As everyone questions if extraction shooters will ever get mega popular, Arc Raiders lines up another playtest

I feel like all I’ve been seeing the past few days is people asking if Marathon will be the game that finally brings extraction shooters into the mainstream. No one seems to be quite sure, mostly because it isn’t done or out yet. The thing is, it’s not the only extraction shooter due out this year that’ll put that question to the test, as Arc Raiders is one the way still too. It comes from former Battlefield devs after all, who have found success with their other shooter, The Finals. And earlier today, developer Embark Studios announced that another playtest for Arc Raiders is on the way this month.

Signing up for the playtest is pretty simple on Steam, you just have to head to the game’s page and request access to the beta. The test itself is running from April 30 to May 4. Not everyone will be able to try it out, I should note, it’s luck of the draw, but if you’re feeling lucky and you’re curious as to whether extraction shooters can make it mainstream, it’s worth a shot.

In a press release Embark shared that they’ve taken on a bunch of feedback from the last test, implementing a bunch of “tweaks and improvements.” They’ve also added in more Arc enemies (evil robots that have taken over most of the world), as well as weapons and gear. Player progression and crafting systems are apparently “deeper” now too, and there’ll be a preview of what the game’s battle pass will be like.

I like the vibes of Arc Raiders a lot. Bit of a stereotypical “humans are in hiding in tiny settlements because robots have wrecked the planet” kind of premise, though it looks good in motion, and I’m digging its particular flavour of a post-apocalypse setting.

That’s the thing though, Marathon looks good in motion too, and based on most previews, plays good too. There’s some specific complaints people are having about Marathon (namely a worrying lack of content at launch) which raises further questions as to whether it’ll be the one to make a notoriously tough genre like extraction shooters popular.

I honestly can’t say how things will shake out. Games like Hunt: Showdown and Escape from Tarkov are still trudging along quite well, maybe it doesn’t need to be a massively popular genre. Guess we’ll have an idea by the end of the year!