If you’re searching when is ARC Raiders update, the wait is over. ARC Raiders Frozen Trail 2.0 launched on Thursday, October 8, 2026, at 9:00 UTC. That translates to 5:00 AM ET, 2:00 AM PT, 10:00 AM BST and 11:00 AM CEST.
The update is available on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. It is also accompanied by a free-play period running from October 8 through October 12, giving newcomers an opportunity to try the full game.
Frozen Trail is particularly significant because Embark describes it as its biggest ARC Raiders update since launch. It introduces the snowy Pendola Pass map, new ARC enemies, new weapons and equipment, Amplified Weapons, a revamped Skill Tree, the Outpost, Weapon Stencils and a new Reward Pass progression system.
When Did ARC Raiders Frozen Trail 2.0 Release?
ARC Raiders Frozen Trail 2.0 released on October 8, 2026, at 9:00 UTC.
| Region | Release time |
|---|---|
| Pacific Time | 2:00 AM PDT |
| Central Time | 4:00 AM CDT |
| Eastern Time | 5:00 AM EDT |
| UK | 10:00 AM BST |
| Central Europe | 11:00 AM CEST |
| India | 2:30 PM IST |
| Pakistan | 2:00 PM PKT |
| Japan | 6:00 PM JST |
The launch date was announced by Embark ahead of release, while current release-time information places the global rollout at 09:00 UTC.
So if you’re wondering when is ARC Raiders update today, Frozen Trail 2.0 is already live as of October 8.
What Changed in ARC Raiders 2.0?
The short answer: almost every major part of the game received some form of change.
The biggest additions are:
- Pendola Pass, a new snowy map
- Frigate and Redirection map conditions
- Bully, Skulker and Hydra ARC enemies
- Stiletto and Bantam weapons
- Amplified Weapons
- A redesigned ARC Raiders Skill Tree
- The new Outpost and Research Station
- Furniture Designs
- Weapon Stencils
- A new Reward Pass
- Revised Feats and weekly milestones
- New equipment such as the Grappling Hook, Tether Launcher and Yank Grenade
- 22 new quests
- A stash capacity increase to 328 slots, excluding certain additional space sources
- Numerous weapon, ARC, map, performance and UI changes.
That makes Frozen Trail more than a conventional seasonal content drop. It changes progression, exploration, combat and the way players prepare for raids.
Pendola Pass: ARC Raiders’ New Map
The biggest headline addition is Pendola Pass.
The snowy mountain region gives Raiders a new environment built around vertical traversal, dangerous weather and changing loot opportunities. It also introduces the Dynamic Loot Zones system.
Dynamic Loot Zones do not completely change what type of loot belongs in an area. Instead, the value of certain zones can vary between raids. A Residential area remains Residential, for example, but its overall loot value can be higher or lower from one raid to another.
That has an important gameplay consequence: players have less reason to follow exactly the same loot route every raid.
Frigate and Redirection Map Conditions
Frozen Trail also introduces two special map conditions:
Frigate turns the environment into a battle against a huge ARC vessel. Raiders can board the Frigate and fight through its interior for valuable rewards.
Redirection is associated with Pendola Pass and introduces Emperor Beacons that Raiders can use to call down Harvester Payloads. The condition changes how players approach the map and creates another reason to explore rather than simply follow familiar routes.
New ARC Enemies: Bully, Skulker and Hydra
Three major ARC additions arrive with Frozen Trail.
Bully
The Bully ARC is an aggressive threat designed to pressure Raiders through direct pursuit. Its behavior makes positioning and escape routes particularly important.
Skulker
The Skulker takes a more deceptive approach. Its ability to stalk and ambush players means that awareness becomes just as important as raw firepower.
Hydra
The Hydra is the most intimidating of the three. It functions as a multi-part turret threat connected to the Emperor and Frigate encounters.
Players should also be aware that the launch patch lists a Hydra bug in which it can detect and shoot Raiders through walls in the Cargo area. Embark says this is a known issue.
New Weapons and Amplified Weapon Upgrades
Frozen Trail adds two new firearms:
- Stiletto — an Uncommon semi-automatic battle rifle using Light Ammo.
- Bantam — an Uncommon double-action revolver using Heavy Ammo.
The Bantam is particularly notable because it takes over the uncommon hand-cannon role after the Anvil’s rarity was raised from Green to Blue. The Anvil Splitter has also been changed: it is no longer an ordinary mod and instead becomes an upgrade option for the Amplified Anvil.
How Do Amplified Weapons Work?
