By
Kyle Gratton
Published 2 hours ago
Kyle Gratton is an editor and writer based out of Kansas City. He received a bachelor's degree, dual majoring in English and History with a minor in Film and Media Studies, and has been a senior staff writer and reviewer for Screen Rant's Gaming section since 2021, with roles in editorial, and various freelance projects.
A terminal Midwesterner who graduated from the University of Kansas, Kyle also has knowledge and interest in literature, film, film adaptions of literature, and history.
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A flurry of updates has come to ARC Raiders in recent days. Snow maps were added, a new seasonal event started, Security Breach was nerfed, blueprint drop rates increased and then decreased again, and more, but a real eye-catching change has so far flown under the radar.
Buried in the patch notes for update 1.7.0, December's big update, is a bullet point that reads, "Added a new 'Cinematic' graphics setting to enhance visuals for high-end PCs." ARC Raiders is already one of the more visually striking games of the year, squeezing some great performance out of the near-photorealistic rendering capabilities of Unreal Engine 5. Now, for those with the hardware to back it up, there's the option to make the game look even better.
ARC Raiders Has Added New Graphics Settings
ARC Raiders character standing by a probe on Blue Gate.
According to DSOGaming, these graphics settings have been in the PC version since launch; they were just locked by the developers. This hidden tier of max settings could be enabled by editing ARC Raiders' config files. This is reportedly not uncommon with Unreal Engine 5 games – Silent Hill f and Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2 have the same workaround.
The new settings are now simply available in ARC Raiders' settings menu. DSOG says you can expect the game's performance to dip by roughly 30% if you enable these new settings. They're designed to cater to only the best PCs with cutting-edge graphics cards. ARC Raiders' Cinematic graphics settings will likely cater to only a small percentage of the player base, but it's nice to have the option.
You Can Make The Game Look Better Than Ever
ARC Raiders Spaceport map covered in snow during a Cold Snap condition.
ARC Raiders has been celebrated for its balance of good performance and crisp visuals. The environments and character models are all quite detailed, but the game is also carried by its art design. Monolithic brutalist structures with uniform faces help the maps feel larger than they are, and an abundance of vibrant colors helps ARC Raiders really pop.
Embark Studios has done a great job cultivating ARC Raiders' atmosphere, and continues to iterate on it with new twists, like the recently added Cold Snap map condition, which covers the map in snow. Cinematic graphics settings will help a handful of players get even more out of the game visually, adding to ARC Raiders' already incredible vibes.
10/10
9/10
ARC Raiders
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed Extraction Shooter Third-Person Shooter Survival Systems
OpenCritic Reviews
Top Critic Avg:
87/100
Critics Rec:
91%
Released
October 30, 2025
ESRB
Teen / Violence, Blood
Developer(s)
Embark Studios
Publisher(s)
Embark Studios
Engine
Unreal Engine 5
7 Images
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Genre(s)
Extraction, Shooter, Third-Person Shooter, Survival
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