ARC Raiders will be free to play across Steam, PlayStation and Xbox from October 8 at 09:00 UTC until October 12 at 08:00 UTC. The trial includes the full game rather than a separate demo or restricted starter area.

The timing matters: the free period begins alongside Frozen Trail, which Embark calls the game's biggest update since launch.

Four days with the full game

New players can squad up, scavenge Topside and use the normal extraction loop throughout the free period. Embark has not announced a platform restriction beyond naming Steam, Xbox and PlayStation.

The announcement does not explain whether progress will carry into a later purchase, so players should not assume that until Embark confirms it. What is confirmed is full-game access for the event window.

Frozen Trail launches at the same time

Frozen Trail adds Pendola Pass and launches October 8. New players can enter the map immediately when grouped with someone who has already unlocked it, avoiding the normal wait before seeing the update's headline location.

That makes this more useful than a quiet free weekend attached to an old build. Friends can start together while the existing player base is moving into the new map and update content.

When the free period ends

Free access closes October 12 at 08:00 UTC. Embark has not announced an extension, so treat that as the hard stop.

The official ARC Raiders announcement confirms the platforms, exact UTC schedule, full-game access and Frozen Trail overlap.