ARC Raiders’ Frozen Trail Is Embark’s Biggest Update Yet — And It’s Changing How the Studio Ships Them
ARC Raiders’ Frozen Trail update went live on October 8, 2026, and Embark Studios isn’t being shy about calling it the biggest content drop the extraction shooter has had since launch. It also marks a turning point for how the Stockholm studio plans to support the game going forward.
A Frozen, Multi-Layered Map
Frozen Trail’s headline feature is ARC Raiders’ largest map to date: a snowbound mountain settlement built across multiple layers, with abandoned villages, factories, and an observatory sitting on top of underground sections raiders can drop into. Embark is pairing the new real estate with several new ARC enemy types, described as ranging from small, nimble troublemakers to a machine big enough to stop a raider dead in their tracks.
Outposts and a New Endgame Vendor
The update also adds Outposts, a new surface-level space built onto the Den (your home base) that gives raiders more room to customize their setup and research new parts of the world as they unlock them. Alongside Outposts, a new endgame vendor called the Trader unlocks at level 25. The Trader rotates high-value rewards weekly in exchange for rare items, and sells two perks worth saving up for: Extra Stash, which expands how much a raider can carry, and Expedition Vault, which lets you carry up to five items over between Expeditions.
Embark Is Moving to Fewer, Bigger Updates
Just as notable as the content itself is what Embark said about the future: the studio is ending its monthly major-update cadence, which it called unsustainable for both players and developers, in favor of two large content releases per year. A smaller live team will keep handling balance passes, bug fixes, store updates, and in-game events in between. Frozen Trail is the first update built under that new approach.
ARC Raiders is available now on Steam. Loading up on Steam Wallet Codes is an easy way to grab the game or any Frozen Trail cosmetics without reaching for a card, and our broader action game gift card selection covers most of the other shooters you’re probably playing alongside it.
