Frozen Trail is the largest content drop ARC Raiders has seen since it went live, and it pushes Raiders past the mountains that ring the Rust Belt into a frozen valley full of new threats. Embark Studios laid out the full shape of the update in a First Look broadcast, confirming a new map, a boardable ARC vessel, three new machines, player housing, a fifth weapon tier, tether gadgets, and a rebuilt progression track.
Quick answer: On October 8, 2026, Frozen Trail arrives for Steam, the Epic Games Store, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The update brings Pendola Pass, the Frigate operation, the Bully, Skulker, and Hydra machines, the Outpost, and Amplified Weapons.
Release date and platforms
Frozen Trail launches on October 8, 2026, although the precise release hour has not been confirmed. On launch day, restarting the game downloads the new build, with PC and console receiving it at the same time.
- Steam
- Epic Games Store
- PlayStation 5
- Xbox Series X|S
This is the first major release on Embark’s twice-yearly cadence, announced back in May 2026, which explains the long gap since the previous major content release. A developer Q&A livestream about the First Look is set for September 25 at 6pm CEST, where the team will take questions on the update. Full details live on the official Frozen Trail content preview.
The Cred currency is being retired with Frozen Trail, and any balance left in your account when the update lands is wiped. Spend leftover Cred on Shani and unclaimed Raider Deck rewards before October 8. Anything already claimed is safe.
Pendola Pass: the frozen map and the downed Emperor
The largest map yet, Pendola Pass, lies farther north than any previous Raider destination. Snow has covered this former Italian village and Exodus transport hub. After Celeste and Shani follow an unexplained signal into the valley, they dispatch Raiders as its first scouting party.
Pendola Pass is built around dramatic changes in elevation. Its homes, supermarket, town square, observatory, and buried train depot occupy layers both above and below ground; broad plains create long sightlines, while enclosed interiors favor close combat. The unmistakable landmark is a crashed Emperor, the massive ARC class visible in the distance on outdoor maps since launch. Raiders can enter the wreck, search it, and complete puzzles to claim high-tier loot.
Periodic flash freezes sweep across the map, echoing the condition from Cold Snap but serving here as part of Pendola Pass’s normal cycle. During one, the temperature plunges, forcing you toward shelter or a heat source. Moving between warmth and the open air can maintain your body temperature, but it costs time and positioning as competing squads make the same calculation. Pendola Pass also features a dedicated exfiltration method called the Ballistic Gondola.
The Frigate: Frozen Trail’s endgame ARC Operation
The crashed Emperor provokes a countermeasure: the Frigate, a huge ARC vessel that circles the area overhead. Shooting at a ground-visible health bar will not bring it down. Instead, squads must board it, navigate its inner passages, unlock access routes, and sabotage the vessel from within—a ship assault rather than a conventional boss arena.
These battles take place hundreds of feet above the ground in narrow corridors where ARC defenders and enemy Raiders can collide. Embark presents the Frigate as endgame content that tests teamwork, decision-making, and risk management, rewarding successful crews with rare loot. The operation may also show up on maps besides Pendola Pass.
New ARC enemies: Bully, Skulker, and Hydra
| Machine | Type | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Bully | Ground charger | Fast and relentless, closes distance over obstacles |
| Skulker | Low-profile ambusher | Strikes, then hides and repositions |
| Hydra | Stationary turret | Three sections, can split fire across a squad |
Bully is about the size of a Leaper and pressures targets through constant movement. It charges across the terrain, keeps pursuing you, and combines an automatic turret with missiles fired at intervals. Winning requires good cover, careful timing, and accurate shots rather than simply dealing maximum damage.
The smaller Skulker plays the harassment role. It floats close to the ground, fires opportunistically from the outskirts of a battle, then disappears from sight to reposition. One alone is fragile, but tracking it becomes difficult when a Bully is simultaneously bearing down on you.
