ARC Raiders is built around tense standoffs with strangers, but a temporary option is about to let you skip the human threat entirely. Embark Studios is running a PvE matchmaking toggle beta that lets you drop into shared raids where other Raiders cannot shoot you, leaving only the ARC machines to deal with. It is a trial, not a new permanent mode, and it comes with specific rules around loot, matchmaking, and which encounters are allowed.
Quick answer: During the October 13–20, 2026 beta, pick the PvE option in matchmaking to enter co-op raids with zero player-to-player damage. When the test ends, the toggle is removed and matchmaking returns to normal.
PvE toggle beta test dates and times
The PvE matchmaking-toggle beta is scheduled for October 13 to October 20, 2026, with the opening and closing times both set to 11:00 AM CEST. That corresponds to about 5:00 AM EDT or 2:00 AM PDT. It begins soon after the Frozen Trail update, but the update and beta are distinct events.
The window is fixed. There is no confirmed extension, and the option disappears the moment the test period closes.
How the PvE matchmaking toggle works
PvE is a matchmaking choice, not a private instance. You switch between the classic PvPvE experience and the PvE experience before you deploy, and the system is designed for seamless switching, so you can run a relaxed PvE raid and then jump straight back into a high-tension PvPvE match.
In PvE, you still enter a map alongside other Raiders, but attacks between players deal no damage; the focus is on fighting ARC and working together. Groups of one, two, or three players can be matched into the same sessions. Your PvPvE matchmaking rating is unaffected, so playing during the week leaves your regular-queue placement unchanged afterward.
PvE mode versus PvPvE mode
| Feature | PvE mode | PvPvE mode |
|---|---|---|
| Player damage | Disabled | Enabled |
| Squad sizes | Solos, duos, trios together | Standard matchmaking |
| Loot value | Lowered overall | Slightly higher baseline |
| Major conditions | Several excluded | All available |
| PvPvE rating | Unaffected | Standard matchmaking |
Gameplay changes inside PvE sessions
PvE is intended to give you room to gather supplies, work on quests, and explore with less danger from other players. The mode is not meant to increase difficulty or introduce progression. A few changes do, however, preserve some pressure during a raid.
Lower loot value
Overall loot value in PvE sessions is reduced to account for the relative safety of playing without hostile players. Friendly players extract more often and earn more value on average, so to balance that during the test, PvPvE sessions carry slightly higher baseline loot values. Exact percentages have not been stated.
Getting downed by ARC
The downed mechanic changes in PvE. If ARC machines knock you down, crawling can make them re-acquire you as an active target. Staying completely still causes them to ignore you. This is intended to preserve a little tension in the absence of a player threat.
Pause before you crawl toward a teammate. Player gunfire is off, but movement while downed can still pull the machines back onto you.
Excluded conditions and map events
Several high-tension conditions are left out of the PvE test because they rely on the uncertainty of running into other players. These remain exclusive to the standard PvPvE experience:
- Night Raids
- Hidden Bunker
- Locked Gate
- Frigate
If a specific encounter such as the Frigate is your main reason to play, you will need to run it through the regular PvPvE queue during the test.
Why Embark is testing a PvE option
The first concept for ARC Raiders, developed seven years ago, was a co-op PvE raid game centered on looting. That idea was later reworked into the tense PvPvE extraction adventure that launched. Players from many backgrounds came to the Rust Belt, creating what Embark terms the “Extraction (Don’t) Shooter.” Many now show up for co-op and battles against ARC, not for combat with fellow Raiders.
Embark weighs decisions against data, player feedback, and instinct. Splitting the player base by how people prefer to play produced a clear picture:
- 37% friendly co-op players, a group that has grown consistently since launch.
- 27% mixed players.
- 34% pure PvP players, a group that has stayed stable since launch.
- More than 70% of friendly players and 40% of PvP players would prefer fewer hostile encounters; 51% of surveyed players said they were interested in a PvE-only option.
Embark also flagged clear friction points, with friendly players trying to avoid PvP entirely and other players frustrated by ratting and camping. The test is framed as a way to properly support co-op players instead of leaving them to work around the game’s design.
Is this a permanent PvE mode?
No. For now, this is a short-term trial meant to collect feedback and data, not a commitment to add PvE later. Embark has also acknowledged that a toggle may weaken the tension central to the game. If a permanent version ever arrives, it may differ substantially from this beta.
Two things are being watched closely. Player economy is one, since friendly players extract more and earn more value, which is why PvPvE loot is nudged up during the test. Matchmaking and queue times are the other. In low-population regions or off-peak hours, PvE could add a small increase in wait times, and heavy PvE uptake could affect the quality of some PvPvE sessions.
Earlier statements had positioned a PvE-only mode as not planned, so this beta marks a shift from that stance toward seriously exploring the idea.
When PvE is worth using
PvE suits goals that reward consistency over confrontation. With no one able to contest your loot, farming runs become more predictable and you can work through an area methodically. Good uses include:
- Exploring a new zone and getting to know it without player interruptions.
- Working through questlines centered on completing objectives.
- Gathering particular materials without having to compete for them.
- Rehearsing boss fights, including the Matriarch encounter.
The trade-off is a lower loot ceiling and the removal of the high-tension conditions listed above, so it is a calmer run rather than a more rewarding one.
What players are saying
Reaction has been split. Some lapsed players see the toggle as a reason to reinstall, and squads see it as an easier way to bring newcomers along without the stress of losing gear to a stranger. Frustration with being jumped by teams, dupers, and pre-mades has driven a chunk of the “bring me back” sentiment.
Others argue that the constant possibility of betrayal is exactly where the fun comes from, and that the aggression-based matchmaking already routes friendly players into mostly peaceful lobbies. A recurring counterpoint is that the game’s bigger problem is a lack of content after the quests, blueprints, and boss fights are done, and that PvE alone will not fix that.
The Chinese “Rebellion” condition
The worldwide PvE toggle is separate from a feature being tested in ARC Raiders’ Chinese client. Co-developed with Tencent after the game obtained its ISBN licence, this client has been trialling a map condition built around greater cooperation. Called the Rebellion Incident, or Rebellion Mechanic, it starts with an implicit truce: players are treated as allies and are not supposed to attack one another.
The truce is not enforced: if someone attacks, they are immediately marked in red as a traitor, visible to the entire lobby and open to being hunted. This is described as a low-difficulty, resource-heavy run. Another condition, Double King or Double Queen, instead spawns a Queen and a Matriarch together on one map.
The Rebellion Incident does not remove violence; it keeps betrayal possible and raises the cost of it. It remains exclusive to the Chinese build, with no confirmation it will reach the global version.
Outside China, the matchmaking PvE toggle offers the simplest route to a less stressful expedition, but it is available only during the October beta. Enable it through matchmaking and account for the reduced loot values and unavailable conditions; ARC will be your sole obstacle on the way to extraction.
