The Arc Raiders Riven Tides update is being dubbed as the biggest update ever for the extraction shooter, and marks the end of their initial four-month roadmap for 2026. This update has two major highlights: a brand-new map, the first since Stella Montis just a couple of weeks after launch, and a new “large” Arc enemy. We’re expecting this foe to be akin to a Queen or Matriarch, the two toughest bosses in Arc Raiders right now, so it should have players returning in droves.
Here’s where the Arc Raiders Riven Tides update will be released in your time zone, and a few more details on what to expect.
Arc Raiders Riven Tides update release time in your time zone
The Arc Raiders Riven Tides update will be released on Tuesday, April 28, and while Embark Studios has not disclosed the exact release time yet, we can make a very educated guess based on all of the game’s previous updates. They typically launch at, or around, 5 a.m. EDT. Some updates prior to now have come in a little before this time, up to around 30 minutes but the last couple have been almost exactly on the hour.
Here’s how that looks in your time zone:
- 2 a.m. PDT for the west coast of North America
- 5 a.m. EDT for the east coast of North America
- 6 a.m. BRT for Brazil
- 10 a.m. BST for the United Kingdom
- 11 a.m. CEST for western Europe
- 6 p.m. JST for Japan
- 7 p.m. AEST for the east coast of Australia
To find out the exact moment the update goes live, we’d recommend joining the official Arc Raiders Discord server to find like-minded players all waiting for the update.
What to expect from the Arc Raiders Riven Tides update
As explained above, we know we’re getting a new map, and thanks to some official teasers and a thematic blog post, we know the map will feature a beach, a shipping yard, and a hotel. Early concept art also shows a colossal wall surrounding the outside of a city, barricading it from the water’s edge, and a highway running amongst the buildings.
As for the new large Arc enemy, there are two popular theories. One is that we’re finally being introduced to the Bishop, a six-legged foe that was originally seen in pre-release trailers. It has a central column with the ability to fire a laser down at any raider who gets its attention.
However, the Shrouded Sky update in February added a mysterious flying ship that didn’t interact with players, but instead could be seen through the clouds during bad weather. Since pre-release material in the run-up to Riven Tides featured images of a radar with a blip on it, the ruling theory is that those flying enemies are going to come beneath the clouds and cause some chaos.
Additionally, we know there’s a new map condition coming, the expedition window is opening, and we’ll no doubt get plenty of new quests again, like always. Keep your eyes peeled for guides to every quest as we progress through them on launch day.
