Embark Studios has revealed the plan for the first half of the year ARC RaidersPlans for 2026 and players have a lot to look forward to. Listed in this plan for ARC Raiders is the content players can expect between now and April 2026, including new map conditions, new ARC threats, and additional expedition windows. However, arguably the most exciting part of this plan won't be released until April ARC Raiders Fans will have to wait a while for the game's juiciest content update.
WITH ARC RaidersWith the Cold Snap update now in the rearview mirror, the Escalation era descends on the game, bringing new challenges to keep raiders on their toes. Facing new ARC machines and learning their behavior is always difficult, but plan for ARC Raiders also reveals that additional map conditions are coming, which will really force players to strategize for their runs above. Part of the content ARC Raiders most needed right now is a new map to shake up the current game loop, but players will have to wait until April for the next map to be released.
The next new ARC Raiders map will not be released until April 2026
ARC Raiders currently has 5 main maps for players to explore:
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Dam Battlefield
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Buried city
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Cosmodrome
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The blue gate
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Stella Montis
Four of these maps were available at launch, with Stella Montis being added in November 2025. While the various map conditions available in ARC Raiders add some variation to these maps and give players a whole new area to explore which is the furthest thing from keeping the game interesting. Now that the honeymoon period is long over for Stella Montis, it seems like the perfect time ARC Raiders drop a new map and reignite the hype that comes with discovering new locations in the game.
Stella Montis was the last ARC Raiders map added in November 2025
Until the next one ARC Raiders the map comes out in April, it will be 6 months since the previous new map was added. Stella Montis can be a somewhat controversial map as it is completely enclosed in a building and is a known hot spot for PvP v ARC Raiders. As such, the new map would likely give Stella Montis some breathing room as players flock to the newest addition, potentially easing some of the stress around running Stella Montis in its current state.
Plan for 2026 ARC Raiders it also includes a “map update” planned for February, but it's unclear what that means or how significant the update will be.
The next ARC Raiders map has high expectations to live up to
Due to the controversial nature of Stella Montis, there are already many expectations for the next news ARC Raiders a map to live by. Much after the interior design of Stella Montis ARC Raiders fans are hoping to see a new map that returns to the outdoors, balanced by a scattering of enclosed buildings like the others ARC Raiders maps. In addition, proposals for newer ones ARC Raiders maps were made with PvP in mind, so another map that focused back on PvE would likely go a long way to appeal to players who prefer not to engage in PvP.
April 2026 update for ARC Raiders it is planned to include more than just a new map, with additional features added such as:
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New Big ARC
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New map status
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Shipping window
This update will mark the third expedition in ARC Raiderswith the first optional player reset returning in December 2025 and another planned for February 2026. A new major ARC, likely as Queen or Matriarch, along with a new map state are solid components of the new map's recipe for success. The longer though ARC Raiders Without introducing this new map, the expectations will inevitably be higher, and all of these factors must support the playstyle of the new map to be successful at launch.
- Released
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October 30, 2025
- ESRB
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Teen / Violence, Blood
