While I'm loving my time in The Finals Season 8, I'm ready to return to the wasteland of ARC Raiders. Embark Studios' upcoming extraction shooter continues to be my latest obsession, and if you're like me, the ARC Raiders Server Slam is the only event worth looking forward to right now. Yes, there's another chance to duel on the sands of the Dam Battlegrounds, and it's only a few weeks away.
The lack of another ARC Raiders beta is still painful, especially after the excellent Tech Test. If you're wondering how the previous build of the new Steam Deck game is shaping up, you can read my ARC Raiders preview to find out. The bottom line, though, is that ARC Raiders could be a real GOTY contender. On Friday, October 17, 2025, you can jump back into the game for a full weekend, an entire week before it launches, as part of the ARC Raiders Server Slam.
Concluding on Sunday, October 19, 2025, those of you on handheld PCs, desktops, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S can participate without pre-registration. This also means you don't need to pre-order ARC Raiders, although pre-orders are now live for the game on various storefronts. The Server Slam version of the game includes refined quest systems, progression, and crafting, following months of studying player feedback within the game's Discord server.
Should you decide to take your chances in the Rust Belt, Embark Studios is allowing you to earn an exclusive reward that unlocks in the game at launch.
However, it's worth noting that any progression for your gear or general ranking up won't carry over to the ARC Raiders release date. If you're wondering what pre-orders include, here's a quick rundown:
- Deluxe Edition
-
-
- Legendary Outfit - 'Valente Legendary'
- 'Pathfinder' backpack
- Backpack Attachment - 'Blanket Roll'
- Face Cosmetic - 'Lip Scar'
- Skin - 'Cowboy Scrappy'
- 'Finger Gun Rapid Fire' Emote
- 2,400 Raider Tokens
- Astro Bundle pre-order bonus
- Lucky Duck bundle
- 'Hatchling' backpack
- 'Golden Rubber Duck' charm
-
- Deluxe Edition Pre-Order Bonus - Astro Bundle
-
- Legendary Outfit - 'G-Suit'
- 'Salvager' backpack
- 'Spaceship Souvenir' charm
- Lucky Duck bundle
In my own testing, ARC Raiders ran pretty well on the Asus ROG Ally Z1e. Steam Deck performance isn't awful, either, if you're willing to sacrifice some visual elements. Considering that The Finals Steam Deck action is possible, and uses the same engine with some modifications, I expect performance at launch to be even better.
Commenting on the Server Slam, executive producer Aleksander Grøndal says Embark Studios is "excited to welcome Raiders to the Server Slam. This is where we'll really put ARC Raiders through its paces ahead of full launch. Our goal is simple: make sure that on October 30, when the servers go live, every player experiences the game exactly as we've intended: polished, balanced, and ready for action."
I'm surprised to see ARC Raiders holding another beta, to be honest. With how things went down around the rumored shadow drop at Summer Game Fest, the chances of playing before launch seemed pretty slim. Now, I'm already getting my squad ready. I'll see you topside.