Embark Studios has confirmed that Shrouded Sky, the fourth major update for ARC Raiders, launches on February 24, 2026, across all platforms. The update brings six pieces of new content to the PvPvE extraction shooter as part of the game's Escalation roadmap, including a new map condition, a new ARC threat, a player project, a Raider Deck, a map update, and the second Expedition window.
After January's smaller Headwinds release, the community has been waiting for something more substantial. Shrouded Sky looks to deliver on that front, and with Bungie's Marathon launching in March, the timing makes this a critical update for ARC Raiders' standing in the extraction shooter space.
Release Date and Expected Times
Shrouded Sky drops on February 24, 2026, as confirmed through an official post on the ARC Raiders X (formerly Twitter) account. The announcement came alongside a short teaser trailer hinting at the update's theme.
Embark hasn't locked down an official release time for Shrouded Sky specifically, but the game's major updates have consistently launched at the same times. If that pattern holds, expect the following:
- Pacific Time (PT): 1:30 AM
- Central Time (CT): 3:30 AM
- Eastern Time (EST): 4:30 AM
- Brazil (BRT): 6:30 AM
- Greenwich Mean Time (GMT): 9:30 AM
- Central European Time (CEST): 10:30 AM
- UAE (UTC): 1:30 PM
- India (IST): 3:30 PM
- China / Hong Kong (CST): 5:30 PM
- Japan (JST): 6:30 PM
- Australian Eastern Time (AEDT): 8:30 PM
The patch will go live alongside the weekly hotfix and trials. Embark has also confirmed there won't be a major game update in the week before Shrouded Sky, so February 24 is the date to mark.
Shrouded Sky is a free content update with no additional purchase required beyond the base game. New paid cosmetic packs may still show up alongside it, as has been the pattern with previous releases.
Shrouded Sky in the 2026 Roadmap
This is the second major 2026 update and the fourth overall since ARC Raiders launched. The Escalation roadmap, revealed at the start of the year, maps out monthly content drops through April 2026. Embark hasn't shared plans beyond that window, though the studio has said it's committed to long-term support.
The previous major updates provide some useful context for what Shrouded Sky is following:
North Line was the first big post-launch patch. It added the Stella Montis map and the Matriarch boss ARC, which quickly became one of the game's most challenging encounters. Cold Snap followed in December 2025 with additional content and adjustments. Headwinds arrived in January 2026 as a lighter release, more of a bridge between Cold Snap and whatever came next.
Shrouded Sky looks closer in scale to North Line and Cold Snap than to Headwinds. Six pieces of new content touching different parts of the game is a full slate, not an incremental patch.
All Confirmed Content
The Escalation roadmap lays out six additions coming with Shrouded Sky. Embark hasn't published full details on most of them, but between the roadmap, the teaser, and information pulled from the game's files, there's a decent picture forming.
New Map Condition
The new map condition is the most talked-about piece of the update. A teaser trailer on social media shows a Scrappy-adorned weather vane spinning wildly against a cloudy, turbulent sky. The roadmap icon for this slot also shows a gust of wind, which reinforces the weather angle.
Game files point to the condition being called Toxic Swamp. How it actually plays out in-game hasn't been detailed by Embark, but the same files indicate it'll be part of the trials rotation. That's a meaningful detail, since trials are a core competitive activity for dedicated players.
The existing Electromagnetic Storm condition serves as a rough comparison point. It introduced environmental hazards that forced players to adjust their routes and positioning, and Toxic Swamp will likely demand similar adaptation in the Rust Belt.
There's also the question of whether Embark will tie a blueprint to this condition. That's been the pattern before: Vulcano was connected to Hidden Bunker, and Bobcat was linked to Locked Gate. Blueprints have grown into an important secondary market currency in ARC Raiders, so attaching one to a new map condition tends to drive player traffic toward it.
On the speculation front, some community members think Buried City's sand dunes could shift under strong winds, exposing hidden buildings and loot. Others expect more direct gameplay effects, like wind pushing characters around. None of this is confirmed.
New ARC Threat
A new enemy type is arriving with the update, and the available hints point to something airborne. The roadmap icon resembles a winged insect, which fits the game's existing naming conventions for flying ARC units. The teaser's focus on wind and sky reinforces the aerial angle.
