Arc Raiders Surpasses Battlefield 6 on Steam in Concurrent Players
Extraction shooters once seemed like a niche genre, known for their hardcore and punishing gameplay. As someone with thousands of hours in various MOBAs, I found Arc Raiders to successfully bridge the gap between hardcore players and the wider audience.
Arc Raiders has quickly become one of the hottest PC games this fall, reaching a peak concurrent player count of over 354,000 on Friday night shortly after its release, according to SteamDB. This is an impressive feat for any shooter, especially one just over a week old.
Briefly Outperforming Battlefield 6
Arc Raiders even briefly surpassed Battlefield 6, a long-standing popular title on Steam. Around midnight UTC on Saturday, Battlefield 6 had around 318,000 concurrent players, while Arc Raiders peaked above 329,000.
"Arc Raiders can't match the long-running shooter's soaring highs, but it's drawn in a huge and consistent audience in its first week."
Despite Battlefield 6’s decades-long legacy, Arc Raiders’ early success signals strong potential and fresh interest from the PC gaming community.
What Drives Arc Raiders' Popularity?
- Runs smoothly on a wide range of PC setups without needing high-end hardware
- Offers addictive gameplay accessible to both hardcore and casual players
"Like BF6, it runs like a dream and doesn't require a monster rig, which will always be an easier sell than bleeding edge visuals."
This accessibility combined with engaging gameplay has helped Arc Raiders carve out a significant player base in just its first week.
Author's Summary
Arc Raiders rapidly gained a large and steady audience by blending accessibility with addictive gameplay, rivaling even established shooters like Battlefield 6 shortly after launch.