Arc Raiders Slashes Cosmetic Prices After Backlash, Improves Duo Matchmaking, Raider Token Reimbursements Incoming

Arc Raiders just did two things its community has been begging for: it tweaked duo matchmaking so you actually fight people like you, and it is lowering cosmetic prices. Fans are calling it a 'HUGE W,' and for once, I agree. Here is what changed and when you will see it.

Matchmaking finally respects your party size

Embark Studios says it quietly turned on duo-first matchmaking earlier this week and has been testing it live. Going forward, the game will try to sort players by party size before anything else. That means fewer mismatched lobbies where you and a buddy get steamrolled by a full stack.

'We have silently tested and enabled Duo prioritized matchmaking, beginning earlier this week.'

In plain English, here is the order the system now prefers:

• Keep solo players away from grouped players when possible
• Keep full squads out of smaller-party lobbies
• Match duos with other duos
• Match trios with other trios

It is not a hard rule, so you may still land in the occasional mixed lobby, but the priority is there. Players noticed immediately. One Redditor said they thought they were imagining it after getting only duos all night. Another called it a 'HUGE W' and said duo runs should feel a lot better now.

Cosmetics are getting cheaper (and yes, refunds are coming)

Embark also acknowledged the pushback on skin prices and says the store is getting a haircut where it makes sense. New prices go live tomorrow, Thursday the 13th, at 10:30 CET. If you already bought something at the old rate, the difference will be refunded as Raider Tokens automatically over the coming week.

We do not have the exact new numbers yet. For context, some bundles were 2,400 Raider Tokens, which equals $20 in the game’s currency. Considering Arc Raiders is not free-to-play, that sticker shock did not go over well. Any downward move is going to help.

Battle passes are evolving next

Right now the game has a single free Raider Deck (think: Arc Raiders’ version of a battle pass). Embark says the plan is to introduce both free and premium Raider Decks. The important part: the paid track is not for power.

'Gameplay Items are only in free Raider Decks' and 'there are no Pay to Win items in the premium Raider Decks' — the paid option will focus on cosmetics and convenience.

The vibe check

So far, the community reaction is positive. We will see tomorrow how aggressive the price cuts are, but between better duo matchmaking and refunds on old purchases, this is a smart course correction.

Also worth noting: Arc Raiders just hit 700,000 peak concurrent players across all platforms. Translation: it is not just PC diehards carrying this extraction shooter — console players are piling in too.