Fresh Arc Raiders roadmap promises new high-level matchmaking soon, followed by a major threat and some love for Scrappy

Hot off its complete cultural takeover in 2025, a new Arc Raiders roadmap sets the stage for the first four months of 2026, and developer Embark Studios looks to be checking all the boxes so far. Kicking off in just a few days with the Headwinds January update, we’ve got a new high-level matchmaking solution and a fresh player project to contribute to, followed by more map conditions, threats, and another Raider Deck rewards pass. There’s also the promise of a new map complete with a major Arc threat, and – most importantly of all – a Scrappy update for everyone’s favorite pet.

“The Cold Snap has passed, but its danger casts a long shadow,” the Arc Raiders developer writes. “Extreme weather will continue to test Raiders as they scavenge the surface for the resources that keep Speranza running. The increased Arc presence continues to trouble Shani as the Rustbelt grows more overwhelmed, but no-one holds all the pieces. The scale of the impending escalation remains unknown. Venture topside into an increasingly volatile Rustbelt – and make sure you’re prepared for what’s to come.”

Matchmaking has been the talk of the town for some time now – not really surprising, as it’s a constant topic of discussion for any of the best multiplayer games. But the conversation among Arc Raiders players has really heated up since Embark confirmed its use of some measure of ‘who shot first’ checks, widely called ‘aggression-based matchmaking’ or simply ‘ABMM.’

The Headwinds update, which is all but certain to land on Tuesday January 27 given its need to arrive in January, promises a new matchmaking option specifically for players at level 40 and above. Whether that’ll prove to be a more high-level competitive environment, or simply a way for established veterans to sift out some of the unpredictability of new players (as well as potential cheaters on fresh accounts) if they want to, remains to be seen.

The January update will also introduce another minor map condition, and kick off a fresh player project. These are the time-limited community events where you’re able to turn in specific objects towards a shared goal, receiving rewards for meeting the demand. We’ve already had a good example of this with Flickering Flames, which saw everyone working together to throw a seasonal winter banquet, and I’m hoping that Embark keeps that level of flavor for its new iteration.

From there, we move into February’s update, Shrouded Sky. This will add an Arc threat and a map condition, along with a wider update to the map. There’s another player project and a new Raider Deck of rewards, and it’ll also mark the next expedition window, giving you the chance to extract and wipe your progress for a fresh set of temporary bonuses. We recently spoke with design director Virgil Watkins, who says Embark is eager to find more ways to incentivize people taking part in these moving forward.

Flashpoint is the March update, and it’ll be slightly smaller in scope, with a new map condition, another Arc threat, and a fresh player project. However, it’s the one I’ve seen the most excitement from players about, because of the tease of a “Scrappy update.” There’s nothing more from Embark about what this actually means, but the faithful, part-pilfering rooster is the most helpful bird I’ve seen in a game since Yakuza 0’s Nugget, so I’m very glad to see him getting some love.

The April update is what I’m most looking forward to, however. Riven Tides will open up a new map, and will also introduce a new large Arc threat (presumably tied to that location). It’ll also mark the next expedition window, and you can expect fresh map conditions as well. Alongside all of this, Embark notes that it’ll be rolling out new quests, feats, trials, events, gameplay items, cosmetics, and more quality-of-life updates throughout the entire season. Strap in for the long haul; I don’t think Arc Raiders is going anywhere but up quite yet.