Arc Raiders Sets December 16 Release For Cold Snap Update As Snowy Conditions Arrive

Arc Raiders will introduce its winter update, Cold Snap, on December 16, bringing snowfall to the extraction shooter and signaling a shift in how players navigate the game’s environments. Embark announced the date with an image of a fallen raider in deep snow, a framing that hints at temperature-related risks layered on top of the usual combat and infiltration challenges. The studio has not detailed specific mechanics tied to the cold, but the reveal suggests that environmental exposure may influence survival in more direct ways than before.

Cold Snap builds on last month’s roadmap, which outlined upcoming seasonal features tied to the new weather condition. The update adds the Flickering Flames event, a new raider deck, and a set of quests. These additions continue Embark’s pattern of small but targeted injections of content meant to encourage regular returns to the field. Flickering Flames appears poised to play a central role in how players manage heat or visibility, though Embark has not confirmed whether fires or other light sources will function as survival tools or simple environmental markers.

A second feature arrives a day after the update goes live. A prestige-style extraction project will allow players to reset their character while retaining specific forms of progression. The option gives long-term players a structured way to rebuild their loadouts and approach the game with cleaner inventories, addressing a common plateau in extraction-driven systems. It also suggests Embark is preparing the groundwork for broader progression refreshes planned for next year.

Cold Snap is the last item on the current roadmap. Embark is expected to outline its 2026 plans once the update is in players’ hands, continuing a release cadence that has paired mechanical tweaks with incremental content drops. The studio has kept larger structural changes out of public view, leaving room for speculation about expanded modes or further environmental systems that could follow the introduction of snow.

Read also, Arc Raiders recently appeared in a new South Park episode, a cameo that reflects the game’s growing profile after surpassing four million copies sold and drawing more than 700,000 concurrent players. The segment in “Turkey Trot” places the extraction shooter within a mainstream television spotlight as it continues its run across PC and consoles.