When Is ARC Raiders Free to Play in October 2026?

ARC Raiders is scheduled to open a four-day free-play window from October 8 at 11:00 a.m. to October 12 at 10:00 a.m. CEST, 2026. The promotion is listed for Steam, PlayStation and Xbox, and coincides with the launch of the Frozen Trail update. One catch for newcomers: immediate access to the new Pendola Pass map depends on joining a player who has already unlocked it.1171

Free-play dates and platforms

Embark’s announcement, published through the game’s Steam news feed, gives the trial’s start and end times and describes it as access to the full game.11 Coverage also lists Steam, PlayStation and Xbox as the participating platforms.712 The free-play window is temporary; it is not an announcement that ARC Raiders is becoming permanently free.

The Frozen Trail update launches on October 8, the same day the trial begins. The update is described as free for existing players, while the trial lets newcomers try the game during the promotion.410

Pendola Pass access: the map-unlock caveat

“Full game” access does not necessarily mean that every map is immediately available to a brand-new account. New players can enter Pendola Pass right away if they team up with someone who has already unlocked it. Otherwise, they will need to follow the usual map-unlock progression.1

That makes joining an experienced squad the reported workaround for trying Pendola Pass during the free period without first unlocking it yourself.

What Frozen Trail adds

Frozen Trail’s central addition is Pendola Pass, a snowy new map. Reports also describe new ARC enemies, weapons and gadgets, and an extension to the Raider Den.4910

The update also changes progression: Raider Decks are being replaced by a 60-level Reward Pass with free and premium tracks, according to reporting on the update.5 The new map and progression changes make the trial a chance to sample more than the existing game, though access to Pendola Pass still has the squad-and-unlock qualification above.1

Steam sale price and deadline

The Steam listing shows ARC Raiders at $19.99, down 50% from $39.99.17 The available listing information does not establish the sale’s exact end date, so treat the price as a listed offer rather than a confirmed price through a particular deadline.17

Why the promotion is timed with Frozen Trail

The timing puts a major update in front of players during a free-play window close to the game’s first anniversary. Embark had flagged Frozen Trail as coming in October by August 18; reporting says the studio confirmed a September 23 preview ahead of the update’s October 8 launch.16211

Some coverage also pointed to declining Steam player counts and Embark’s shift away from monthly updates toward larger releases.2115 That context makes the overlap of a major update and a free trial look like an effort to attract players back, but the sources do not establish that as Embark’s stated reason for the promotion. The player-count reporting is also about Steam, not a measure of the game’s total audience across platforms.21