Aboard the Frigate, Hydra serves as a stationary emplacement with three turret sections that move independently. Its weapons can all focus on one target or split among three targets, exchanging concentrated damage for broader coverage. Counter it with smart positioning and coordinated fire.
The Outpost and the Research Station
Celeste hands every Raider an Outpost, a private surface space between the Rust Belt and the mountains that sits above the Raider Den rather than replacing it. You furnish it yourself with crafted furniture, modular structural pieces, and themed interior sets, framed as the first step toward reclaiming the surface.
Build the Research Station at the Outpost, then improve it there as well. This station controls the update’s most advanced progression, while Embark describes the Outpost as an expandable system rather than a feature intended for just one release.
Amplified Weapons and two new guns
Once the Research Station is fully upgraded, selected guns can reach the Amplified quality tier, the fifth tier beyond the current level 4 cap. This upgrade does more than raise stats: research and materials open a branching set of enhancements that alter weapon behavior. At launch, the system supports 15 weapons, with additional weapons planned later.
- Burletta converted to fully automatic fire
- Renegade fitted with a scope
- Rattler with a 64-round drum magazine plus incendiary rounds
Stiletto
Using light ammunition, the Stiletto battle rifle offers a low-cost option for the early game in place of the Renegade. It is strongest when you take measured shots at medium and long distances, because repeatedly tapping the trigger hurts accuracy.
Bantam
Designed for quick, stylish hip-fire, the Bantam is a small snub-nose revolver. Its damage is lower than the Anvil’s, but its faster firing speed makes it a more agile close-range sidearm against ARC machines and other Raiders.
Gadgets, camera, and instruments
A new tether system powers three gadgets, letting momentum and physics handle much of the work. Thrown by hand, the Grappling Hook differs from the Snap Hook by requiring you to climb the line yourself or preserve speed with a swing. It can lower you down cliffs or buildings, carry you over gaps, and attach to ARC machines.
- Tether Launcher — wires two points, objects, machines, or players together and can root a target in place
- Yank Grenade — its detonation forcefully pulls nearby targets toward the blast, dragging players from cover or knocking airborne ARC units back to the ground
- Camera — includes zoom, aperture adjustment, autofocus, and manual focus racking, along with a selfie mode that supports emote poses; captured photos are stored in the Codex
The lineup also gains two instruments: the Banjo and the Harmonica. The Collector Set DLC includes the Banjo Blueprint. Weapon Stencils are reusable gun designs; if a raid takes your weapon, you retain the stencil, while the painted gun can still be claimed by the player who eliminates you.
Reward Passes replace Raider Decks
The Reward Passes replace Raider Decks and the Cred currency, with rewards divided among three tracks. The free track includes every cosmetic category, while the paid track focuses on variants and decorative flourishes instead of gear that cannot be obtained elsewhere.
| Track | Access | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| Free Pass | All players | 200 Raider Tokens, five outfits, gameplay items, 20 cosmetics |
| Premium Pass | 1,150 Raider Tokens | Outfit toggles, colorways, weapon stencils, hairstyles, 1,150 Raider Tokens |
| Legacy Pass | All players | Combines existing Raider Decks so past progress carries over |
A separate Collector Set DLC bundles both the free and premium tracks with the Renzo cosmetic set, the Dragon’s Breath weapon stencil, the Bob hairstyle, and 2,400 Raider Tokens.
Skill Tree rework
The rebuilt Skill Tree is intended to favor specialization, preventing veteran players from eventually acquiring every option. It will add new skills and improve existing ones, with the aim of making each build meaningfully affect your raiding style. Embark has not revealed the individual nodes, so the conversion of current builds remains unknown as launch approaches.
Frozen Trail also brings new questlines with bonus XP for optional objectives, another Map Condition, and continued work on matchmaking, anti-cheat, and stability. The update marks the start of the six-month cadence, so it is built to carry ARC Raiders for a long stretch before the next major drop.
