The ARC Raiders free weekend runs from October 8 at 09:00 UTC to October 12 at 08:00 UTC, giving players on Steam, Xbox and PlayStation the full extraction shooter at no cost, Embark Studios says.
The ARC Raiders free weekend lasts 95 hours, which the studio rounds to four free days. In US time zones the window opens at 5 a.m. Eastern and 2 a.m. Pacific on Thursday and closes at 4 a.m. Eastern and 1 a.m. Pacific on Monday. Players in Central European Summer Time get 11 a.m. Thursday through 10 a.m. Monday. Embark pitches the trial as a chance for people to try what it calls an award-winning game before buying, ideally with friends in tow.
The timing is deliberate: the ARC Raiders free weekend coincides with the Frozen Trail update, which Embark describes as its biggest since launch. First-time players can reach the new Pendola Pass map right away, but only when teamed up with players who have already unlocked it. That condition suggests a newcomer queuing alone will start on the existing maps, while a squad that includes a veteran can head straight to the new content.
Embark's September preview of the update lays out what that new content holds. Pendola Pass is a frozen Italian village and former transport hub where, per Embark, one of the Emperors has fallen and rare technology waits inside. A large ARC vessel that Raiders call the Frigate patrols it, and boarding means fighting through its interior against other players as well as machines. Three new enemies arrive, named Bully, Skulker and Hydra.
The preview also covers changes aimed at returning players. A player Outpost with a Research Workstation unlocks a fifth quality level that reworks how 15 existing weapons behave, and the update adds new weapons, a grappling hook and a camera gadget. A new Reward Pass system builds on the old Raider Decks, with a free tier and a premium one. Embark frames the weapon upgrades as a late-game feature, so a four-day trial is likely to show newcomers only part of what the update adds.
Playing requires an Embark ID account, an account on the chosen platform and acceptance of Embark's user terms, and Embark lists a minimum age of 13. The ARC Raiders free weekend closes early Monday in the US and mid-morning in Europe, so the last full evening of play falls on Sunday.
