ARC Raiders has maintained an impressively strong player base since its explosive October launch. According to current Steam data, the extraction-shooter from Embark Studios has lost only about 36.8% of its peak concurrent players over two months — a remarkably small decline compared to other major online shooters. Despite the natural post-launch cooldown, ARC Raiders remains one of the largest multiplayer games on Steam right now.
ARC Raiders Continues to Perform Exceptionally Well After Launch
When ARC Raiders debuted in late October, it immediately gained massive traction:
- Overwhelmingly positive community reception
- Huge visibility on Twitch
- A nomination for Best Multiplayer Game at The Game Awards 2025
- The #1 Google search trend of the year, outperforming both GTA 6 and Battlefield 6
Its all-time peak hit 481,966 concurrent players. Today, the game sees a daily high of around 304,000 players, with roughly 239,000 online at the moment. For a live-service title only six weeks old, its retention rate is not just healthy — it’s exceptional.
Read also: The Best Ways to Find Blueprints in Arc Raiders
Battlefield 6 Suffers Much Sharper Player Decline
EA’s Battlefield 6 launched with a massive surge as well, hitting a record of 747,440 concurrent players. However, its decline has been far more severe.
- Current daily peak: 166,061 players
- Players online right now: ~148,000
- Total decline: ~77.8% from launch
In other words, Battlefield 6 has lost more than three-quarters of its player base, while ARC Raiders remains surprisingly stable.
ARC Raiders Outperforms Battlefield 6 by Nearly 90,000 Players on Steam
Comparing Steam alone, ARC Raiders currently leads Battlefield 6 by almost 90,000 concurrent players. Both games are also available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and various PC storefronts, so platform-wide totals may vary. But on Steam — the clearest public metric — ARC Raiders is in a significantly stronger position.
Ongoing Updates Keep Players Invested
Both developers are committed to long-term live support, and December content drops are already fueling renewed interest:
ARC Raiders — Cold Snap Update (December)
- New missions
- New seasonal content
- Additional gameplay improvements
Battlefield 6 — Winter Offensive Patch (December 9)
- Limited-time maps
- New weapons
- Quality-of-life fixes
With more updates planned well into 2026, both titles are preparing for a fierce ongoing rivalry.
ARC Raiders Is Becoming a Long-Term Success Story
A drop of just 36% after two months is nearly unheard of for a free-to-play multiplayer release. ARC Raiders is proving to be one of the most stable launches of the year — and currently outranking Battlefield 6 in one of the most important metrics: active players. If both studios continue their update cadence, 2026 is shaping up to be a major year for competitive multiplayer shooters.
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