Arc Raiders Just Clobbered Battlefield 6 To Take Steam’s Christmas Top Spot
Embark Studios just gave the AAA giants a holiday-themed black eye by dominating the charts during the most competitive week of the year.
I have been watching the charts all week, and it is clear that the hype for Arc Raiders is not just a launch fluke. Even as a paid experience in a market saturated with free-to-play garbage, it managed to pull in millions of players and hold the line against some of the biggest names in the industry. While the Rust Belt is often described as a horrific place to spend your time, it seems the entire PC gaming community decided it was the perfect destination for their Christmas break.
The Christmas Sales Bloodbath
SteamDB tracked the sales from December 23 to December 30, and the results are a massive win for Embark Studios. Arc Raiders secured the first position, effectively pushing EA’s latest shooter into the shadows of the holiday season. It is an impressive feat considering that Battlefield usually owns this time of year through sheer marketing budget alone.
Hardware vs. Software
While the Steam Deck technically takes up a slot because Valve likes to count its own hardware as a game, Battlefield 6 is the actual runner-up. It is followed closely by Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which is still riding high after sweeping the nomination list at Geoff Keighley's big ad-fest earlier this month. It is wild to see an extraction shooter sitting above a multi-award winning RPG, but that is the power of a solid gameplay loop.
The Quiet Before the 2026 Storm
Players are currently dealing with the Cold Snap update and preparing for an upcoming toxic map condition that is sure to ruin a few more solo runs. However, do not expect any massive breakthroughs in the next few weeks. Embark Studios has moved away from weekly patches and the team is currently on a well-deserved Christmas break until the middle of January.
A Holiday Victory For The Underdog
The fact that we do not have specific sales figures does not change the reality of the situation: Arc Raiders is a juggernaut. It managed to out-sell legacy franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Cyberpunk during a period when everyone is looking for the best bang for their buck. This is a massive platform for whatever future content drops Embark has planned for 2026.
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