Arc Raiders PS5 review in progress – making extraction shooters fun

The highly anticipated Arc Raiders is out now and it’s attempting to make the intimidating extraction shooter concept accessible to more than just hardcore gamers.

For the last decade or so, it’s seemed as if the first person shooter was becoming an endangered species. Not so much in terms of multiplayer games, but the kind of single-player experience that was so prevalent in the Xbox 360 era has certainly seen a sharp decline. Third person games are now much more prevalent, but while there’s often a quiet assumption that they’re less involved experiences that’s not the case with Arc Raiders – especially as it’s an extraction shooter.

There had been some concern that coming out between Battlefield 6 and Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7 (exactly the same sort of situation that doomed Titanfall 2 to failure in 2016) would limit Arc Raiders’ chances but so far that doesn’t seem to be the case. It’s early days yet but this could end up popularising the extraction shooter in a way that current exemplar Escape From Tarkov never has.

But while Escape From Tarkov, which is also half survival game, has a reputation for difficulty and only being for hardcore players, that is not necessarily how extraction shooters have to be. Arc Raiders, by comparison, is easy to understand, relatively forgiving, and a lot of fun.

The extraction shooter is not an oversubscribed concept, with most of the examples being indie titles. Bigger publishers have dabbled with idea though, usually unsuccessfully, such as with Battlefield 2042’s Hazard Zone mode and the troubled reboot of Marathon.

Despite so relatively few games though the basics are fairly well established, as you play against both other teams of human players and computer-controlled enemies (or PvPvE in the unnecessarily esoteric language of the genre). Rather than just shooting everyone, you have to get to an extraction point in order to win, often after having collected as many resources as possible – or stealing them off another team.

This is the set-up for Arc Raiders, which is set in a post-apocalyptic Earth where killer robots roam the surface and humanity lives underground, only venturing out to scavenge what it needs. Which, needless to say, is your job in the game. Interestingly, there is an over-arching narrative, involving the true plans of the AI controlling all the robots, but that isn’t really a factor for most of the time you’re playing.

Since technically it doesn’t matter whether you shoot anyone or not, that creates a very unusual atmosphere and style of pacing, with lots of exploration and not being sure of how or where you’re going to complete your objectives. That is undoubtedly going to put off a lot of people but the tension it creates only heightens those times when a firefight does break out. That’s especially true given there’s always a ticking clock, with your options for extraction decreasing the longer you stay out.

To help ease you in, the maps each have a different base level of difficulty, in terms of the computer-controlled enemies, as well as set areas where the toughest foes (and superior loot) can be found. So, obviously, don’t go sniffing around there when you’re just starting out. Also, be aware that everything can change at night, or even when the weather changes, with different quests available at different times.

Another unusual element, from an online shooter perspective, is that it’s essentially an action role-player. Not only is there an extensive skill tree but there’s a significant emphasis on crafting weapons and equipment yourself, with resources collected in a previous run. There’s also a substantial in-game store, that includes cosmetic microtransaction but also gear that you can’t yet craft, as well as additional missions.

As with everything else though, there’s a sense that the game is trying to help you as much as possible and not punish uncaringly, as Escape From Tarkov does. So, there’s a friendly chicken that gives you extra resources when you finish a run and while there aren’t preset classes the skill tree can be used to customise your character to reflect your preferred style of play, whether it be stealth or guns blazing.

Despite all that, you’ll still be cursing the weedy weapons you start out with and while this is not a survival game things like weight and stamina restrictions are not something you’d find in a purely competitive shooter. Nor indeed, is the constant threat of running out of ammo.

Compared to other extraction shooters, Arc Raiders is very accessible and welcoming, but compared to Fortnite or Call Of Duty, this asks a lot more of players than many will be willing to give. Some will become frustrated at the complex maps and aggressive enemies (there’s a lot more PvE than there is PvP, in the average match), while others will appreciate that this is genuinely something different from the norm, which is what most people claim to want.

There’s no way of knowing whether Arc Raiders will be popular on consoles or whether its popularity will last, even if it is, but the initial signs are very positive. This isn’t something you just throw on of the evening, while playing on autopilot, but if you’re looking for something more than that, then Arc Raiders delivers.

Formats: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S, and PC
Price: £32.99
Publisher: Embark Studios
Developer: Embark Studios
Release Date: 30th October 2025
Age Rating: 16

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