The weather outside is frightful.
Arc Raiders is about to get a serious chill. Embark has confirmed that Cold Snap, the game’s long-teased winter update, lands next week, bringing new mechanics, events, and progression just as the year winds down.
The studio confirmed the date in a post on X, with Cold Snap going live on Tuesday, 16 December. The update has been sitting on Arc Raiders’ roadmap for months, but this is the clearest look yet at what players will actually be dropping into once temperatures start falling.
Snowfall, new events, and fresh progression arrive together
According to Embark’s official Arc Raiders roadmap, Cold Snap introduces a new map condition called Snowfall, alongside the Flickering Flames limited-time event. Snow-covered environments are expected to impact how expeditions play out, giving the familiar maps a very different feel.
The update also introduces a new Raider Deck, Arc Raiders’ take on a battle pass system, alongside a fresh set of quests. Players will also see changes to expedition departure windows and refresh timings, which should shake up how sessions are planned and paced during the event.
Embark has already hinted that Cold Snap is more than a simple visual swap. A teaser image shared alongside the announcement shows a raider collapsed in the snow, heavily implying that extreme cold will be more than set dressing. While full details have not been outlined yet, the image suggests temperature could become an active survival factor rather than a purely cosmetic one.
Cold Snap closes out Arc Raiders’ 2025 roadmap
The wider context for Cold Snap comes from Embark Studios’ 2025 Arc Raiders roadmap, shared earlier in the year. In an October post, the studio outlined December’s update as a major capstone moment for the current development plan.
The roadmap lists Cold Snap as the final scheduled update of the year, bundling Snowfall, Flickering Flames, the new Raider Deck, new quests, and expedition changes into a single drop. While Arc Raiders has avoided traditional seasonal themes, the winter timing places Cold Snap close to what would typically be considered a holiday event, albeit filtered through the game’s bleak post-apocalyptic tone.
With the update landing in mid-December, Cold Snap also effectively wraps up the current phase of Arc Raiders’ ongoing rollout. Embark has not yet detailed what comes next beyond this update, making Cold Snap an important milestone for the game as it heads into the new year.
Arc Raiders’ Cold Snap update launches 16 December, with full patch details expected closer to release.
