Embark Studios' Arc Raiders has rapidly gained popularity, surpassing 250,000 concurrent players on Steam within its first 24 hours. The third-person extraction shooter peaked at 264,673 players on Valve's platform, marking a significant achievement in 2025's gaming scene.
With its quick surge, Arc Raiders stands alongside leading games like Counter-Strike 2, PUBG, and Dota 2. Its strong performance during the recent Server Slam playtest, which attracted around 189,668 players, showed Embark Studios was prepared for a successful launch.
Currently, Arc Raiders ranks among the highest concurrent player counts on Steam, even surpassing well-known free-to-play games such as Apex Legends and Marvel Rivals. Since the game also launched on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, where live player numbers are not publicly available, the total player base is likely even larger.
Launching midweek, the player count is expected to rise over the weekend. For a new intellectual property in a challenging genre, these numbers are impressive, placing Arc Raiders among the biggest PC game releases of 2025. The game holds a “Very Positive” rating on Steam, supported by over 25,000 player reviews.
“Arc Raiders has exploded onto the scene, surpassing 250,000 concurrent players on Steam within just a day of launch”—Embark Studios
Overall, the game’s success reflects strong player enthusiasm beyond just initial curiosity.
Author’s summary: Arc Raiders quickly became one of 2025’s most successful extraction shooters, with strong player numbers and positive reviews marking a major achievement for a new IP.