ARC Raiders retains 91% of its Steam player base while Battlefield 6 lost 85% of its launch audience, according to SteamDB data analyzed by Forbes. The extraction shooter from Embark Studios peaked at 481,966 concurrent players in November and maintains 439,000 players as of December 2025.
Battlefield 6 launched October 10, 2025 with 747,440 concurrent players on Steam but dropped to around 113,000 by year's end according to Steam data. EA's shooter reportedly became the best-selling game of 2025 in the US despite the player decline, according to Game Rant and GamingBolt.
ARC Raiders launched October 30, 2025 between Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, a position many analysts predicted would doom the extraction shooter. Instead, Embark Studios' title earned "very positive" Steam reviews, an 86 Metacritic score on PC, and Best Multiplayer Game at The Game Awards 2025.
Battlefield 6 players criticized the game's BF Pro bonus path that requires completing 10 tiers in seven days. The $24.99 premium upgrade locks features like 100-player Portal servers behind additional paywalls, according to player complaints documented by Game Rant.
Embark Studios has reportedly planned ten years of support for ARC Raiders, already releasing North Line and Cold Snap updates in late 2025. The Cold Snap update added winter weather effects and new gameplay conditions in December.
DICE continues developing Battlefield 6 content for 2026, with the studio "deep into planning what's next" according to Game Rant. New maps, weapons, seasons, and a Solos experience for REDSEC mode are reportedly in development.
Both titles face competition from Bungie's Marathon, another extraction shooter scheduled for early March 2026. The crowded market also includes Fortnite and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, which launched in November 2025.
ARC Raiders' casual approach to extraction gameplay and consistent content updates contributed to its retention success, according to industry analysis. Battlefield 6's player decline follows technical issues with its Winter Offensive update and ongoing complaints about progression systems.
The player retention gap highlights divergent live-service strategies in 2025's competitive shooter market. Embark Studios' newcomer outperformed established franchises despite launching between two of the year's biggest releases.
