Embark Studios is scheduled to release the Riven Tides update for the extraction shooter Arc Raiders on Tuesday, April 28. According to Polygon, this update marks the conclusion of the studio's initial four-month roadmap for 2026.
Described as the largest update ever for the title, Riven Tides introduces the first new map since the Stella Montis release, which arrived just weeks after the game's launch. Polygon reports that official teasers and a thematic blog post indicate the new environment will feature a beach, a shipping yard, and a hotel.
Early concept art for the update shows a highway running through buildings and a colossal wall designed to barricade a city from the water's edge. The update is also expected to introduce a new 'large' Arc enemy.
Polygon notes that this new foe is expected to be comparable in difficulty to the Queen or Matriarch, the two toughest bosses currently available in the game. There are two primary theories regarding the identity of this enemy.
One theory suggests the introduction of the 'Bishop,' a six-legged foe seen in pre-release trailers that possesses a central column capable of firing. An alternative theory posits the arrival of flying enemies capable of descending through clouds, a concept linked to a mysterious flying ship seen during the February Shrouded Sky update.
While Embark Studios has not disclosed an exact release time, Polygon suggests an educated guess of 5 a.m. EDT based on previous update patterns. Some prior launches have arrived up to 30 minutes earlier, though recent updates have landed almost exactly on the hour.
Estimated release times across various time zones include 2 a.m. PDT, 6 a.m. BRT, 10 a.m. BST, 11 a.m. CEST, 6 p.m. JST, and 7 p.m. AEST. Players seeking real-time confirmation are encouraged to join the official Arc Raiders Discord server.
