Arc Raiders Hits 12 Million Sales Milestone, Celebrates with Free Gold Hammer for Players: “The success caught us all off guard.”

Confirming a recent analyst estimate, the developers at Embark Studios announced that Arc Raiders has achieved impressive sales of 12 million copies across all platforms since its launch on October 30, 2025.

To celebrate this achievement, all players will receive a golden raider tool. This reward was initially planned to mark the milestone of 10 million players, but the holiday surge propelled the game beyond that.

To claim the golden hammer, simply log into Arc Raiders at least once before midnight CET / 6 PM ET / 3 PM PT on January 13, 2026. In other words, make sure to play the game on or before Tuesday this week. If you’ve already jumped in, you’re all set to receive your reward. The hammer will be delivered via in-game mail on January 13.

“The community of raiders has been instrumental in shaping this game from the start, and their passion, feedback, and creativity continue to influence how we develop and expand this world for the long haul,” said executive producer Aleksander Grøndal.

In a recent conversation, Arc Raiders design lead Virgil Watkins reflected on this milestone. When asked whether he feels more relief from the game’s success or pressure from a growing audience, Watkins noted it’s “probably a bit of both.”

“It’s definitely encouraging to see players still finding the game engaging and inviting their friends,” he shared. “But we also feel the demand, which motivates us to keep building and enhancing the experience for them.”

With the success of Arc Raiders, Watkins mentioned that Embark is “doing what we can to strengthen the team and reorganize to support various areas. Now that we have some time since launch, we can evaluate what’s working, what players enjoy, and where they want to see improvements. This gives us a clearer picture of where to focus our efforts and what new initiatives to invest in.”

Watkins admitted he wasn’t on the front lines during the chaotic launch day, but the excitement was palpable throughout the team. Even with promising wishlist and beta test numbers, the game’s explosive success caught them off guard.

“The way it took off surprised all of us. The sustained player engagement, especially on Steam, has been remarkable,” he said, noting the ongoing high concurrent player counts. “We often find ourselves in the hallways or meetings asking, ‘What is happening? This is incredible.’ We always believed in what we created and found it enjoyable, but this level of validation is truly humbling.”

“We can track who shoots first”: Watkins clarified that aggression-based matchmaking is “a bit of a misnomer,” emphasizing that “we don’t implement skill-based matchmaking or gear-based matchmaking.”