All Arc Raiders Seasons & Updates: Complete Dates Guide

Since Arc Raiders launched on October 30, 2025, Embark Studios has shipped five major content periods — and just confirmed a hard pivot 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 Riven Tides, which launched April 28, 2026 on the new bi-annual update schedule. 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.

All Arc Raiders Seasons & Updates — Complete Table

Durations are calculated from the start of each update to the start of the next. Riven Tides is open; the current Arc Raiders season timer tracks its close.

Riven Tides

Riven Tides arrived on April 28, 2026 as 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 is moving to two major updates per year, with the next drop named Frozen Trail — described by Embark as the largest update in the game’s history, with the biggest single map the studio has ever built. Expect a frozen biome, a new high-tier ARC, and a fresh progression layer; exact timing is tracked on the current Arc Raiders season timer.

Before Frozen Trail lands, two interim live updates are confirmed: a new high-level trader for endgame Raiders and a stash relief pass for players running out of storage. Those are smaller patches, not full seasons — they keep Riven Tides feeling fresh without crossing into “new season” territory on the new cadence.

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, open since April 28, 2026 — already longer than the entire pre-Riven-Tides catalogue combined and marking the official transition to the bi-annual schedule. The current Arc Raiders season timer tracks its final length.
• 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, still open, is already well beyond the pre-Riven-Tides average — a deliberate consequence of the new schedule; its final multiple will be confirmed once it closes.

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.

What Happens When an Arc Raiders Season Ends?

Because Arc Raiders is an extraction shooter, the season-end reset works differently from a typical battle-royale rotation.

• Persistent stash carries forward. Anything you’ve extracted lives in your stash through season transitions. Dying in a raid is what costs you gear, not the calendar.
• TEC reputation persists. Faction standing and Raider account progress are not reset by major updates.
• Limited-time event tracks expire. The Last Resort event (Riven Tides) and Flickering Flames event (Cold Snap) are gated to their windows — unclaimed rewards are gone once the window closes.
• Raider Decks vary. Some Raider Decks (the Goalie Deck from Cold Snap, the Surgeon Deck from Headwinds) are time-limited and disappear when their season ends; others are permanent. Check the Deck’s expiration in-game before you assume you can grind it later.

The headline: only event rewards and limited Decks are at risk during a season transition. Your stash, TEC standing, and Raider XP roll over.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many Arc Raiders seasons are there?

Arc Raiders has had five major content periods so far: Launch (Oct 30, 2025), North Line (Nov 13, 2025), Cold Snap (Dec 16, 2025), Headwinds (Jan 27, 2026), and the open Riven Tides (Apr 28, 2026). The next major update, Frozen Trail, is tracked on the Arc Raiders timer.

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 is open and locking in the new pace of roughly 6 months per major season under the bi-annual schedule; the current Arc Raiders season timer tracks its final length.

Does Arc Raiders have a battle pass?

Arc Raiders does not use a paid battle pass. Progression runs through the Raider Deck — a Cred-based reward track funded by completing Daily Feats. Most rewards are unlocked by earning Cred and spending it in the Deck. Some Decks are permanent and can be completed at your own pace; others (the Goalie and Surgeon Decks, for example) are time-limited to their season window.

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 July 17, 2026.