5 Best Video Games Like ARC Raiders

As far as science fiction extraction shooters go, "ARC Raiders" is one of the best of the bunch released in the past several years. Developed and published by Embark Studios, the 2025 game takes place in a dystopian future where humanity shelters underground after hostile sentient machines attack Earth.

Players control scavengers who emerge on the surface to gather supplies and other resources, battling NPC enemies and opposing players before returning to safety. Gamers can dive into online matchmaking alone or in pairs, upgrading their gear and skills based on how successful their scavenging excursions go.

While offering a uniquely exhilarating experience, "ARC Raiders" is far from the only extraction shooter on the market. There are plenty of similar games available on modern platforms, each offering their own take on the broad gameplay formula. While fun to play solo, these games are an absolute blast to play with friends, just like Embark Studios' hit shooter. Here are the five best video games like "ARC Raiders" to keep the looter and extraction shooter fun going.

The 2016 third-person online shooter "Tom Clancy's The Division" received a sequel in 2019, continuing its post-apocalyptic story. In a world ravaged by a pandemic, "Tom Clancy's The Division 2" has survivors try to reestablish law and order in Washington, D.C. The capital city is an open-world map with missions to complete to advance the game's narrative and upgrade the player character. Players can also join clans, which share an experience point pool that yields its own line of upgrade benefits.

Before buying "Tom Clancy's The Division 2," it's important to know that the game is completely accessible to new players who never played the original title. The third-person combat has been completely refined compared to its predecessor, and the game offers more extensive upgrade and loadout options. The online functionality has been a strong element of the game since its launch, while continuing post-release support keeps the experience fresh. An all-around improvement from its predecessor, "Tom Clancy's The Division 2" offers an end-of-civilization good time.

A highlight in the PlayStation 5 library, 2024's "Helldivers II" switches perspectives from a top-down angle in the original game to a more traditional third-person view. The game's titular elite soldiers are shock troopers deployed to hostile planets in the 22nd century to purge threats. While battling everything from the monstrous terminids to malevolent synthetics, players can call in support from orbit, with everything from supply drops to orbital strikes on targeted areas. Players can deploy solo or work cooperatively within squads of up to four players on a variety of missions.

"Helldivers II" is a complete revamp from its predecessor, doubling down on online gameplay and even more frenetic combat. There is a cinematic quality to the overall experience, with last-minute saves and solid teamwork consistently getting the job done against overwhelming odds. Though the "Helldivers II" devs apologized for issues around launch, including a divisive patch and early login requirements on PC, the game has largely leveled out through additional post-release support. An absolute joy with a healthy amount of challenge, "Helldivers II" is an online shooter that finds the fun in balancing careful coordination with sci-fi chaos.

South Korean developer and publisher Nexon launched a free-to-play online looter shooter with 2024's "The First Descendant." The game takes place on a sci-fi world known as Ingris, with humanity on the defensive from monstrous armies known as the Vulgus.

Players control gifted soldiers that have gained the classification of Descendants, each capable of great abilities that could turn the tide of the war. The Descendants are deployed to different regions around Ingris to fight the Vulgus and topple kaiju-sized monsters, known as Colossi, extracting resources to craft advanced weapons and unlock more Descendants.

Initial reactions to "The First Descendant" had players saying the same thing – that the game had lots of room to grow and that its free-to-play grind was very real. Since then, the experience has indeed grown considerably, with more customization options and Descendants to keep the gameplay fresh. In addition to story missions, the game does offer instances for players to gain resources from waves of enemies. An explosively entertaining sci-fi title with its own extensive mythos, "The First Descendant" is an underrated gem.

At the time of writing, "The Forever Winter" is still technically in its early access stage, which began on PC in September 2024. The game takes place in a world completely consumed by war, with players controlling scavengers while the remaining global powers continue fighting. Not directly connected to the major factions, players battle NPC combatants warring around them while navigating dangerous environments and recovering supplies. The goal of "The Forever Winter" is simply to survive and recover valuable supplies, while avoiding the larger powers indiscriminately killing each other and anyone in their way.

Despite not being in its full release phase, "The Forever Winter" lays a solid foundation for its eventual completion. This is an extraction shooter that puts a significant emphasis on stealth rather than outright open combat. With its unrelenting survivalism stakes, this is also a game that's best played cooperatively online for a better chance at making it out alive. It'll be interesting to see how the final version of "The Forever Winter" looks, but in the meantime, it has an atmospheric and suspenseful early build.

The only full-on first-person shooter to make this list, 2025's "Escape from Tarkov" goes for a more grounded approach in its tactical extraction action. The game is set in the northwestern region of Russia, with two private military companies in open conflict with each other. Players participate in raids, fighting against other players and bots working for the opposing PMC while trying to recover supplies and make it to the extraction point on time. There is also a scavenger gameplay mode, with players deploying without a direct faction affiliation as they recover supplies before extraction.

There is a more unforgiving level of difficulty to "Escape from Tarkov" that fits within the game's bleaker overtones. This fuels a real sense of desperation to the gameplay experience, even when playing the game online with friends. That makes the stakes all the more palpable as players work together in an effort to recover the game's rarest items. Providing gamers with a gritty atmosphere and environment, along with more brutal first-person action, "Escape from Tarkov" takes no prisoners and is all the more appealing for it.