Upcoming extraction shooter ARC Raiders impressed gamers with a solid playtest. Since then, many fans have been eager for an update on the game’s 2025 release. Thus far, however, Embark Studios has been tight-lipped about when, exactly, ARC Raiders will release. Previous leaks have hinted at a June 6th release date for the game, and now, that time frame is looking even more likely. As of May 30th, gamers on Xbox have been able to pre-load a placeholder file for ARC Raiders. If previous trends prove true, that could be a solid hint about when we’ll get the full ARC Raiders release.
As shared by ARC Raiders news account @RoosterScrappy, a download file for the game arrived late on May 30th. The small file is likely not the full game, but rather a placeholder download. This isn’t the first time a preload file like this has been available for Xbox gamers, and that means, we can make some predictions based on this new info.
Typically, placeholder files like this one mean that a full pre-load file is imminent. If that’s the case, Embark is quite likely prepping to release ARC Raiders in the near future. The official @ArcRaidersGame account on X has been pretty quiet since the last Tech Test ended on May 5th. So, for now, we still have no confirmed word about the ARC Raiders release. But looking at prior pre-load dates for Xbox could narrow in on a release date for the extraction shooter.
Pre-Load Doubles Down on Early June Release Rumors for ARC Raiders
As @RoosterScrappy points out in a follow-up post, several other big games got a placeholder download shortly before their release. These pre-load files ranged from mere hours before the release of Hi-Fi Rush to a full 9 days ahead of the Warzone 2.0 release. So, unless this Xbox file is really bucking the trend, we could be looking at an ARC Raiders release date sometime in early June.
Prior leaks have hinted at a June 6th release date to coincide with the start of Summer Games Fest. With this Xbox placeholder file arriving in the Xbox app, that release window is starting to look even more likely. Even so, nothing is confirmed until Embark Studios actually unveils the ARC Raiders release date. Whether that means a shadow drop at the Game Awards or sharing a date later in the year, odds for some kind of update in the near future are looking good.
RELATED: New ARC Raiders Leak Shows Off Exciting Potential for Game’s Future
Of course, it’s always possible this is prep for another round of ARC Raiders playtesting. As the above May 5th post from @ARCRaidersGame following Tech Test 2 notes, “We’ll be back.” This could hint at plans for another round of playtesting ahead of release. But, it could also be a sneaky hint that Embark has been eyeing a June release date for ARC Raiders for quite some time.
For now, this is just another rumor that could add up to nothing. However, Xbox gamers can head to the Xbox app to pre-load the ARC Raiders file to be ready for whatever could come next. When it does come out, ARC Raiders is planning a multi-platform release on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Steam, and Epic Games.
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