Amplified Weapons introduce a new fifth quality level for selected weapons.
Amplification is tied to the new Research Station at the Outpost. Once a weapon is amplified, players can unlock branching upgrades that alter how the weapon performs.
The system creates meaningful build choices rather than simply providing a straightforward damage increase. Some upgrades can significantly change how a weapon behaves, making the system one of Frozen Trail’s most important long-term additions.
Amplified weapons also use Amplified Fragments for repairs, adding another resource-management layer to the system.
ARC Raiders Gets a New Skill Tree
The Frozen Trail Skill Tree is one of the update’s most substantial progression changes.
Embark redesigned the tree because the previous structure was not providing enough meaningful choices. The new system uses more deliberate decision points.
At the middle of branches, players choose between two skills. At the end of branches, players can choose up to two options from three available skills after investing enough points.
The update also adds or changes skills including options such as Wall Run, Weapon Bash, Bull Rush, Road Warrior, Nomadic Crafting and Field Repair.
The important takeaway is that there isn’t one universally correct “best Frozen Trail skill tree.” Your choices should reflect whether you prioritize mobility, combat, survivability, crafting or another playstyle. Embark has also indicated that further adjustments may follow as it observes how players use the revamped system.
The Outpost and Furniture Designs
Frozen Trail adds a customizable Outpost, which gives Raiders a new progression and personalization layer outside normal raids.
You unlock it by completing the relevant project. Embark specifically warns players to accept the quest and bring a Camera for the first stage.
Once unlocked, the Outpost can be expanded with modules and also provides access to the Research Station.
There are 100 Furniture Designs in the update:
- 73 can be found Topside
- 22 are unlocked through Outpost upgrades
- 4 are exclusive to the Frozen Trail Pass
- 1 is exclusive to the DLC
Furniture Designs work similarly to blueprints: learn them and use them to craft furniture for your Outpost.
Weapon Stencils Add Cosmetic Customization
Weapon Stencils provide another way to customize your loadout.
There are 14 Weapon Stencils in total:
- 8 available Topside
- 5 exclusive to the Frozen Trail Premium Pass
- 1 exclusive to DLC
After learning a stencil, players can apply it to compatible weapons using Stencil Parts.
One important detail is that a stencil does not make a weapon permanently safe. If another Raider loots your weapon after you are downed, they can take the weapon with its applied stencil.
What Happened to Cred and Raider Decks?
One of the biggest progression changes in Frozen Trail is the removal of Cred.
Cred has been replaced by Reward Points, which automatically contribute to whichever Reward Pass you currently have active.
The new system includes the Frozen Trail Pass, which has 60 levels split between Free and Premium tracks.
Existing Raider Decks have not simply disappeared. They have been moved into a Legacy Pass, with previously unlocked rewards retained.
Only one pass can be active at a time, so players should pay attention to which pass is selected before earning Reward Points.
Feats and Weekly Reward Points
Feats have also been redesigned.
| Feat | Reward Points | Weekly progress |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 15 | +1 |
| Medium | 25 | +2 |
| Hard | 50 | +3 |
There are three weekly milestones, each worth 250 Reward Points. They require 4, 8 and 12 weekly milestone progress respectively.
This gives active players a clearer reason to complete Feats throughout the week rather than treating them as isolated objectives.
Free Weekend: October 8–12
If you haven’t played ARC Raiders yet, Frozen Trail comes with an especially useful opportunity.
ARC Raiders is free to play from October 8 through October 12, 2026 on Steam, PlayStation and Xbox.
That means the Frozen Trail launch is also functioning as a major player-acquisition event. New players can experience Pendola Pass, the revised progression system and the game’s broader 2.0 changes without purchasing the full game during the promotional window.
New Gear, Quests and Stash Changes
Frozen Trail isn’t only about the new map.
New equipment includes:
- Grappling Hook
- Basic Camera
- Advanced Camera
- Tether Launcher
- Yank Grenade
- Mountaineer’s Detector
- Banjo
- Harmonica
The quest system has also been expanded with 22 new quests, while quests now award XP and display XP alongside their other rewards.
For players constantly struggling with inventory space, the update is especially welcome: the stash receives two additional upgrade levels, taking the standard maximum to 328 slots, before certain additional sources of space are counted.
Weapon Balance and Gameplay Changes
Frozen Trail also changes the feel of combat.
The Anvil moves from Green to Blue rarity, while the Jupiter receives a damage behavior correction that makes it stronger against armor but slightly weaker against weak points.
