Embark Studios to test PvE toggle for Arc Raiders in October
A one-week beta from October 13-20 will let Arc Raiders players opt out of PvP entirely, a response to data showing many players avoid fighting other Raiders.
What to know
- Embark Studios will beta-test a PvE matchmaking toggle in Arc Raiders from October 13-20, 2026, letting players opt out of fights with other Raiders.
- The studio says data shows a large and growing share of players avoid PvP, but calls the test 'not risk-free' because it could reduce the tension the game was designed around.
- PvE lobbies will have lower-value loot and ARC enemies will still target downed players to preserve some stakes; Embark will monitor matchmaking times and the player economy.
- The studio has not committed to making the toggle permanent, saying the test could show 'this will not work.'
The dispute Whether a PvE toggle accommodates a real, underserved majority of players or dilutes the tension and identity that made the PvPvE extraction shooter work in the first place. · positions read across 38 posts and comments
Forced PvP excludes casual, older, or time-limited players and a toggle is a welcome fix.
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“Forced PvP (like it being the only option) can make a game unplayable for casual players because they will inevitably run into people that put a ton of time into the game and have the skills/gear to show it.”
TheRealDeathSheep · Reddit ↗
Removing PvP undermines the extraction shooter's core tension, gearing loop, and identity.
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“I might be biased but I dont understand how an extraction shooter can function without pvp, you loose all of the “extraction” part, unless yoy are extremely bad you cannot die to the ai lmao”
MooseLv2 · Reddit ↗
Skepticism that a separate PvE queue can actually be implemented cleanly, based on past 'friendly server' attempts.
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“I was still playing when they rolled out these supposed "friendly" servers and even though I died in dozens of raids and never shot at people, I would get shot at every single raid without fail.”
jxnebug · Reddit ↗
“The team has noted that "it's possible that this will not work,"”
Embark Studios, Developer statement, via IGN · IGN ↗ · Sep 23
Embark Studios Developer of Arc RaidersArc Raiders players Community/player base
How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlespostscomments
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3
IGN details how the PvE toggle will actually work
IGN reported specifics: PvE lobbies will have lower-value loot, ARC enemies will still target downed players for tension, and Embark will monitor the player economy and matchmaking times during the test, cautioning the feature might not make it into the permanent game.
“it's possible that this will not work…”
— Embark Studios -
first by IGN, 17h ago
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I think there needs to be a finer balance other than a switch to enable PVE. China did this very well imo even tho the mode has its flaws in my eyes. I totally get why folks want a PVE mode. Im a non hostile Player that mainly plays duo PVE and i love it. But i love it because i have to prepare. I bring traps and persuade other raiders to help my…
2 more of the top 3 · 13 posts in this stretch
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Loved the game, played a lot, got burnt out because I saw how much the game changed, how they nerfed a lot of things and made it grindy, meant I needed to invest more time and also had more to lose. Matches became less fun, harder and not fun, and then on top of that they slowed down their development to focus on things, but also at a bad time…
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I work 40hrs a week, I dont wanna get my ass wiped when I haven't touched the game in a while and someone going over the proximity chat calling you whatever they wanna call you. So I like the toggle of PvE, I can just do my quests solo without havin to be careful some dude pops around the corner and blasts me. Sure maybe sometimes PvPvE can be fun…
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Players split online over whether the toggle helps or hurts the game
In reddit discussion following the announcement, some players welcomed a way to avoid forced PvP while others argued removing PvP undermines the extraction-shooter's core identity and gearing loop.
“We're playing two different games. I play almost every day after work. I'm always in friendly lobbies, with the ocassional betrayal. Everyone is always having a great time.”
— Barsicbiggle -
I lost interest in the game once lobbies stopped being a decent mix between friendlies and hostiles. Any immersion was killed once I could tell I was in a PVE vs PVP inclined lobby. Sometimes I want to play as a friendly in a hostile environment, and sometimes I want to play as a hostile in a friendly environment but it doesn't seem like that…
2 more of the top 3 · 12 posts in this stretch
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I think gamers that truly prefer PvPvE where the PvP is not optional represent a minority. That's not a dig or a judgment. But what we're seeing with ARC is a recurring theme in that genre of game. I honestly believe most people prefer having some choice in whether they engage with PvP, whether it's restricted to specific maps, or zones within…
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or another option - people might need to realize that before they buy a game with pvp elements, they need to reflect on if they can be okay with dying to people who can put in more time than them I think a lot of older games want to keep living in the past of being able to jump into pvp games and do their thing when that's clearly becoming less of…
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Embark Studios announces PvE toggle beta test for Oct 13-20
Embark posted an announcement explaining the game's origins as a PvE co-op concept, citing player data showing a large group prefers co-op over PvP, and said it will test a PvE matchmaking toggle from October 13-20, 2026.
