ARC Raiders Year Two: Embark Says the Game 'Can and Should' Live Long, and Here's What's Actually Confirmed

ARC Raiders has turned one, and Embark is talking about the long haul. In an MP1st interview published November 2, executive producer Aleksander Grøndal admitted the studio "did not expect the game to become as huge as it did" and said the team sees ARC Raiders "as something that can and should live for a long time." The next concrete beat is PvE: Embark's official test wrap-up says it expects to share more this month. Here's what's actually locked in for year two, and what's still guesswork.

Embark is growing, carefully

Grøndal told MP1st that ARC Raiders was built by a "relatively small team," and that the studio has "scaled up quite significantly" since launch and is still hiring. He also said Embark doesn't want to "outgrow who we are," and that it plans to find its own approach to live service instead of copying other games. According to Grøndal, the Frozen Trail update answered some of those questions, but there are still "improvements to do."

That fits the tone of Embark's anniversary post on October 30, which said the team is "already hard at work on what comes next" and has "lots planned for the future." Our anniversary recap covers the year-one numbers and the free gift.

What's confirmed for year two

• Two major updates a year. In May, Embark dropped the monthly cadence in favor of major updates "twice a year," with a live team still handling balance, bug fixes, store updates and events. Frozen Trail, released October 8, was the first under that model.
• Fixes every three weeks. The Update 2.3 notes say gameplay fixes return to a roughly three-week schedule, with store updates weekly (our 2.3 breakdown).
• Expeditions return in early 2027. Embark's 5th Expedition post says the September run was "the last one until early 2027," when the system comes back with "major improvements" aimed at departure windows, rewards and new-player access. Consecutive buffs carry over during the pause, and Update 2.3 also shut down the Expedition Vault, moving stored items to your stash.
• A PvE update in November. After more than 30 million PvE rounds, Embark called the test "polarizing" and promised a follow-up in November.

PvE is the big open question

Embark has not said whether a PvE mode will return. As PC Gamer reported, Grøndal said the team was "a bit skeptical" about the mode and is weighing whether it should be a chill side mode, a challenge mode or a full PvE-only experience. We covered those options in our earlier Grøndal interview story. The November update is a decision point, not a confirmed relaunch.

What isn't confirmed

Some sites are already pointing to an April 2027 major update. That's only an estimate based on the twice-a-year model: Embark hasn't announced a date, a name, a new map or a full year-two roadmap. The exact return date for Expeditions is also unannounced beyond "early 2027."

What's next

• This week (Nov 2-8): the Snap Hook, Hullcracker II and Vintage Mic Trials rotation (our weekly guide).
• November 2026: Embark's PvE follow-up, per the official post.
• November 16: Soul's Offering and Trials Season 6 end.
• Early 2027: Expeditions return with major changes, according to Embark.