ARC Raiders’ Release Date Could Be a Huge Boon or Massive Bane

Summer Game Fest had plenty of exciting announcements, and ARC Raiders finally getting an official launch date was one of the highlights of the event. ARC Raiders has been a highly anticipated release, and now that there is a solid date to look forward to, eager gamers won’t have to wait much longer to discover what the extraction shooter’s world is all about.

ARC Raiders‘ Summer Game Fest trailer was a thrilling cinematic sneak peek at the game, and with its confirmed October 30 release date, the title is promising even more to look forward to this fall. As exciting as ARC Raiders‘ release date is, though, it could have a major hurdle waiting on the horizon. Marathon is set to launch a month earlier, on September 23, and it may prove to either be ARC Raiders‘ biggest competition or serve as a huge help.

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‘We Mismanaged the Hype’: ARC Raiders Dev Apologizes for Countdown Teaser

An ARC Raiders developer apologizes on behalf of the Embark Studios team for a misleading countdown teaser.

ARC Raider’s Success Could Hinge On How Well Marathon Performs

Marathon is Caught in a Tricky Spot

After a long wait, Bungie finally revealed a fresh trailer for Marathon in April, along with a confirmed release date. While the initial announcement ignited plenty of excitement from gamers, the game has also faced significant controversy. From the confirmation that the game plagiarized art to reports from Marathon Alpha testers believing that the project should be delayed until next year, Bungie’s extraction shooter may struggle at launch.

ARC Raiders‘ developer Embark Studios saw success back in 2023 with the free-to-play title The Finals.

There are even reports that Bungie has no Marathon marketing plans for the next quarter, which could potentially hint at a delay. Nothing has been confirmed by the developer, though, so as far as it’s known, Marathon is still set to launch in late September. However, despite these controversies, there is still the chance that Marathon launches in the fall with strong numbers. If that’s the case, then it may be difficult for ARC Raiders to attract extraction shooter fans if they are already occupied with Marathon.

On the flip side, though, there is also just as much of a chance that Marathon‘s launch doesn’t go according to plan. If Marathon fails to stick its landing, then this actually serves as a huge benefit to ARC Raiders, as it puts the game front and center in the extraction shooter genre. Another important detail to note is that ARC Raiders has received much better feedback in its playtests than Marathon has. So, if Marathon launches in a less-than-desirable state, then that is bound to only increase the hype for ARC Raiders.

ARC Raiders was originally announced back in 2021 at The Game Awards, while Marathon was first announced in 2023.

Even if ARC Raiders is a Hit, There Are Two Juggernauts On the Horizon

The newly-revealed Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is expected to launch in Fall 2025.
Battlefield 6 could also launch around this time.

Both of these games have yet to reveal specific release dates, but fall 2025 is highly likely, especially for Black Ops 7. Call of Duty games tend to launch in the fall, so as the months pass, Activision is bound to announce a specific release date soon. When it comes to the latter, EA has confirmed that Battlefield 6 will arrive by March 2026. This allows a little bit more time for ARC Raiders to breathe, but these two heavy-hitters present major competition.

Battlefield 6 and the futuristic Black Ops 7 may not be extraction shooters, but they still draw massive multiplayer numbers. There’s still the chance that ARC Raiders‘ fresh take on the extraction shooter genre and being a brand-new IP makes it more appealing to gamers, but only time will tell.