ARC Raiders’ physics-driven design is key to its success, says Creative Director. Read on to learn more about how instrumental physics has been to the game and its nomination for the Players’ Voice award.
ARC Raiders Continues Its Success
Physics-Driven Design Is The Key
ARC Raiders remains one of the most popular and played titles since its launch on October 30, 2025, and developer Embark Studios highlights its physics-driven design as a key factor in its success. In the second episode of The Evolution of ARC Raiders video series on YouTube, Creative Director Stefan Strandberg shared insights on how the team decided upon their current systems and structures.
One of the elements they focused on is the game’s physics, where the developers focused on realistic object interaction and physics-based machine movement, rather than the large-scale environmental destruction seen in its sister title, The Finals.
ARC Raiders features machine-learning-based physics for hostile robots (ARCs) and does not rely on UI visual aids such as a health bar to determine whether an enemy is taking damage or not. This means the condition or health of an ARC can be visibly observed in real-time, rather than players constantly keeping track of a health bar, which, according to Strandberg, sullies the immersion of games.
"Allow the things in there to be real. That's why we want to use gradual destruction on the drones," the creative director said. "You shoot off a thruster, and that disables its ability to fly. Of course, it does. It's physics talking back to you, and there's something fun to play with physics. You don't need a health bar to tell you that."
This design choice ultimately reflects the developers' trust in human instinct to decipher an enemy's condition. Strandberg noted that players’ intuition to listen and observe their surroundings and enemies and not relying on a UI to tell what’s going on is what they intended for the game’s core structure.
Audio Design Also Plays A Major Factor For The Immersion
The immersion provided by visual feedback is accentuated by the game’s audio design. Spearheaded by Audio Director Bence Pajor, ARC Raiders' audio allows players to detect danger and assess the situation through hearing.
"I think for me, the ultimate goal is that players completely forget about them playing a game. I just want them to be in a world that they think is there. And I think with sound, you can get far because we can record everything. We can make everything sound real. So, it's very powerful," Pajor explained.
From a simple drop of a rock on different surfaces to gunfire shooting from everywhere, ARC Raiders’ audio team was keen to transport players to the battlefield and help them distinguish conditions using their auditory senses.
Both visual and auditory feedback were established as the hallmark of the game's success, which persists to this day. It has received "Very Positive" reviews on Steam, with most fans noting its excellent game design and immersiveness. As of writing, ARC Raiders is the second top-selling game and the third most-played game on Steam.
Here at Game8, we gave ARC Raiders an 82 out of 100 for blending cinematic flair with extraction-shooter grit while delivering stylish action with fresh new ideas. To know more about our thoughts on the game, check out our review below.
Nominated For The Game Awards 2025 Players’ Voice Award
Aside from its The Game Awards 2025 Game of the Year award nomination, ARC Raiders is also included in the pool of games nominated for the Players’ Voice award. As announced by The Game Awards on Twitter (X) on December 2, it joins 29 other titles in the first round of the fan-voted award.
In light of the nomination, Embark Studios posted on Twitter (X) the recognition and urged fans to vote for their game. Additionally, ARC Raiders is also included in the list of nominees for the Best Multiplayer Game. duking it out against other heavyweight co-op titles such as Battlefield 6, Elden Ring Nightreign, PEAK, and Split Fiction.
Although ARC Raiders has only been released a little over a month ago, many consider the third-person extraction shooter as one of the best games this year. With more content coming for the remainder of 2025, and the consistent rollout of monthly events, ARC Raiders looks to dominate the charts for a very long time.
ARC Raiders is now available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and Epic Games. To stay up to date with the latest information about the game, check out our article below.
Source:
The Evolution of ARC Raiders EP2 - The Life of a Raider
Steam Charts Overview
The Game Awards Twitter (X) post on Players’ Voice Award Round 1 Nominees
ARC Raiders Twitter (X) post on Players’ Voice Ward Nomination
