Is ARC Raiders Getting a PvE Mode? (Oct 13-20 Test)

Not permanently — ARC Raiders is testing a PvE matchmaking toggle for one week only, from October 13 to October 20, 2026, and Embark has been blunt that this is an experiment rather than a promise of a permanent mode. During that week you can switch between standard PvPvE and a PvE session with zero player-to-player damage, solos, duos and trios share the same lobbies, your PvPvE matchmaking rating isn't affected, and when the test ends the toggle disappears.

The catch that matters most for anyone planning their week: overall loot value is lowered in PvE sessions to offset the safety, so a relaxed run pays less than a tense one. If you want that week spent on quests and ARC fights instead of grinding trader value back up, topping up your ARC Raiders Coinsfrom $2.99 beforehand is the cheap way to buy yourself the freedom to play the safe mode without falling behind on kits.

What actually changes when you flip the toggle

This isn't a separate game mode with its own map rotation. It's the same Rust Belt, same ARC, same loot tables — minus the ability to shoot each other. With no player-to-player damage, you can focus purely on fighting ARC, finishing quests, or just exploring topside.

	PvPvE (classic)	PvE toggle (test week)
Player damage	On	Off entirely
Other Raiders on map	Yes	Yes
Squad sizes in lobby	Kept broadly separate	Solos, duos, trios mixed
Loot value	Full (slightly raised during the test)	Lowered
Excluded conditions	None	Night Raids, Hidden Bunker, Locked Gate, Frigate
Effect on your MMR	Normal	None

Night Raids, Hidden Bunker, Locked Gate and Frigate are excluded from the test, and PvPvE sessions get slightly higher baseline loot during the week to protect the economy. Embark's reasoning is that those four conditions were built around higher tension and the unpredictability of running into other Raiders.

There's also one mechanic designed specifically to stop PvE turning into a walking simulator. If an ARC downs you and you crawl, they can reacquire you as a target; stay still and they go back to ignoring you — a deliberate replacement for the tension PvP normally provides.

Field note: after enough runs you develop a reflex to crawl for cover the second you're knocked. In PvE that reflex will get you killed. Practice holding still and calling for a pickup instead — it's the single habit worth rewiring before the 13th.

Why Embark is doing this now

The numbers they published are the real story. Embark says its population splits into 37% friendly co-op players — a group that has grown consistently since launch — 27% mixed players and 34% pure PvP players, with over 70% of friendly players and 40% of PvP players wanting fewer hostile encounters, and 51% of surveyed players interested in a dedicated PvE option. Embark also acknowledged that frustration around ratting and camping is common among friendly players, many of whom avoid PvP encounters entirely.

There's history here too. ARC Raiders was originally conceived seven years ago as a raid-based PvE co-op game with looting mechanics, before the project was reset and rebuilt into the high-tension PvPvE extraction game it is today.

Be careful not to read this as a roadmap item. Embark explicitly lowered expectations, saying it's possible this will not work and that the test is not a promise of a future PvE mode — and any permanent version could look very different.

A run plan for the test week

The window is short and lands right on top of the year's biggest update, so treat it as a scheduling problem.

1. Clear your deadlines first. The toggle arrives shortly after the Frozen Trail update, which drops October 8 — so anything tied to that launch comes before PvE experiments. Our Frozen Trail prep guide covers what has a hard cutoff.
2. Park your quest backlog for the 13th. Fetch quests, map-specific objectives and "survive/explore" steps are the ones PvP normally ruins. Bank those and burn them in a PvE session.
3. Farm value in PvPvE, spend time in PvE. With loot trimmed on one side and bumped on the other, high-value runs belong in classic lobbies.
4. Queue early or off-peak carefully. Embark warned queue times could rise in low-population regions or off hours.

What to bring to a PvE run

• Mid-tier weapon, not your best — ARC still kills you, and your kit still drops.
• Heavy on ARC-specific tools: explosives, shield, anything that trades well against machines rather than people.
• Extra medical, less utility. No smokes needed when nobody's shooting.
• Stash space cleared, because you'll be extracting on more runs than usual.

If you routinely lose money on gear you didn't need, our kit economy guide is worth a skim before the week starts.

Related questions

Will PvE progress count toward my normal account? Yes — it's the same account and same progression, and your PvPvE matchmaking rating specifically won't be affected. Just expect lower payouts per run, so a week of PvE-only play will leave you poorer than a week of classic raids.

Can I still get robbed or teamed on in PvE? Not shot, no. Other Raiders are still on the map with you, but with damage disabled the classic betrayal play is off the table. Loot on the ground is still first-come, first-served, so contested containers remain a footrace.

Is this replacing PvP in ARC Raiders? No. The toggle simply adds a choice between standard matchmaking and the PvE option for the duration of the test, and classic lobbies keep running throughout.

What happens on October 20? The toggle is removed and matchmaking reverts to normal. Anything you looted or completed stays with you — only the queue option goes away.

A week of trimmed-loot PvE runs is genuinely relaxing, but it also means a lot of extractions that barely cover the kit you brought. If you'd rather spend the test week finishing quests than rebuilding your trader balance, our ARC Raiders Coins servicefrom $2.99 tops you up fast so every run can be a low-stakes one.