One of 2025's biggest gaming success stories was ARC Raiders, Embark Studios' long-awaited extraction shooter which has now exploded in popularity. The Flickering Flames event kept the game interesting over the holiday break, but the influx of new players has marked an unexpected milestone. To celebrate, Embark Studios is giving every existing player a free in-game item.
"Any player who has logged onto the game at least once since launch" is entitled to receive the Gilded Pickaxe skin for their Raider Tool, per a press release from Embark Studios. The Gilded Pickaxe was originally supposed to commemorate ARC Raiders reaching 10 million downloads, but while the developers were on holiday, that milestone "was quickly surpassed." ARC Raiders has now exceeded 12 million downloads worldwide.
The Gilded Pickaxe is available to all players who have launched ARC Raiders at least once before 5:59pm EST, January 13. The in-game message reflects the original celebration of crossing 10 million players. "It's been a hell of a ride so far," it reads, "and we're celebrating a huge milestone... 10 million Raiders in the Rust Belt!"
While ARC Raiders freebies are always nice, perhaps the most enticing bit comes later...