“we can’t ignore what the data is telling us.”
— Embark Studios -
Most everyone reaches an age where they work 5 days a week and just want to come home and enjoy a game. Forced PvP (like it being the only option) can make a game unplayable for casual players because they will inevitably run into people that put a ton of time into the game and have the skills/gear to show it. I loved Tarkov when I was unemployed…
2 more of the top 3 · 13 posts in this stretch
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Oh wow that’s an interesting idea. I hadn’t heard of that balance style before. I agree with you, that kind of defeats the purpose of gearing. Might as well play a game dedicated to normalized PvP, like call of duty. I’m not sure that would fly with the PvP crowd as a lot of the fun of these games are gearing up and fighting over. That gear…
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Its the same with "Sea of Thieves". The PVP players became pure toxic sludge repeatedly sinking you 5 minutes after coming off the dock even though you didn't even have anything to steal. That's not a popular loop. If you want this type of PvP you need to police it, you can't just let the community go wild, they'll ruin your game.
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Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet
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first by neowin.net, 21h ago · also PC Gamer
2 more headlines
- Arc Raiders is finally testing a PvE-only mode: 'We can’t ignore what the data is telling us' PC Gamer · 21h ago
- Arc Raiders to Get Official PvE Mode - Testing in October ixbt.games · 21h ago
and 1 smaller piece
What people are saying 14 voices from 1 site · best of 38 · verbatim
- Will the PvE toggle actually reduce PvP encounters in practice, or fail like earlier 'friendly server' attempts?
- Will splitting the population into PvE and PvP queues hurt matchmaking or the shared economy?
- Will Embark make the toggle permanent after the test, or was it just a one-off experiment?
- Today
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Yea rare is dumb. They could just make PvP and PvE progress different, so noone farms himself OP in PvE to them destroy people in PvP. But oh hey, they don't want people to have fun in their way.
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Shoe horning pvp in with pve rarely if ever works. Its two very different audiences requiring two very different avenues of design. At best it ends up compromising both in a way that leaves both groups unhappy and handcuffs the devs because additions to one can break the other. Mmorpgs demonstrated how bad it can be way before Extraction Shooters…
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YES, I was waiting for this since launch, I’m a huge fan of the game, but the PVPVE really pushes me away from playing it. I just want a good coop to play with friends and have a great time like Helldivers 2 did
- Yesterday
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Because a whole hell of a lot of us can't dedicate the time to play to have good gear every run, meaning that when we lose a fight or two our stashes start to look a little barren and then it's back to square one, which sucks
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pve players should play pve games not pvpve games where they do not belong sorry but it's just true they don't actually like the game but they want to be seen playing it, it's gross
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Because they’re incapable of adapting to absolutely anything lol. The unpredictability requires critical thinking and some semblance of instinctual awareness, and it’s flat out not something that vocal group of fools can muster.
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I was still playing when they rolled out these supposed "friendly" servers and even though I died in dozens of raids and never shot at people, I would get shot at every single raid without fail. I honestly just assumed it wasn't working or it was a selective rollout that I wasn't part of because I never got any sense of "PVE"
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My main issue with PvPvE is that developers rarely create consequences for a playstyle that involves killing other players, so there are no guard rails. They don't have to aim for perfect realism, but the idea that no one in Speranza cares if raiders kill each other to steal loot never made any sense to me.
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Most people don't want tension at all. They want to enter a round with a defined goal, achieve it, and extract. The tension is in the way of the fun. Feels completely backwards to the whole genre to me, but most people apparently disagree.
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Agree on literally every point. Just cause you hate pvp doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve its space. I get pvpers just like I get pvers but this isn’t a pve standalone game. Your Skill expression point is so on point, I love getting decent, getting shit on, and then getting better from those experiences as well lol not every game has to be some cozy…
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tbh i think PvE just naturally works better for games like this. Getting killed by a bad spawn or an extraction camper is a super unsatisfying way to lose your gear and a lot of the time the meta devolves into finding ways to camp loot areas or extraction points. The start of an extraction shooter is peak, but after like 2-3 months the games get…
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The hyperbole around Arc Raiders player counts is insane, the game isn’t dead, it hasn’t been killed, 25k players daily just on Steam is a healthy player base for any game, not even counting consoles. The game is a massive success by any measure, and it will spike again when PvE and the October update drops.
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I might be biased but I dont understand how an extraction shooter can function without pvp, you loose all of the “extraction” part, unless yoy are extremely bad you cannot die to the ai lmao
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Serious?! I’ve been checking in these last few days if they’ve implemented a PVE option. I hope this shows them the interest this there because now my friends want to play it, and I want to play it with my son because I love the world/setting. Hill yiss!!!!