Few multiplayer games have exploded in popularity as quickly as ARC Raiders. Developed by Embark Studios, the game became a breakout success soon after launch, earning the Best Multiplayer and selling more than 14 million copies. At one point, nearly a million players were online at the same time, making it one of the most active multiplayer experiences in recent years.

Behind that success is not only compelling gameplay but also a powerful technical foundation built on Unreal Engine 5. The development team leveraged advanced tools from the engine while also customizing it to fit their ambitious vision for the game’s world.

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Building the World of Speranza and the Rust Belt

One of the most recognizable aspects of ARC Raiders is its two-part world structure. Players spend time in Speranza, a central hub where they prepare gear and interact with other raiders, before heading out into the dangerous Rust Belt to scavenge for resources.

Creating these environments required an engine capable of handling large-scale open areas while still maintaining high performance during intense gameplay sessions.

To achieve this, Embark Studios relied on Unreal Engine 5 features like Runtime Virtual Texturing and World Partition. These tools allow developers to stream massive environments efficiently, ensuring players can move seamlessly through expansive maps without long loading times or major performance drops.

The result is a game world that feels large and detailed while remaining stable during heavy multiplayer activity.

Creating Dynamic Enemy Machines

Another standout element of ARC Raiders is its robotic enemy design. The game’s ARCs are more than simple AI targets—they move in dynamic ways and interact with the environment realistically.

To achieve this, Embark Studios combined several technologies available in Unreal Engine. The team used the physics system alongside procedural animation techniques and reinforced locomotion learning.

Procedural animation allows enemies to react naturally to terrain, obstacles, and combat situations rather than relying entirely on scripted movement patterns. Meanwhile, the physics system adds weight and realism to their behavior, making encounters feel unpredictable.

These systems help create the unique mechanical enemies that players face during raids.

The Epic Ecosystem Behind the Scenes

Beyond the engine itself, ARC Raiders also takes advantage of tools from the broader Epic Games ecosystem.

For example, the game uses Epic Online Services to manage backend systems. These services handle multiplayer connectivity, player accounts, and ongoing updates that keep the game running smoothly.

Epic Online Services also supports features such as voice communication, allowing players to interact more easily during cooperative gameplay sessions.

These backend tools are essential for maintaining a live multiplayer game with millions of players.

Why Embark Modified Unreal Engine

Interestingly, Embark Studios did not rely on every default feature of Unreal Engine 5. Instead, the team worked with NVIDIA to develop a modified version of the engine tailored to their specific needs.

Because of this custom approach, some well-known UE5 technologies such as Lumen and Nanite were not used in the final game.

Instead, the developers focused on their own optimized rendering and lighting solutions, prioritizing performance and scalability across different hardware setups.

A Unique Development Toolkit

Embark Studios also built proprietary tools to streamline development. One example is the Building Creator system, which helped the team rapidly design and modify structures within the game world.

This system allowed developers to iterate quickly while maintaining visual quality across the large environments found in ARC Raiders.

The same toolset has also been used in another Embark title, demonstrating how the studio builds reusable technology to support multiple projects.

Conclusion

ARC Raiders is more than just a successful multiplayer game—it’s also a fascinating example of modern game development. By combining Unreal Engine 5 with custom tools and advanced animation systems, Embark Studios created a world that feels both expansive and immersive.

With millions of players exploring the Rust Belt and the game continuing to evolve, the technology behind ARC Raiders shows how powerful engines like Unreal Engine can help bring ambitious gaming experiences to life.