Credit: Embark Studios
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ARC Raiders’ Matchmaking Update Gives Players What They’ve Always Wanted
July 9, 2026·4 min read
ARC Raiders players finally have the matchmaking change they were asking for. If you play quiet solo runs one day and full PvP trios the next, the game should now handle that better instead of mixing everything together.
Update 1.36.0 adds separate playstyle tracking for Solo, Duo, and Trio rounds. That means each squad size now has its own history, so the game can match players based on how they usually play in that mode.
It is a simple change, but it solves a problem players have talked about for months. Solo runs, duo runs, and trio matches can feel completely different, and the matchmaking system now treats them that way.
Solo play should feel cleaner now
Solo players are likely to notice these changes before anyone else. A lot of people use solo rounds to finish quests, gather items, explore, or avoid unnecessary fights while moving through Topside.
Before this change, a player’s group behavior could affect their solo matches. Someone who played aggressively in trios could still feel that pressure when they went back to calmer solo runs.
That should happen less after 1.36.0. The game still has danger, and other Raiders can still attack, but solo matchmaking now has a better chance of matching the way solo players actually behave.
Duo and Trio runs get their own space
The same update also benefits players who play in groups. A duo that plays carefully should not be shaped by a player’s trio history, and a trio that loves fights should not pull the rest of that player’s matchmaking profile in the same direction.
That is important because ARC Raiders change a lot depending on squad size. A solo player may hide, negotiate, or leave quietly, while a trio may push fights and take bigger risks.
By splitting the tracking, Embark gives players more room to switch moods. You can play friendly alone and aggressive with friends without feeling like one style ruins the other.
The update answers a clear player complaint
Matchmaking has been one of the biggest talking points around ARC Raiders. Players have spent months trying to understand whether the game was reading aggression, gear, squad size, or something else entirely.
Embark previously explained that matchmaking is based on playstyle over time, not one fight or one bad round. The system is also not meant to create safe PvE lobbies or guaranteed PvP lobbies.
The new update does not remove that uncertainty completely, but it makes the system easier to trust. If each squad size has its own behavior history, players can see a clearer link between how they play and the matches they get.
The patch adds more than matchmaking
Update 1.36.0 also brings Expedition 4, Trials Season 5, a crossover outfit from THE FINALS, store changes, bug fixes, and fair-play updates. Matchmaking is the headline, but it is not the only useful change in the patch.
ARC Turbines now drop more valuable loot, which should make those fights feel more worth the effort. Ground weapons also show installed mods, so players can judge pickups faster during a run.
Embark is still working on item duplication problems, anti-cheat improvements, and possible changes to the “No Free Loadout” rule. Those fixes are important because better matchmaking only works if the rest of the game also feels fair.
Embark still has to tune the feel
Separate Solo, Duo, and Trio tracking is the kind of update players notice over time. One match will not prove everything, but a few days of cleaner runs should make the difference easier to understand .
The important part is that Embark changed the system in the direction players wanted. ARC Raiders still need risk, surprise, and tense meetings with strangers, but those moments feel better when the lobby matches how people actually play.
The next test is whether solo rounds feel less punishing, duo matches feel more balanced, and trio lobbies keep their pressure without dragging every other mode along with them.
ARC Raiders
ARC Raiders is a multiplayer extraction adventure, set in a lethal future earth, ravaged by a mysterious mechanized threat known as ARC. Enlist as a Raider and scavenge the surface to thrive in a desolate world. But beware of the machines. Beware of Raiders preying on others. AR
Released
October 30, 2025
Developer
Embark Studios
Publisher
Embark Studios
Systems
Xbox Series X|S
PC (Microsoft Windows)
PlayStation 5
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ARC RaidersEmbark StudiosMatchmaking