Right now, the Rocketeer is the only large aerial ARC in the game. A second major airborne threat would add a real vertical dimension to topside encounters and force players to rethink their loadout choices.
Embark hasn't revealed anything about the new ARC's abilities, behavior, health, or loot drops. Some players are guessing it could be a swarm-type enemy that overwhelms through numbers rather than raw power, but that's pure speculation at this point.
Every previous ARC addition has shifted the combat meta in some way, so the community is paying close attention to this one.
Player Project
Shrouded Sky introduces a new player project. The last one added to the game was the Trophy Display project, but Embark hasn't shared any details about what this one involves or what rewards it might offer.
More importantly for long-term players, the update also opens the second Expedition window. Expeditions allow players to trigger a character reset, and these windows only open periodically as part of the update cycle. Players who've been building toward an Expedition will want to have their requirements sorted before February 24.
Raider Deck
A new Raider Deck comes with the update. These function as free battle passes with rewards earned through gameplay, giving players a progression track to work through between major updates. This will be the third Raider Deck since launch.
Specific rewards and cosmetics haven't been announced. Players looking to shop when the update drops may want to stock up on Cred beforehand.
Map Update
The roadmap lists a map update as part of Shrouded Sky, but doesn't get into specifics. One important distinction: the roadmap separates "new maps" from "map updates," which suggests this will involve changes or additions to existing locations rather than an entirely fresh area.
Some players have interpreted the map update as a sign that a new map could be on the way. That hasn't been confirmed. The last time a genuinely new map was added was with North Line's Stella Montis, and the language on the roadmap doesn't indicate a repeat of that scale here.
Expedition Window
As mentioned above, the second Expedition window opens alongside Shrouded Sky. This is a key moment in ARC Raiders' long-term progression loop, giving players the chance to trigger Expeditions and reset their characters. Anyone planning to take advantage of this window should prepare ahead of the February 24 launch.
The Teaser
The only official Shrouded Sky media so far is a brief teaser on the ARC Raiders X account. It's deliberately cryptic, showing nothing but a Scrappy-adorned weather vane spinning fast in heavy winds against an ominous, cloudy sky.
It's just the weather vane and atmosphere, nothing else. Still, the visual language lines up with the wind-themed imagery on the roadmap. Combined with the Toxic Swamp name pulled from game files, it's a safe bet that Shrouded Sky will involve some form of environmental disruption in the Rust Belt.
Why This Update Matters
Shrouded Sky hits at an important moment for ARC Raiders. The Bird City update left the game dealing with a string of bugs and exploits that drew real frustration from the community. Embark has pushed hotfixes to address the fallout, but Shrouded Sky is the first full-sized update since then. A clean launch with strong content could go a long way toward rebuilding confidence.
The genre landscape is also shifting. Bungie's Marathon is set to arrive in March 2026, giving extraction shooter fans a major new option. A strong showing from Shrouded Sky would help ARC Raiders hold ground going into that stretch, but a messy launch could easily push players toward checking out the competition instead.
One thing working in the game's favor is the consistency of its content cadence. Embark has stuck to its published roadmap with regular monthly drops rather than going dark for extended periods. That kind of reliability keeps players engaged and gives the community a reason to stay invested, even when individual updates don't always land perfectly. The Escalation roadmap running through April means there's already another update on the horizon after Shrouded Sky.
Embark Studios also brings the pedigree of The Finals, which built the studio's reputation around dynamic multiplayer design. That background has shaped a lot of what makes ARC Raiders feel different in the extraction shooter genre, and players are hoping Shrouded Sky leans into those same design instincts.
Still Waiting For Details
Embark has kept most of the specifics under wraps ahead of the launch. Full patch notes haven't been released, and outside of the roadmap and teaser, official details are thin.
The community is still looking for answers on the Toxic Swamp condition's actual mechanics, the new ARC threat's design and abilities, what the player project involves, the Raider Deck's reward track, the scope of the map update, and whether a blueprint will be attached to the new map condition.
Details sourced from game files rather than official announcements could always change before launch, so treat anything unconfirmed accordingly.
