Arc Raiders Just Smashed 12 Million Sales and I’m Starting to Think People Actually Like Getting Shot

Arc Raiders just hit 12 million copies sold, which means there are officially millions of you out there making my scavenging runs a total fucking nightmare.

I was scrolling through the latest reports from Alinea Analytics today and I had to do a double-take. Embark Studios has managed to move 12 million units of Arc Raiders across PC and consoles, with the game even snatching the number one spot on Steam during the Christmas rush. It is a massive win for a game that doesn't exactly hold your hand, and honestly, seeing 3.2 million daily active users on January 4 makes my heart skip a beat. Most of those players are on Steam, which doesn't surprise me, but the console numbers are staying remarkably healthy too.

The Holiday Bloodbath by the Numbers

A well-timed 20% discount seems to have been the catalyst for this explosion. Rhys Elliot, the head of market analysis at Alinea, shared some fascinating data on LinkedIn showing that the game moved a quarter-million copies on Boxing Day alone. I’ve always said that a little bit of a price drop is all it takes to get people over the fear of an extraction shooter, and the 150K to 200K daily sales since then prove I was right.

Platform Warfare and Player Loyalty

The breakdown shows that PC is still the king, accounting for 53.5% of recent sales. PlayStation and Xbox are trailing behind but staying relevant, which is good news for anyone worried about the longevity of the matchmaking. I don’t care where you play as long as you’re providing me with enough loot to keep my workshop running. The fact that Xbox and PS5 sales are so close despite the install base gap is a clear sign that the green team is hungry for some decent extraction action.

Looking Toward a More Toxic 2026

While I am still waiting on the official 2026 roadmap, I’ve been keeping a close eye on the smaller updates hitting the servers. Embark might have moved away from the weekly update schedule, but they are clearly cooking something big for the second expedition in February. Before we get there, we are apparently being introduced to a brand-new toxic map condition later this month.

I’m guessing it’s just another creative way for the developers to watch us choke to death while trying to extract with a bag full of plastic parts. Between new maps, weapons, and map conditions, the future is looking incredibly bright - or at least as bright as it can be when you’re fumbling with a pathetic flashlight in a toxic cloud. I’ll see you topside, if you haven't already been melted by the new atmosphere.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE