ARC Raiders Cold Snap Update Release Date, Snowfall Map Condition, New Raider Deck And More Details
Posted: Dec 16, 2025 Views: 225
On December 16th, ARC Raiders Cold Snap update will bring heavy snow and extreme cold to all maps, presenting raiders with harsh environmental challenges.
Players will need to relearn how to move, survive, and safely evacuate in this challenging environment. Only those who adapt will emerge victorious.

Date
ARC Raiders Cold Snap will launch globally and last for four weeks, ending on Tuesday, January 13th, 2026. Here are the updated times for key global time zones:
- North American West Coast: 1:30 AM PST
- 4:30 AM EST, North American East Coast
- 6:30 AM Brazil BRT
- 9:30 AM UK Time (Greenwich Mean Time)
- 10:30 AM Western European Time
- 6:30 PM Japan Time
- 8:30 PM Australia East Coast Time
Snowfall Mechanism
Outdoors
Snowfall, as a map event, will cover all areas of the map, including Rust Belt, Valley of Blue Gate, Abandoned Spaceport, and Red Lakes. Unlike standard raids, Cold Snap applies continuous environmental stress to raiders. Snowfall is not just a visual effect; it affects your combat, movement, and survival.
Prolonged exposure to the outdoors will cause raiders to suffer frostbite, resulting in continuous health loss. They must enter indoors or receive rapid healing to survive. Frostbite ignores armor, meaning even high-level gear is ineffective, but some instant-recovery items may be effective.
Because the map is covered in snow, gathering materials becomes much more difficult, so to combat frostbite, you should carry significantly more healing items than usual. Consider discarding some ammunition to make room for extra medical supplies.
Furthermore, the radar will malfunction after a few minutes, and the icy ground will make movement unsteady, both increasing the difficulty of combat and exploration. You can move short distances between buildings, but try to avoid lingering in open areas, as you'll leave footprints in the snow, making you vulnerable to being tracked by other players! Being suppressed by players outdoors will put you at a significant disadvantage.
Additionally, the different map layouts in Snowfall will have varying impacts on each map.
- Dam Battlegrounds: More open areas, limited shelters, requiring route planning and sufficient ARC Raiders items.
- Buried City: More indoor space, more frequent PvP battles.
- Spaceport and Blue Gate: A more balanced distribution of open areas and shelters, giving an advantage to players who can effectively manage movement between buildings.
- Stella Montis: Already a popular PvP map, Snowfall may further intensify PvP.
Shelter
Entering indoor areas will immediately stop frostbite. You can use items to restore health here. Buildings, underground spaces, and enclosed structures can all serve as safe zones during Snowfall event.
Of course, these safe zones will attract more other players than usual, and some squads may cluster together. You can cooperate for warmth or engage in combat to become the last survivor in the shelter.
If your map frequently sees PvP, the longer you stay in the shelter, the more dangerous it becomes. You should make full use of this time to rest and then venture out again.
Flickering Flames Event
Launching alongside Cold Snap is Flickering Flames event, a progress-based event. Players accumulate progress by gaining XP, with 1,000 XP equaling 10 Merits. However, new players must complete a total of five rounds of Arc Raiders to unlock the event, although this does not require successful extraction.
Flickering Flames has 25 tiers, rewarding players with gear, cosmetic items, and Raiders tokens. You're on a raid. You can progress using any source of XP, or you can avoid Snowfall map and accumulate progress on regular maps. You can gain XP by:
- Defeating large ARC enemies.
- Completing trials.
- Successfully extracting with valuable loot.
Candleberry Banquet Project
This update introduces a new project, Candleberry Banquet Project. Players need to collect Candleberries that spawn outdoors. The more Candleberries you successfully collect, the higher your Candleberry Banquet completion rate will be.
Candleberries can be used to craft candles, juice, tea, stews, perfume, and more, and these items may have mechanics that resist cold wave damage.
Furthermore, you'll earn Merits as you progress through Candleberry Banquet Project. This program is somewhat similar to a battle pass; as you progress, you'll earn rewards such as cosmetic items and Raider Tokens.
New Raider Deck
The release of the new Raider Deck has been slightly delayed, and it will be unlocked on December 26th and will be available to players for free.
The new Raider Deck features a Goalie-themed outfit inspired by old world clothing. It also includes a new raider tool skin, the hockey stick. This Raider Deck is permanent and won't disappear, so you can unlock it at any time. However, it's unconfirmed whether accumulated Raider Deck Points will carry over to the new deck.
Before the new Raider Deck update, this update also includes new portable, playable interactive items, an Acoustic Guitar, a gold-mask-style Mist Horn Set, futuristic Solar Panel Gadgets, and possibly even warming items to protect against the cold.
Snowfall transforms Arc Raiders into a true survival experience, where environmental awareness is just as important as combat skills. Use your tactics and items to adapt to winter warfare. The frozen wastelands of Speranza await your challenge, so Raiders, stay warm and survive!
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