Explosive ARC damage has also been reworked. Embark says explosive weapons such as the Hullcracker will deal more than 50% additional damage against armor plates, while doing roughly 30% less damage against more fragile parts.
The Snap Hook has also been toned down as the new Grappling Hook expands the game’s mobility options. Its range falls from 20m to 18m, durability consumption rises from 2% to 4% per use and its power cost increases from 50 to 60.
Other gameplay changes include improved hit registration when shooting from ARC, map access while downed, better Heavy Shield handling and the addition of Scrambling for climbing steep slopes.
ARC Raiders Twitch Drops and Collector DLC
Frozen Trail also brings new promotional and cosmetic rewards.
The Twitch Drops campaign runs from October 8 through November 4, 2026. Watching for 60 minutes earns the Oxygen Respirator, while 120 minutes earns the Mailbox backpack attachment.
The Frozen Trail Collector Set also provides additional cosmetic content and access to the premium progression content.
Known Issues in Frozen Trail 2.0
Because this is a major update, Embark has already listed several known issues.
Among the most notable:
- Field Repair may become unavailable after being unlocked; restarting can resolve it.
- The Tether Launcher currently cannot be repaired.
- The Hydra can detect and shoot players through walls in the Cargo area.
- A Cargo drop can occasionally eliminate a player instantly when standing on its side.
- The Picking up the Pieces quest cannot currently be completed on Pendola Pass.
- Some players can rarely spawn invisibly and be unable to loot or interact normally.
- Non-English keyboard layouts can experience keybind resets after raids.
- Outpost furniture can clip through structures.
- Some Premium Reward Pass rewards may still display a lock icon after purchase.
- Pendola Pass has several clipping, collision and traversal issues.
Embark says several of these problems are already being worked on for upcoming Live Updates.
What Should Players Do First in Frozen Trail?
For returning Raiders, the best approach is not to immediately chase every new system.
A sensible starting order is:
- Explore Pendola Pass and learn its extraction and traversal routes.
- Experiment with the new Skill Tree before committing to a long-term build.
- Work toward unlocking the Outpost and Research Station.
- Test the new Bantam and Stiletto weapons.
- Learn how Dynamic Loot Zones affect your normal scavenging routes.
- Start collecting materials for Amplified Weapons.
- Check the new Reward Pass and make sure the correct pass is active.
- Complete weekly Feats to maximize Reward Points.
- Watch for the known Hydra, Outpost and Pendola Pass bugs.
The most important strategic change is that Frozen Trail makes exploration more dynamic. Between Pendola Pass’s variable loot values, new map conditions, additional ARC threats and new mobility tools, memorizing a single optimal route should be less valuable than adapting to what each raid presents.
Final Verdict: When Is the ARC Raiders Update?
ARC Raiders Frozen Trail 2.0 released on October 8, 2026, at 9:00 UTC and is live now.
For US players, that was 5:00 AM ET / 2:00 AM PT. UK players got the update at 10:00 AM BST. The launch introduces Pendola Pass, three new ARC enemies, two weapons, Amplified Weapons, a revamped Skill Tree, the Outpost, Reward Pass progression, Weapon Stencils, new equipment, quests and extensive gameplay changes.
The October 8–12 free weekend also makes this an ideal time for new players to try ARC Raiders and for lapsed players to see how much the game has changed.
source: arcraiders.com
Custom FAQ
New ARC Raiders update today
Yes. The ARC Raiders Frozen Trail 2.0 update launched today, October 8, 2026, at 9:00 UTC. It is now live on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
When is ARC Raiders update PS5?
The Frozen Trail update arrived on PS5 on October 8, 2026, at the global launch time of 9:00 UTC, equivalent to 5:00 AM ET and 2:00 AM PT. The update launched across supported platforms.
When is ARC Raiders update Xbox?
The Frozen Trail 2.0 update launched on Xbox on October 8, 2026, at 9:00 UTC. It is available on Xbox Series X|S alongside the PC and PS5 versions.
ARC Raiders Frozen Trail new skill tree
The Frozen Trail Skill Tree has been substantially redesigned. Middle branch nodes now feature binary choices, while end-of-branch nodes let players choose up to two skills from three options. New and revised skills include options focused on mobility, combat and survival.
ARC Raiders update release time
The ARC Raiders Frozen Trail 2.0 release time was 9:00 UTC on October 8, 2026. That’s 5:00 AM ET, 2:00 AM PT, 10:00 AM BST and 11:00 AM CEST.
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