Arc Raiders players are not happy with the "chicken helmet" microtransactions.

Embark Studios' massively popular extraction shooter, Arc Raiderhas seen great success since its launch, but many players are expressing frustration over the cost of cosmetics in the live game store. Arc Raider debuted on October 30, 2025 and is currently available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.

Many players expected this to be a live service title Arc Raider incorporate microtransactions into your business model. This is not an uncommon practice, even for non-free-to-play titles. at the time of writing Arc Raider it costs $40 for the standard edition and $60 for the deluxe edition. While the deluxe edition comes with several beauty products, it also comes with 2,400 Raider tokens, Arc Raider' premium currency that players can use to get cosmetics from the in-game store. Unfortunately, it seems like a lot of players are finding that their raider tokens aren't going to get them very far, as a lot of the cosmetics come at a hefty price.

Arc Raiders players feel that cosmetics are overpriced

For the first time since launch, Arc Raider has introduced a new store rotation full of cosmetics for people to pick up. Unfortunately, the excitement in the community seems to have turned to disappointment when the prices of these new cosmetics were revealed. Some players, like PlatformThese4901, are especially having issues with the new “Deep Sea Bird Set” that comes with a hat for Scrappy. Many fans enjoyed Scrappy's upgrade Arc Raideras the Rooster collects basic raw materials for players. However, this deck seems to have missed the mark as it is priced at 900 Raider Tokens. It's worth noting that Scrappy can only be seen in the game's menu.

In another post on Reddit, TheOnlyRealOne43 shared side-by-side images of the two premium cosmetics, showing them to be nearly identical except for their helmets. Other players noted that cosmetics are unacceptable because they combine high costs with reused assets. Some were quick to point out that the cost is particularly outlandish because players have to buy in Arc Raider to play it primarily because it is not a free-to-play title.

Even if Arc RaiderAs the success seems to have brought even more people into the extraction shooter genre, it's possible that Embark Studios could lose the goodwill of its community by keeping the cosmetic prices so high. Since the title is new, there's no way to know how Embark Studios will react.

While many players may not be happy with the cost of cosmetics in the story, many players seem to be having fun with the new extraction shooter. Funny clips from Arc Raider swarmed social media, like one video that showed the karma of a Karma hit immediately after taking down another player. More and more players are sharing their positive experiences with the title, and some are even praising the community that has grown around the game. With so much content to enjoy and more on the way, many fans are optimistic about the future Arc Raider.