You can play all of ARC Raiders free through October 12—here's what changed

ARC Raiders is free to play on Steam, Xbox and PlayStation from October 8 at 09:00 UTC until October 12 at 08:00 UTC. This is access to the full game, not a cut-down demo, and it lands alongside the now-live Frozen Trail 2.0 update. One useful catch: new players can enter the new Pendola Pass map immediately only when they group with someone who has already unlocked it. ^{[1, 2, 4]}

Frozen Trail's headline addition is Pendola Pass, a snowy mountain region built around the wreck of a fallen Emperor machine. It adds three new enemies—the Bully, Skulker and Hydra—while the Frigate arrives as a map condition. The Bantam hand cannon, Stiletto battle rifle, Grappling Hook, Tether Launcher and Yank Grenade expand what you can carry into a raid. ^{[2, 3, 4]}

The update changes more than the map. The skill tree has been rebuilt around stronger choices, the new Outpost opens a Research Bench, amplified weapons can reach a fifth tier, and 22 quests have been added. A new 60-level Frozen Trail Reward Pass has free and premium tracks; existing Raider Decks move into a Legacy Pass, with already unlocked rewards kept. ^{[2, 3]}

There are launch-day rough edges worth knowing before you head up the mountain. Embark lists a Hydra bug that can let it detect and shoot through walls in Cargo, and says the Picking up the Pieces quest cannot currently be completed on Pendola Pass. Both sit on the developer's known-issues list while fixes are prepared. ^[3]