Embark Studios CEO Patrick Söderlund addressed Arc Raiders’ matchmaking in a new interview. the CEO confirmed that the extraction shooter recently began to experiment with a system that creates lobbies based on how likely a player is to engage in PvP behaviors.
How Arc Raiders Matchmaking works
Like most extraction shooter communities, the Arc Raiders playerbase has been discussing PvP versus PvE behaviors since the 2025 hit launched. The threat of potential PvP encounters keeps the game exciting, but many players also want to feel safe enough in their lobby that they can team up to defeat challenging PvE enemies and successfully extract with their loot.
A big part of the enjoyment of any Arc Raiders match really comes down to how well matched a player’s lobby is with their own preferences for what is fun about the game.
It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Embark Studios is well aware of this delicate balance and that the team has been hard at work behind the scenes to experiment with tweaks to matchmaking to try and ensure the right players are ending up in lobbies with each other.
In a recent interview with Games Beat, Embark CEO Patrick Söderlund went into some high level details about match-making strategies:
“Obviously, first it’s skill-based, of course. Then you have solos, duos, and trios. And then also, since a week ago or so, we introduced a system where we also matchmake based on how prone you are to PvP or PvE.”
Söderlund went on to further confirm that this system is essentially aggression-based matchmaking. He explains that it is necessary to cater to the growing and diverse community that the game has acquired.
Will aggression-based Matchmaking be good for arc raiders?
As the Arc Raiders playerbase continues to grow in size and the skill gap increases between hardcore players and more casual players, it definitely seems in the best interest of the playerbase to continue to fine-tune the matchmaking process.
The interview didn’t get into how mixed-aggression parties would be placed, but it seems likely that there would be a highest aggression rule. Players who tend to be peaceful, but team up with aggressive players should keep that in mind when team queuing.
Söderlund’s quote was definitely speaking to the matchmaking system at a very high level, so there are a lot of remaining questions about how this system actually works in reality. There is likely some kind of engagement logic that factors in variables like shots fired near extraction zone, first-strike frequency, and shots fired from covered. The exact details of how the formula works will likely never be fully revealed, but future developer updates might provide some more insight now that the system is officially confirmed.
In order to maintain the tension and excitement in lobbies, there does still need to be a chance for PvP moments to break out, even if some players prefer to take a peaceful approach to their looting.
Arc Raiders is available now on consoles and PC.
The post Arc Raiders Matchmaking Explained: How Your PvP Habits Influence Your Lobby appeared first on VICE.
