Arc Raiders Cold Snap update: Release date and what to expect

Arc Raiders' second major post-launch update is arriving soon, with a Cold Snap on the horizon, bringing a bunch of new winter themed weather changes, new quests, and more.

Embark have begun teasing the new update, as well as detailing what to expect in the original roadmap for the game.

With this new update finally on the doorstep, here is what we know about it, and when it will be released.

Arc Raiders Cold Snap Release Date

The Cold Snap update for Arc Raiders will release on 16th December, 2026, which is the same time as the Trials season and ranked season will reset. The Expedition window will open on the following day.

This comes around five weeks after the last major content update for the game which added the new map Stella Montis, the Breaking New Ground event, and two new Arc types, alongside a number of other updates and new quests. Meanwhile, the update comes mere days after the exploit fixes and bug fixes of 11th December.

While this update isn't adding a new map, it is undoubtedly going to bring a similar level of content.

Arc Raiders Cold Snap: What To Expect

The Cold Snap update hasn't had any information revealed about it just yet. But, the teaser image from Embark does give us some clues.

This image includes a snowy map, which indicates a new weather event will be added to the game in the form of snowfall. Additionally, you can see the Raider Tool is an icepick, suggesting skins for the Raider Tool may be coming to the game.

This weather event was confirmed in the previous roadmap for the game, which you can see below.

Alongside that new weather event, the roadmap confirms that the Flickering Flames event will take place, which suggests there could be some kind of heat mechanic on these new snowy maps, requiring you to keep warm. On top of that, the update will add new quests and a new Raider Deck, although we can expect some more items as well.

It's looking like a full trailer will debut at The Game Awards on 11th December, 2026/12th December, 2026 (in Europe), so we will update this guide once we know more.

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