Last week, we highlighted some of the first impressions for extraction shooter ARC Raiders as it launched on Xbox and other platforms, but it's only now that we're starting to get some actual scored reviews - and the scores are very high!
It does depend a little bit on where you look though. Over on Metacritic, ARC Raiders currently has an average of 87 for PC and 88 for PS5 (there's nothing for Xbox yet), whereas on OpenCritic it's sitting at a whopping 94 average rating.
If we go by the Metacritic score of 87, that currently places ARC Raiders in 19th position for the best game of 2025 across all platforms, sitting just behind the likes of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 and Monster Hunter Wilds. OpenCritic has it in joint-first place (!) right now though, sitting alongside The Seance of Blake Manor, Hades 2 and Tears of the Kingdom's Nintendo Switch 2 Edition.
Here's what some of the reviews are saying:
GameRant (10/10)
"It's fast, punishing, and unpredictable, yet it never forgets to be fun. Its world feels alive in a way that makes every step Topside matter, every run tell its own story, and every narrow escape feel like something worth bragging about. The sound design, traversal, and enemy AI all come together to create a rhythm that's equal parts chaos and control, and it rewards players who learn to move with it instead of against it."
DualShockers (9.5/10)
"ARC Raiders is an incredibly challenging extraction shooter that will push you to your limits and frustrate you, but you'll keep coming back for more. With breathtaking visuals, thoughtfully-designed maps, intense PvP, and intelligent, unpredictable AI, ARC Raiders has raised the bar incredibly high for extraction shooters and will likely inspire an entire wave of games that hope to recreate its magic."
Push Square (9/10)
"ARC Raiders has well and truly been worth the wait. This is a phenomenal showcase of what immersive multiplayer can be. Every run is different, and your squad will come out with stories to tell each time. It can be tougher on those planning to play solo, and the extraction loop won't be for everyone. But as far as extraction shooters go, this is one of the most accessible, and it respects your time, giving you a fun experience from your first match. We can easily say that ARC Raiders is one of the best multiplayer games this generation."
GameSpot (9/10)
"We can all kill each other in Arc Raiders. The fact that most of us are choosing instead to lend a helping hand, if not a sign that humanity will be all right in the real world, at the very least makes for one of the best multiplayer games I've ever played."
Game8 (82/100)
"ARC Raiders blends cinematic flair with extraction-shooter grit, delivering stylish action and just enough fresh ideas to stand out in a crowded genre. Its fast-paced mechanics, striking presentation, and surprisingly solid story keep it engaging—though console players may feel a stumble or two. Still, it’s definitely a raid worth dropping into."
Toisto (3/5)
"Beautiful and smooth to play, Arc Raiders nonetheless suffers from all the same issues as every other extraction shooter."
"It is burning bright now, but there's so little to differentiate it from the competition that anything can and most likely will topple it from that throne. If it had dared to think outside of the limitations of the extraction shooter genre, it could have come upon something really special. Now, it's just a good extraction shooter, and what a shame that is."
Looking at the "Top Paid" Xbox charts, ARC Raiders is currently in second place just behind Battlefield 6, so it's clearly proving a hit with Xbox fans at launch. The Deluxe Edition is also in the #10 position.
The even greater news is that there's loads of new content planned for ARC Raiders in 2025 and beyond, as revealed in an extensive new roadmap. This game looks set to get better and better, and it's already launched to fantastic reviews!