ARC Raiders is handing out 1,000 Raider Tokens as a holiday gift, effectively dropping a chunk of the game’s premium currency straight into players’ laps. Raider Tokens usually sit behind real-money purchases and a small amount from progression, so this is one of the more generous cosmetic giveaways the game has offered so far.
The reward is tied to the Cold Snap update and arrives through the in-game mail system under the subject line “Happy Holidays!”. Once claimed, the tokens can be spent on full cosmetic sets in the store, from outfits to emotes and face paints.
How the 1,000 free Raider Tokens reward works
Raider Tokens function as ARC Raiders’ premium store currency. They are normally bought with cash and used to unlock cosmetic bundles, individual outfits, and other visual customizations. Outside of this holiday drop and a small amount granted through early progression and some passes, there is no reliable grindable way to stockpile them.
For the holiday event, Embark Studios is sending every eligible player 1,000 Raider Tokens via in-game mail. There is no gameplay requirement attached to the gift beyond logging in while the Cold Snap update and holiday celebration are active. The mail does not list an explicit expiry date, but it is clearly positioned as a seasonal reward, so waiting indefinitely is risky.
Once claimed, the 1,000 tokens behave exactly like purchased currency. They sit in your Raider Token balance and can be spent on any cosmetic content in the store that fits the budget, including full sets built around specific characters.
How to claim the “Happy Holidays!” Raider Tokens in ARC Raiders
Step 1: Launch ARC Raiders on your usual platform and sign into the account you actively play on. The reward is tied to your ARC Raiders profile, so make sure you use the account where you want the currency.
Step 2: Load into Speranza, the main hub. Wait for the game to finish connecting so that the full user interface is available. You should be looking at the main menu screen where your character, level, and navigation tabs are visible.
Step 3: Look to the top-right area of the screen and find the mail icon next to your character level indicator. This button opens the in-game mailbox, which stores system messages and rewards.
Step 4: Open the mailbox and scroll through any unread entries until you find a message titled “Happy Holidays!”. This mail contains the holiday Raider Token gift.
Step 5: Select the “Happy Holidays!” mail to view its contents, then hit the claim button displayed in the message. The game will immediately add 1,000 Raider Tokens to your account balance.
Tip: If the mail is not visible, back out to the title screen, confirm you are fully updated to the Cold Snap patch, and reload into Speranza. The reward targets active players during the holiday window, so logging in at least once during the event is important.
What you can buy with 1,000 Raider Tokens in ARC Raiders
With 1,000 Raider Tokens on hand, the cosmetic store suddenly opens up a meaningful slice of its catalog. The Store tab from the main menu lists various bundles, some focused on single outfits and others combining multiple customization types. The holiday gift is tuned so that several complete sets line up almost exactly with the 1,000-token budget.
Each featured set typically revolves around one character and includes three outfit variants, a face style, and an emote. That means a full visual identity change for your Raider in one purchase. Below are the headline options that fit the 1,000-token bracket.
| Set | Core outfit (variants) | Face style | Emote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wilderness Scout | Cresta outfit (3 variants) | Soot | Water Bottle Empty |
| Ombra | Ombra outfit (3 variants) | Henna | I See You |
| Renegade Moon | Cosmo outfit (3 variants) | Military Paint | Right Here |
| Cavalier | Cavalier outfit (3 variants) | Nose Stripe | Fling Coin |
Each bundle delivers a full look built around a theme, with three visual takes on the outfit so you can switch up color or detailing without abandoning the overall style. The accompanying face paints and emotes help lock in that theme across your entire character rather than just the torso and legs.
If you already have a stash of Raider Tokens from earlier Deck rewards or passes, you can treat the free 1,000 as a discount on more expensive sets. The store also rotates other cosmetics beyond the four sets above, including individual pieces and attachments, so it can be worth holding the currency briefly to see how the rotation lines up with your preferences. Just keep the holiday time frame in mind before letting unclaimed reward mail sit too long.
Why this 1,000-token drop matters for ARC Raiders’ economy
ARC Raiders leans on cosmetic monetization while keeping gameplay content accessible. Raider Tokens sit at the top of that system, providing access to more elaborate outfits and themed sets without impacting power. Outside the initial Deck rewards and some battle pass-style payouts, there is no standard match-to-match income of Raider Tokens, and many players never see a large chunk of this currency without paying cash.
Dropping 1,000 Raider Tokens into every active player’s account is effectively a one-time premium currency grant that lines up to around ten dollars’ worth of store value. For players on the fence about cosmetics, it functions as a no-strings trial of the cosmetic economy. For those already invested, it softens the grind or spend needed for the next big set.
The holiday mail also quietly onboards players to the in-game mail system, which is increasingly where ARC Raiders tucks one-off rewards, limited-time event compensation, and cross-promo unlocks such as account-linked skins from other Embark titles. Checking that mail icon regularly becomes more important when rewards arrive this way without additional UI pop-ups.
Other holiday rewards to keep an eye on
The 1,000 Raider Tokens are the centerpiece of the current giveaway, but the broader holiday window in ARC Raiders also includes seasonal events and crossover cosmetics tied to Embark’s other projects. One example is the free Red Ryder skin that unlocks by playing a small number of matches in The Finals while using the same Embark account on both games. That cross-progression link turns time in one game into cosmetics in another, and it lives alongside the in-game holiday gift rather than replacing it.
Cold Snap itself layers in winter-themed activities such as the Flickering Flames event and resource hunts like Candleberries. These sit on the gameplay side of the seasonal content, while the Raider Tokens and store sets land squarely in the customization lane, letting you visually reflect the colder tone of the update if you want to lean into the theme.
The 1,000 free Raider Tokens are a simple reward: log in during the Cold Snap holiday window, open the “Happy Holidays!” mail, and hit claim. For a game where premium currency usually trickles in or costs real money, that small bit of friction is about as low as it gets. If you plan to spend any time in ARC Raiders over the holidays, it is worth taking a minute in Speranza before your next drop to make sure Scrappy’s gift ends up in your wallet rather than expiring unnoticed.
