Riven Tides Is Live — The Rust Belt Has a New Coastline
Embark Studios has released the Riven Tides update for ARC Raiders, the extraction shooter set on a mechanized-threat-ravaged version of Earth. The patch, which went live April 28, 2026, adds a full coastal map, a brand-new floating ARC machine, a buried-loot mechanic, two new fall-mitigation tools, a timed event, a five-stage Raider project, and a wave of new cosmetics — all in one drop.
Players on PlayStation 5 Pro also pick up a technical upgrade with this patch: PSSR 2 support arrives alongside the content, putting ARC Raiders in the company of titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Monster Hunter Wilds, and Assassin’s Creed Shadows on Sony’s enhanced hardware.
Three Zones. One Abandoned Shoreline.
Riven Tides sits on the western coast of the Rust Belt. According to the official update notes, the location was abandoned twice — first during the Exodus, and again by First Wave survivors who couldn’t hold the exposed settlement against ARC. Click any zone below for what to expect.
Five Things Riven Tides Changes
Tap each entry to read the details.
The ARC Turbine is a new floating machine that drifts across the Rust Belt. Embark describes it as “calm, docile, quiet” until approached. Get close, and its defensive abilities activate — presenting a challenge that Embark says demands skill, patience, and nerves in equal measure.
What the Turbine is actually doing out there is deliberately left unexplained — figuring that out is part of the encounter.
Beachcombing is a new minor map condition introduced with Riven Tides. Players look for the Dockmaster’s Detector during a session — it occupies a weapon slot — and sweep it across the sand to uncover buried loot hidden beneath the surface.
The richest loot is out in the open, which means exposure to both other Raiders and the Turbine. The Dockmaster’s Detector itself is also the completion reward for the Avian Alarm Raider project.
Two new fall-mitigation items are now in the game: the Crash Mat and the Powered Descender. They’re designed for situations where Raiders need to get from elevated points to ground level safely — Riven Tides’ port structures and the vertical geometry of the map make both relevant.
Embark describes using them as requiring focus to pull off correctly — these aren’t passive safety nets.
The Last Resort event runs until May 25. XP earned during play on any map converts into Merits. For extra Merits, players can hunt down miniature Ship Models scattered throughout the world — each carries a Merit value based on rarity.
Three pages of rewards are available, including the Junior Outfit, Hydrologist backpack, Hose attachment, Brass Faucet charm, new emotes, and 250 Raider Tokens in total.
The Avian Alarm project tasks players with building a makeshift security system to sense tremors and atmospheric changes. Players deploy cages at buoys along the Riven Tides coastline to catch birds across five stages.
Completing all five stages earns the Dockmaster’s Detector, Gel Patches, the Bird House backpack attachment, the Fist In Air emote, and 250 Raider Tokens.
Trials Season 4: Starts April 29, Runs Without Restrictions
Per the official Trials Season 4 post, Embark is making four changes to how the competitive mode works. The goal is equal access for all playstyles. For context on recent platform-level changes affecting players, see The Game Tribune’s coverage of Sony’s PS4/PS5 DRM licence update and the leaked Steam Controller details.
| Region | Local Time | Date |
|---|---|---|
| North America (PT) | 12:00 AM | April 29 |
| North America (ET) | 3:00 AM | April 29 |
| Canada (ET) | 3:00 AM | April 29 |
| United Kingdom (BST) | 8:00 AM | April 29 |
| Europe (CEST) | 9:00 AM | April 29 |
| Japan (JST) | 4:00 PM | April 29 |
| Brazil (BRT) | 4:00 AM | April 29 |
| Australia (AEST) | 5:00 PM | April 29 |
| New Zealand (NZST) | 7:00 PM | April 29 |
Five Sets, One Month of Drops
Two sets are available from launch day. Three more roll out across May.
PSSR 2 Support Added to ARC Raiders
The Riven Tides patch (update 1.26) brings PSSR 2 support to ARC Raiders on PlayStation 5 Pro. Embark Studios Engine Lead Robert Kihl described the upgrade via the PlayStation Blog: “The upgraded PSSR brings a range of meaningful improvements that PS5 Pro players will notice immediately, particularly in the demanding, detail-rich environments that Arc Raiders is known for.” Technical Art Director Mikael Linderholm added: “With the improved PSSR we can deliver increased image quality and stability, significantly reducing visual noise in-game without any performance reductions.”
The improvements cover reduced flickering and shimmering on complex textures, more accurate rendering of moving geometry, and reduced ghosting on particle effects — all without a performance cost. The PSSR setting can be toggled on or off via Screen and Video → Video Output in the PS5 system settings. The Riven Tides content is available to all players regardless of platform.
ARC Raiders joins a growing list of PS5 Pro titles with PSSR 2.0 support — including Crimson Desert, Assassin’s Creed Shadows, Monster Hunter Wilds, Cyberpunk 2077, Control, Alan Wake 2, Silent Hill 2, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Nioh 3, Rise of the Ronin, Dragon’s Dogma 2, The Finals, and Silent Hill f. Also see The Game Tribune’s coverage of Microsoft’s Xbox rebrand and Game Pass changes.
The Rust Belt, Covered
The Riven Tides update was covered above — the new coastal map, the ARC Turbine, the Beachcombing mechanic, the Crash Mat and Powered Descender items, the Last Resort event, the five-stage Avian Alarm project, five cosmetic sets, and PSSR 2 support on PS5 Pro. Trials Season 4 was also covered, including the four system changes and the Blindspot Outfit as the season reward.
Full update details are available at arcraiders.com. The Game Tribune has also published coverage of Sony’s PS4/PS5 digital licence changes and the leaked Steam Controller pricing and launch details.