Embark StudiosEmbark Studios’ Arc Raiders is one of the biggest surprises of the year. The extraction shooter has drawn hundreds of thousands of players daily since releasing in October, keeping pace with many of its legacy competitors like Call of Duty and Battlefield 6. And now, just days after taking home The Game Award for best multiplayer game, Arc Raiders is getting its biggest update yet, just in time for the holiday season.The Cold Snap update adds winter fun to Arc Raiders’ bleak but hopeful version of the future. The biggest new feature being added is a limited-time snowfall map condition, which blankets topside maps with a wintery dusting. This is more than a visual flourish for certain maps. According to Embark, the new weather condition means reduced visibility, frozen bodies of water, and deadly consequences for those who stay outdoors for extended periods. Players will have to manage surviving in the frigid temperatures by seeking shelter and finding heat sources when things become unbearable, making successful raids all the more complicated. In addition to snowy maps, Cold Snap will add new unlockable cosmetics, quests, and a holiday-themed Project for players to build. In the Arc Raiders universe, the so-called Flickering Flames festival begins this month. This will see Raiders rushing to gather a new versatile resource known as Candleberry Bushes. Candleberries are used for holiday drinks and treats, warm meals, candles, and more, boosting humanity’s morale through the coldest months of the year. Players will also use candleberries to keep them warm when traversing the surface. Cold Snap is set to add a new wrinkle to the already captivating live-service game when it begins this week.With the holiday rush of releases now behind us, I finally had a chance to jump into Arc Raiders over the weekend. And based on the seven hours I’ve played so far, it lives up to the hype. The spontaneous encounters you can have with other players in the world are a game-changer, bringing a defining feature of niche games like Escape from Tarkov to a much more approachable game. The game is also remarkably good about respecting your time, as quests never feel like too much of a grind, especially when playing with friends. Even inventory and item management feels super manageable compared to what I’m used to from this kind of game.Still, I found the game challenging in just the right way. Arc Raiders has some of the best enemy AI I’ve seen in a game since Left 4 Dead 2. The titular Arc robots always seem like they’re trying to get the upper hand in the most believable ways. I’ve had Arcs lure me out of secure positions, chase me to the ends of the earth, and sneak up on me when I least expected it. It makes these encounters rewarding to engage in, and punishing when I’m not on my toes about protecting what’s mine.The titular Arcs in Arc Raiders are some of the smartest enemies I’ve seen in a game in years. | Embark StudiosI’m very early on in my Arc Raiders career. But I already understand how Arc Raiders became the game of the moment heading into the new year. It’s an extraction shooter for a more casual gaming audience, one that doesn’t sacrifice the best parts of what the genre is known for while smoothing over some of the more impenetrable bits. It's a better game than many of its competitors, one that I can’t wait to see evolve more in the months ahead.Arc Raiders is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.