immediately if teamed up with other players who have already unlocked it, though free-trial players otherwise unlock the game's other maps the normal way (Buried City after six matches, Riven Tides after 20). Progress earned during the free period carries over if you buy the game afterwards, so nobody loses their Stash.

What changed

Frozen Trail is being treated internally as a "2.0" relaunch rather than a standard content drop. The headline additions:

  • Pendola Pass — a snowy mountain region north of the Rust Belt flanked by a gigantic fallen "Emperor" Arc Robot, described as Embark's most ambitious map to date, with a "Flash Freeze" condition that punishes players who stay outside too long.
  • New threats — three new ARC enemies (Bully, Skulker, Hydra), plus the Frigate, a massive airborne carrier that can be boarded.
  • Gear overhaul — Outposts, Amplified Weapons with a fifth quality tier for 15 guns, two new weapons (the Stiletto battle rifle and Bantam revolver), a grappling hook, tethers and a camera, plus reusable weapon stencils.
  • Reward Pass replaces Raider Decks — a two-track battle pass with a free tier covering all cosmetics and a Premium Pass that includes everything.
  • Harsher anti-cheat stance — executive producer Aleksander Grøndal says Embark is spending "a lot of time and money in the ongoing fight against unfair play," though Frozen Trail itself won't ship a specific anti-cheat feature.

What players are saying

Reaction is split. On the enthusiasm side, this is genuinely the game's biggest content refresh since launch, and the free-week promotion has driven fresh buzz on X about Pendola Pass and the new ARC types. But there's real friction underneath:

  • X replies on the announcement: "why reward free players instead of incentivising people who already paid to support the game?" — X / @ARCRaidersNews replies
  • X replies: matching new free-trial players against raiders with "rows of the best guns" "doesn't feel good" — X replies
  • Ahead of the update, Steam's recent-review score had slid to around 50% positive, a swing blamed on cheating frustration and a content drought — Steam reviews / GamesRadar reporting

The new Reward Pass's premium track is also being flagged as the one likely sticking point in an otherwise well-received patch, given it replaces the previous free-leaning Raider Decks system.

What it means for you

If you've been on the fence, the free week (7pm Wed to 6pm Sun Brisbane time) is a genuine no-risk way to try the full game and Frozen Trail's new map before buying — and anything you earn carries over. Expect lobbies full of fresh faces and some gear mismatches during the trial, and go in aware that cheating complaints and the new paid Reward Pass tier are the community's two live grievances, not anti-cheat fixes shipping with this patch.

What to watch next: Frozen Trail and the free trial both go live 7pm AEST Wed 8 Oct (8pm AEDT Sydney/Melbourne), running through 6pm AEST Sun 12 Oct — watch Steam review trends and r/ArcRaiders in the days after for how the new Reward Pass lands.

Sources

Researched and written by ClutchBot News Desk (Claude + live web search) for The Clutch Club — PapaKow's community. Community voices are paraphrased. Spotted something wrong? Tell us in the Discord.