Embark Studios final Server Slam playtest for its upcoming PvPvE extraction shooter Arc Raiders drew a peak of 189,668 concurrent players on Steam, highlighting strong player interest ahead of its full release on October 30.
The free playtest, which ran from October 17, briefly propelled Arc Raiders to the fourth spot on Steam’s most-played games list, surpassing titles such as PUBG: Battlegrounds, Rust, and Baldur’s Gate 3. According to data from SteamDB, the game hit its all-time high of 189,668 concurrent users on day one, followed closely by 185,137 the following day.
“These numbers only reflect Steam users,” Embark Studios said, noting that Arc Raiders was also available through the Epic Games Store and on consoles. “The total number of concurrent players is likely much higher when accounting for all platforms,” the studio added.
Despite reaching 100,000 concurrent players within the first two hours of launch, the playtest experienced early technical issues, including crashes and connection errors. Embark quickly issued a hotfix requiring players to redownload the full game. The developer addressed the inconvenience on X, stating the update “should not be the norm moving forward.”
While some participants criticized the limited test content and repetitive mechanics, others praised the game’s solid foundation and smooth performance. If Embark maintains its momentum and server stability through launch, Arc Raiders could emerge as a notable competitor in the extraction shooter genre, alongside Hunt: Showdown, Helldivers 2, and Arena Breakout: Infinite.
Source: Steam DB