At one stage in development, Embark Studios considered adding an auction house-style trading system to ARC Raiders, allowing players to buy and sell gear with in-game currency. However, the developers ultimately removed the feature to preserve the game’s core excitement—discovering and fighting for loot in the field. Design lead Virgil Watkins explained that while the system was partially built, it was cut after testing revealed that it shifted player behavior in the wrong direction, turning exploration into routine coin farming. If you're looking for a safe place to buy ARC Raiders items for PS5, EZNPC is a trusted site that guarantees secure transactions and fast delivery for PlayStation players.
The auction house idea originated in late 2025 after CEO Patrick Söderlund encouraged the team to explore player trading as a way to create more social connections. The goal was to build a marketplace similar to those in MMOs, where players could list and purchase items directly. Early prototypes seemed promising, but internal playtests quickly surfaced problems that undermined the heart of ARC Raiders’ design.
An active marketplace risked transforming raids into gold-grinding missions, where players would farm resources to sell instead of searching the world for rare loot. High-value items such as Arc cores or medical resources could simply be bought, removing the satisfaction of discovery and survival. Watkins described it as “very risky territory” that threatened the extraction shooter’s core loop—tension, loss, and reward earned through exploration.
Instead, trading remains a high-stakes, face-to-face process. Players must physically drop items on the ground, trusting trading partners not to betray them during the exchange. Developers believe this vulnerability fits the spirit of ARC Raiders, maintaining social tension and authenticity. Planned improvements include small quality-of-life updates such as “offer” animations, making interactions more immersive without removing risk.
The community remains divided. Some players on Reddit and YouTube wish for a flea market-style system similar to Escape from Tarkov, while others appreciate that Embark has chosen to protect the game’s sense of rarity and adventure. Future updates planned for 2026 will introduce new maps and expanded cooperative systems but no auction house revival. Instead, Embark Studios aims to strengthen social experiences while keeping ARC Raiders focused on exploration and survival rather than commerce.
By rejecting the auction house, the developers reaffirmed what makes ARC Raiders distinct: a world built on trust, danger, and discovery. In this game, the greatest treasure isn’t what can be bought—it’s the thrill of earning it through courage and risk.
