For one week, ARC Raiders is letting you drop into the Rust Belt without another player able to put a bullet in your back. Embark Studios has switched on a PvE matchmaking toggle in the live game, a limited trial that keeps the usual maps, machines and quests but removes player-versus-player damage entirely. There’s no sign-up, code or separate download. The option simply appears beside the normal matchmaking choices while the test runs.
Quick answer: The PvE toggle is live from October 13 to October 20, 2026. Open the destinations screen, flip PvE on before you queue, and other Raiders can no longer damage you. Switch it off whenever you want the standard PvPvE match back.
When the PvE beta test is live
The test is available from October 13 at 11:00 CEST until October 20 at 11:00 CEST. It uses the Frozen Trail build released on October 8, so an already-updated game needs no additional download. These were two distinct releases, and the free-play weekend held with Frozen Trail does not include this test.
| Region | Start time (Oct 13) |
|---|---|
| Central European (CEST) | 11:00 |
| UK (BST) | 10:00 |
| US Eastern (ET) | 05:00 |
| US Central (CT) | 04:00 |
| US Pacific (PT) | 02:00 |
Embark’s complete explanation is in the official PvE toggle beta test post. After the test period, the option disappears and matchmaking switches back to its usual setup.
Finding and using the PvE toggle
PvE doesn’t add a new menu or progression path; it changes how matchmaking works within the current game. Every ARC Raiders owner can use it. On the destinations map, where you pick a raid, you’ll find a PvE setting next to the standard choices. Enable it, choose a map, and queue up and ready as usual. Keep it disabled to play the classic PvPvE mode.
The game asks you to choose again for each deployment, and you can switch without interruption. For instance, complete a laid-back PvE scavenging run, extract, disable the option, and enter a tense PvPvE queue right away. Your stash, loadout and skills are shared between the modes; PvE has no separate save.
The simplest way to confirm you’re in a PvE lobby is to watch what happens when another Raider shoots you. In PvE, their rounds deal no damage at all.
How PvE sessions play differently
Other Raiders remain in your session when you select PvE. The change prevents players from damaging one another, not from being present. Instead, you’ll scavenge, pursue quests, explore and fight the ARC alongside them. The week’s main rules are:
- Players deal no damage to one another, in either direction.
- Stun and fire throwables do nothing to other players, though they stay fully effective against ARC.
- Physical items such as barricades and ziplines still work as solid objects, so another Raider can block a doorway, race you to a crate or crowd an extraction.
- Players in Solos, Duos, and Trios enter a common session pool, so someone playing alone may arrive alongside all three members of a trio.
- Time spent in PvE does not touch your PvPvE matchmaking rating.
The ARC machines are unchanged. There are no new enemy types or hardened variants added for the test, so the same Bullies, Leapers, Ticks and heavier units behave exactly as they do in PvPvE. With hostile players removed, those machines become the only real threat in a raid.
Loot changes and the downed-state rule
With less danger in PvE, the total value of its loot is reduced. PvPvE sessions receive a somewhat higher starting loot value during the test to preserve the risk-reward balance. Embark hasn’t shared the precise amount of either adjustment, so be wary of exact percentages reported elsewhere. Neither queue has a stated XP penalty or multiplier.
| Feature | PvE session | PvPvE session |
|---|---|---|
| Player damage | Off | On |
| Squad sizes in one lobby | Solos, Duos, Trios together | Standard matchmaking |
| Overall loot value | Lowered | Slightly higher baseline |
| PvPvE matchmaking rating | Unaffected | Works as normal |
Going down doesn’t protect you indefinitely. ARC machines may spot a knocked Raider again and finish them off. For the first eight seconds after you’re downed, ARC ignores you. After that, movement or crawling can attract its attention. If you stay motionless near a machine, it will leave you alone; crawling can get you killed. Other Raiders in the session can loot the body of someone killed by ARC.
Map conditions locked out of PvE
Five high-tension conditions stay in the classic queue only, because each is built around the uncertainty of running into other players. The PvE toggle simply won’t appear when one of them is active on a map.
- Night Raid
- Hidden Bunker
- Locked Gate
- Frigate
- Redirection
Frigate and Redirection matter most for endgame players. The Frigate arrived with Frozen Trail and is where the Frigate Inductor and Frigate Diagnostic Node come from. Redirection is tied to the Emperor Payloads and the ARC Couplers used to craft the Emperor Gateway Conduit. If you’re chasing those parts or boarding the Frigate, you’ll need to queue PvPvE during the test week.
PvE play has had its two most demanding conditions removed. ARC Frigate is a map-wide modifier rated 5 out of 5 for difficulty; it deactivates locked doors and Raider Hatches and reduces total loot value. Night Raid has a 4-out-of-5 difficulty rating, deactivates return points, increases loot value, and brings in an unusually large ARC force.
Everything else is fair game. The standard maps all keep their usual difficulty ratings and unlock requirements in PvE, so you can plan which destination to clear while the human threat is off. Pendola Pass, the Frozen Trail map, is also in rotation.
| Map | Difficulty | Unlocks at rounds played |
|---|---|---|
 Dam Battlegrounds | 2 of 5 | — |
 Buried City | 3 of 5 | — |
 Spaceport | 3 of 5 | 12 |
 The Blue Gate | 4 of 5 | 18 |
 Stella Montis | 4 of 5 | 24 |
 Riven Tides | 5 of 5 | 20 |
In PvE, a locked room still takes a key to unlock; the Town Hall key room in Buried City is one example. After a player opens it, anyone in the raid can loot inside. Player damage is off, but competition remains: expect races for containers and crowded extractions instead of gunfights.
What happens after October 20
The week-long test doesn’t guarantee a lasting mode. Once it ends, Embark removes the toggle and restores regular matchmaking. The studio says it’s giving serious thought to a dedicated PvE option, while noting that a permanent version may differ substantially from this build and that the test may not succeed.
Embark will use player data and feedback to decide what comes next. It is tracking PvE participation, extraction values in the two queues, and possible queue-time increases in less populated regions or during off-peak hours. Everyone will receive a survey after the test, even those who didn’t use the toggle. Trying several matches in both queues and sharing your results is the clearest way to help determine whether PvE returns in any form.
