Regardless of how you might feel about Arc Raiders using artificial intelligence for its non-player character voices, it is impossible to argue against the game’s massive success. The title has managed to open up the extraction shooter subgenre to a much wider audience of casual players. It has even managed to attract attention away from older live service games that have been dominating the market for years. Now, the game has reached a significant new milestone that places it firmly among the top online shooters to keep an eye on.
On January 13th, the developers at Embark Studios made a major announcement. They revealed that Arc Raiders has successfully recruited over 12 million players since its release. This number translates directly to more than 12 million copies of the game being sold. The studio made a bold decision to release the game as a premium title rather than a free-to-play game, and that bet has paid off in a huge way. A report from GamesMarkt provided an even more precise figure, stating that 12.4 million copies were sold in just ten weeks. Additionally, the game reached a massive 960,000 concurrent players across all platforms in January 2026.
For the team at Embark Studios, the most important statistic might be the high player retention rate. The game has managed to hold its ground against the massive success of Battlefield 6. It has also captured a significant amount of the attention that usually goes toward the Call of Duty franchise. This comes after Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 was considered a disappointment by many longtime fans of the series.
To celebrate this incredible achievement, Embark Studios is giving a gift to everyone who has supported the game. Any player who logged in since the launch up until 11:59 PM Central European Time on January 13th will receive a special item. This reward is the Gilded Pickaxe Raider Tool, which will be added to the player’s inventory the next time they log into the game. The update to distribute these rewards is rolling out today.
Arc Raiders is also partly responsible for Steam setting a new record for concurrent users earlier this month. The game has managed to sit comfortably among veteran heavy hitters in the industry. These include popular titles like Counter-Strike 2, DOTA 2, and PUBG: Battlegrounds. Achieving this level of stability alongside such established games is no small feat for a new franchise.
With PlayStation and Bungie’s Marathon scheduled to release in March, the competition for players’ attention is heating up. Marathon is also looking to capture a share of the same audience. However, the increased interest in player-versus-player-versus-environment shooters following the success of Arc Raiders could be a surprise blessing for the troubled game.
So, what is the next stop for this newborn franchise? Given the massive popularity and cultural impact, a movie adaptation seems like a likely possibility in the future.
