Arc Riders Review First Impressions, Gameplay Experience & Price (2025)

After playing Arc Riders for the last two days, we can confirm the buzz is justified. The game is awesome, genuinely exciting, fast-paced, and packed with moments that make every match feel unique. It’s the kind of fun that made us pause our usual Battlefield sessions, and we haven’t looked back.

Below is our hands-on review based on our gameplay experience, plus essential info like the game’s price and who developed it.

What Is Arc Riders? (Game Overview & Price)

Arc Riders is a futuristic cooperative extraction shooter developed and published by Embark Studios. The game mixes high-intensity combat against mechanical enemies with open environments, crafting, and dynamic interactions with other players. Missions unfold across large, visually striking maps filled with robots, structures, and terrain challenges that keep each run fresh.

Players can go in solo, in duos, or as a squad, choosing whether to engage or avoid other players while completing objectives and escaping with valuable resources.

Our Gameplay Experience With Arc Riders

From the moment we jumped in, Arc Riders felt fast, fluid, and fun. Within the first hour, we cleared the first two maps without trouble, getting a feel for how missions flow, how enemies react, and how chaotic fights can become.

PvP Encounters: Aggressive in Duos, Chill in Solo

The player interactions were surprisingly varied:

• In duos, almost everyone shot on sight, so naturally, we did the same.
• In solo, though, we actually met a few friendly players who chose not to fire, leading to some unexpected friendly moments.

This mix of tension and cooperation makes the game unpredictable in the best way.

Crafting & Game Systems: Easy to Learn

The crafting system is straightforward. You pick it up quickly, and it doesn’t feel overwhelming.

Some of the other features look complicated at first, but after about two hours you start to understand how everything works. Arc Riders rewards players who stick with it for those first learning moments.

Graphics & Sound: Surprisingly Impressive

Arc Riders looks visually sharp, with:

• Rich landscapes
• Smooth lighting
• Detailed enemies
• An overall polished sci-fi look

The soundtrack and effects also stand out. The music builds tension during heated fights, and the environmental audio makes the maps feel alive.

The Downsides: Clunky Climbing and Bugs

If we had to point out a flaw from our early experience, it’s movement on uneven terrain. Climbing rocks feels awkward, and getting up small hills can sometimes be harder than fighting robots. It doesn’t ruin the experience, but it’s noticeable.

Additionally, the game does have some game-breaking bugs. We won’t go into detail here, as there’s a lot of information online and the developers are aware of them. Since this isn’t a competitive game, it’s not as urgent, but hopefully, they will be patched soon.

Early Verdict

After our first sessions, here’s our take:

Arc Riders is absolutely worth trying. It’s fun, intense, visually impressive, and packed with action. The learning curve is smooth, the crafting is intuitive, and every match feels different thanks to unpredictable player encounters and dynamic robot fights.

Aside from some clunky climbing and bugs, our impression is overwhelmingly positive.