Since Arc Raiders launched on October 30, 2025, Embark Studios has shipped six major content periods and pivoted from monthly drops to a twice-a-year cadence. This page tracks every Arc Raiders season with exact dates, durations, and what each one added to the Rust Belt.
Arc Raiders’ current season is Frozen Trail, which launched October 8, 2026 as the largest update in the game’s history. The current Arc Raiders season timer carries the live estimate and confirmation status; this article keeps the completed-season record stable.
How Arc Raiders Seasons and Updates Work
Arc Raiders doesn’t use the rigid “Season 1, Season 2, Season 3” model you see in Apex Legends or Call of Duty. Embark Studios uses named content updates, each anchored around a new map, ARC enemy, map condition, and a fresh Raider Deck; the game’s free progression track that replaces a paid battle pass.
From launch through April 2026, Embark shipped a new content drop roughly every month. In May 2026, the studio formally announced a shift to two major updates per year. The reason, per Embark’s development update, was scope: the team wanted to deliver expansion-sized content (new maps, new biomes, new core systems) rather than smaller monthly drops. Interim live updates, a high-level trader and stash relief, fill the gap between major seasons.
So when this article says “season,” it tracks the major named content periods, the moments Arc Raiders meaningfully changed.
When the current season ends, and what resets or carries over when it does, is covered on the Arc Raiders season end date page, next to the live timer.
All Arc Raiders Seasons & Updates: Complete Table
| # | Update | Start Date | End Date | Days | What It Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Launch | Oct 30, 2025 | Nov 13, 2025 | 14 | Global release on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S |
| 2 | North Line | Nov 13, 2025 | Dec 16, 2025 | 33 | Stella Montis map, Matriarch + Shredder ARCs |
| 3 | Cold Snap | Dec 16, 2025 | Jan 27, 2026 | 42 | Snowfall map condition, Goalie Raider Deck |
| 4 | Headwinds | Jan 27, 2026 | Apr 28, 2026 | 91 | Escalation phase, monthly content (Shrouded Sky, Flashpoint) |
| 5 | Riven Tides | Apr 28, 2026 | Oct 8, 2026 | 163 | Coastal map, Turbine ARC, Last Resort event |
| 6 | Frozen Trail Current | Oct 8, 2026 | Open | - | Pendola Pass map, Frigate, Reward Pass |
Durations are calculated from the start of each update to the start of the next. Frozen Trail is open; the current Arc Raiders season timer tracks its close.
Frozen Trail
Frozen Trail arrived on October 8, 2026 as the first major drop under the twice-a-year schedule and the largest update Embark has shipped. It added Pendola Pass, a frozen, multi-layered mountain settlement beyond the peaks that wall in the Rust Belt, with Flash Freeze weather; a boardable Frigate; three new ARCs (the Bully, Skulker and Hydra); the Stiletto battle rifle and Bantam revolver; Amplified weapons; a Grappling Hook and Tether Launcher; a player Outpost; and a reworked Skill Tree. It also retired the Raider Deck in favour of a 60-level Reward Pass, with every older Deck folded into a free Legacy Pass.
Riven Tides
Riven Tides ran from April 28, 2026 to October 8, 2026, 163 days, and was the largest content drop Arc Raiders had shipped at the time. It added a new coastal map in the Rust Belt, a hotel, beach, and shipping yard, plus the Turbine, a massive ARC threat with sweeping rotor-blade attacks. The limited-time Last Resort event (April 28 – May 25, 2026) rewarded players for completing extraction objectives under added pressure.
The Riven Tides Raider Deck refreshed cosmetics, weapon skins, and progression rewards across its tier track. Embark also pushed quality-of-life improvements, UI polish on the extraction screen and inventory tweaks, alongside balance changes to the Stella Montis and original maps.
The Shift to Bi-Annual Updates
Embark confirmed in a May 2026 development update that Arc Raiders was moving to two major updates per year. Riven Tides was the bridge between the two models, and Frozen Trail (October 8, 2026) was the first drop built for the new one.
Between Riven Tides and Frozen Trail, Embark shipped interim live updates instead of new seasons, including a high-level trader for endgame Raiders and a stash relief pass, ending with patch 1.45.0 in September 2026. That pattern of smaller live updates between two major drops is the model going forward.
Records & Stats Across Arc Raiders Seasons
A small number of seasons makes the records section short, but the patterns are unusually clean.
Longest and Shortest Updates
- Longest so far: Riven Tides at 163 days (April 28 to October 8, 2026), nearly as long as the four earlier updates combined (180 days), and the first season paced for the bi-annual schedule.
- Shortest: the Launch window at 14 days before North Line dropped on November 13, 2025. Embark moved aggressively to add the Stella Montis map and the Breaking New Ground community event in the first month.
Average Duration Pre- and Post-Riven Tides
Across the five pre-Riven-Tides updates (Launch, North Line, Cold Snap, Headwinds, Shrouded Sky/Flashpoint as Headwinds sub-content), the average gap between major drops was 45 days, close enough to monthly that the cadence was effectively a season-per-month. Riven Tides closed at 163 days, about 3.6 times that average, a deliberate consequence of the new schedule. Across all five completed seasons the average is about 69 days.
Seasons Are Now Bi-Annual
Two major updates per calendar year is what to expect going forward, the current Arc Raiders season timer tracks exactly when the next one lands. That’s a meaningful change for the way you plan progression: completing a Raider Deck no longer needs to happen in a 30-day sprint; you have months.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Arc Raiders seasons are there?
Arc Raiders has had six major content periods so far: Launch (Oct 30, 2025), North Line (Nov 13, 2025), Cold Snap (Dec 16, 2025), Headwinds (Jan 27, 2026), Riven Tides (Apr 28, 2026) and the open Frozen Trail (Oct 8, 2026).
Why is Arc Raiders switching from monthly to bi-annual updates?
Embark Studios announced the change in May 2026, citing scope: the team wants to deliver expansion-sized content, full new biomes, new core systems, larger maps, rather than smaller monthly drops. Interim live updates (a new high-level trader and a stash relief pass) fill the gap between major seasons to keep the game fresh.
How long does an Arc Raiders season last?
Before Riven Tides, the average gap between major drops was about 45 days, close to monthly. Riven Tides then ran 163 days, the first season on the new pace of roughly two major updates a year.
Does Arc Raiders have a battle pass?
Through Riven Tides, progression ran through the free Raider Deck, a Cred-based reward track funded by completing Daily Feats. Frozen Trail replaced it with a Reward Pass that has a free track and a cosmetics-only Premium track, and folded every older Deck into a free Legacy Pass.
Is Arc Raiders the same as ARC Raiders or just Arc Raiders?
Embark Studios stylizes the title in marketing as ARC Raiders (capital ARC, referring to the Autonomous Robotic Constructs you fight in-game). Most outlets, and this site, use Arc Raiders in body copy for readability. Both refer to the same game.
For other extraction-style season trackers, see All The Finals Seasons & Dates or browse the full blog for season guides across every major live-service game.
Data sourced from Embark Studios’ official announcements (the launch news, North Line, Cold Snap, Riven Tides update pages, and the May 2026 bi-annual development update), cross-referenced with our Arc Raiders season records. Last updated October 9, 2026.