Is Arc Raiders Free?
Is Arc Raiders Free?
No, Arc Raiders is not free. The Standard Edition costs $39.99 USD ($59.99 USD for the Deluxe Edition). It’s a paid release, sold on Steam, PlayStation Store, and Microsoft Store. There is no free trial, no free-to-play tier, and no Game Pass deal at launch.
If you’ve seen articles or videos calling Arc Raiders free-to-play, they’re referencing the old 2021 announcement — Embark Studios changed direction before launch and shipped a paid title.
Why People Think It’s Free
Arc Raiders was originally pitched as a free-to-play multiplayer shooter in 2021. The project changed scope multiple times, and at some point before its October 30, 2025 launch, Embark switched the business model to a one-time-purchase paid release. A lot of older coverage still refers to the F2P plan, which is why the question keeps coming up.
What It Actually Costs
| Edition | USD | GBP |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | $39.99 | £32.99 |
| Deluxe | $59.99 | £49.99 |
The price is identical on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Buy once on your platform; you own it permanently.
Standard vs Deluxe
The $20 jump to Deluxe gets you cosmetic content only — skins and edition-specific items. There is no gameplay-content difference: same maps, same weapons, same missions, same progression. Pick Standard unless you specifically want the cosmetics.
Platform Setup Costs
- PC (Steam): $39.99 one-time. No additional subscription required.
- PS5: $39.99 plus an active PlayStation Plus subscription for online play (~$9.99/month for PS Plus Essential).
- Xbox Series X|S: $39.99 plus an active Xbox Game Pass Core subscription for online play (~$9.99/month).
The online subscription on console is a platform-level requirement, not unique to Arc Raiders. Any paid online game on PS5 or Xbox needs the same baseline online subscription.
Is It on Game Pass?
No, Arc Raiders is not on Xbox Game Pass at launch. Embark and Microsoft have not announced a Game Pass deal. If that changes, see our Game Pass status tracker.
Crossplay and Cross-Save
Arc Raiders supports crossplay across all three platforms. You can play with friends on PC, PS5, or Xbox regardless of where you bought the game.
If You Were Hoping for Free
If a $40 buy-in is a deal-breaker, your options are:
- Wait for a sale — Steam, PSN, and Xbox sales typically discount paid releases periodically.
- Watch for a possible Game Pass deal in the future — not announced, not guaranteed.
- Look at genuinely free-to-play extraction shooters in the same space.
For the platform-specific question of whether to buy on Xbox, see Is Arc Raiders on Xbox? For the full pricing breakdown with comparison tables, see Arc Raiders Price.