Arc Raiders Cold Snap update times across every region and timezone

Cold Snap is Arc Raiders’ last big update of the year, bringing dangerous blizzards, frostbite, and a month-long set of winter events to Spironza. It doesn’t add a new map, but it does temporarily reshape several existing ones and layers a survival mechanic over every topside run while the weather condition is active.

Arc Raiders Cold Snap release date and global launch times

Cold Snap goes live on December 16, 2025, using a single simultaneous global rollout. The update unlocks at 1:30 a.m. PT / 4:30 a.m. ET, which translates to mid-morning or evening in most other regions.

These times match the release pattern used for the earlier North Line update that added Stella Montis, so if you remember when that patch hit your region, Cold Snap follows the same schedule.

How long the Cold Snap winter content lasts

Cold Snap itself lands with the December 16 update, but the seasonal activities tied to it run for almost a month. Two time-limited tracks are attached to the event:

• Flickering Flames Event runs from December 16, 2025 at the times above until January 13, 2026 at the same hour for each timezone.
• Candleberry Banquet Project uses the same window, also ending on January 13, 2026.

Outside of that window, the permanent pieces of the update remain, but you can no longer progress those specific winter challenges or earn their exclusive rewards.

What the Cold Snap update changes in Arc Raiders

Cold Snap focuses on a new global weather modifier and a set of progression tracks rather than a brand-new map. The main pieces break down into four pillars: the Cold Snap map condition, the Goalie Raider deck, the Flickering Flames event, and the Candleberry Banquet project. There is also an Expedition Project window that arrives shortly after launch.

Cold Snap weather and frostbite mechanic

Cold Snap introduces a dedicated winter map condition that can affect several surface locations. When it is active, Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, Spaceport, and The Blue Gate are reworked into frozen versions of themselves. Lakes ice over, snow piles up, and visibility drops under heavy snowfall, making it easier for enemies and other Raiders to ambush you.

The key mechanical twist is frostbite. While you stay outside in Cold Snap conditions, your health bar slowly drains over time. You are effectively on a soft timer whenever you are exposed to the elements, and you need to work shelter and healing into your pathing.

Cold Snap sits alongside existing map conditions like Electromagnetic Storm. In the same way that other weather modifiers raise the stakes in exchange for higher-end loot, the winter variant pushes you into riskier runs in return for better rewards on those affected maps.

Flickering Flames Event (XP-based reward track)

Flickering Flames is a limited-time event layered on top of standard raids. While it is active, you gain Merits as you earn XP in each round. Those Merits advance a 25-level reward track filled with gear, customization items, and Raider Tokens.

Participation is broad. Any player who has completed at least five rounds of Arc Raiders is eligible to take part, so there is no requirement to be on an Expedition or to have prestige progress. You simply queue into raids during the event window and play; XP turns into Merits, which unlock rewards along the Flickering Flames ladder.

Candleberry Banquet Project (collection-focused track)

Candleberry Banquet runs in parallel to Flickering Flames but centers on scavenging specific items rather than passive XP gain. The project asks you to collect Candleberries in Cold Snap conditions and bring back other winter-survival objects like light and heat sources.

Progression is structured across five stages. Each completed stage reveals a new scene on the banquet table and grants a bundle of rewards that can include cosmetics, Raider Tokens, and extra Merits that feed back into Flickering Flames. The two systems are therefore linked: playing the Banquet project accelerates progress on the event track.

Goalie Raider deck and when it unlocks

Cold Snap also adds a second Raider deck, themed around a goalie archetype with heavy hockey inspiration. The deck is free for all players who own any edition of the game and is designed as a permanent progression path rather than a time-limited pass.

The Goalie deck becomes available on Friday, December 26 (regional time alignment follows the standard daily reset used for Arc Raiders). Once unlocked, it stays in the game indefinitely, so there is no deadline to complete its challenges. Rewards include a hockey-style armor set and a cosmetic variant of the Raider tool reimagined as a hockey stick, along with other gear and customization items.

Expedition Project timing around Cold Snap

Cold Snap’s calendar ties into the first departure of the Expedition Project, Arc Raiders’ long-term reset system. The Expedition registration window opens on December 17, 2025, one day after the winter update lands, and the first Expedition departs on December 22, 2025.

Opting into an Expedition lets you cash in your current progress, wipe your Raider, and start over with a mix of permanent and temporary bonuses. For players chasing those benefits, Cold Snap’s boosted loot and time-limited events create a dense run-up to the December 22 departure.

Cold Snap is built to be a high-pressure, high-reward month in Arc Raiders. Raids become more lethal whenever the snow rolls in, but in return there is a temporary stack of cosmetic unlocks, currency gains, and long-term account upgrades to earn before the winter window closes.