ARC Raiders vs Marathon
Co-op against a mechanical horde or PvPvE for glory — both extraction shooters, but one trusts you to fight alongside, the other to fight against.
Embark's prettiest and friendliest extraction shooter — ARC Raiders trades Tarkov's hardcore detail for cleaner combat and a real sci-fi world to fight over.
Marathon's punishing extraction loop and responsive devs make it a worthy Tarkov rival if you can handle the grind.
Steam popularity
Shared scale — sparklines are directly comparable across both games.
ARC Raiders
Jun 2026 peak CCU 68,130 ↓ 43% MoM
All-time peak 465,097
Marathon
Jun 2026 peak CCU 40,370 ↑ 137% MoM
All-time peak 77,358
Key differences
PvP focus
ARC Raiders is purely cooperative, with no player enemies — only ARC drones and the environment.
Marathon is a full PvPvE extraction loop where other runners are your main threat.
Monetization
ARC Raiders is free-to-play with an uncertain DLC and season pass model.
Marathon has a $40 buy-in, making it a premium title with no clear ongoing cost.
Squad necessity
ARC Raiders strongly recommends a trio; solo play is tougher than genre average.
Marathon allows solo or squad play, but the PvP intensity favors a team.
Which one is for you?
Pick ARC Raiders if
- You prefer cooperative PvE over fighting other players
- You want a free-to-play extraction shooter without paying upfront
- You enjoy the gunfeel from The Finals and Embark's signature combat
Pick Marathon if
- You thrive on the tension of player-versus-player combat in extraction
- You are okay with a $40 entry price and a grind-heavy loop
- You appreciate frequent patches from a responsive dev like Bungie
Bottom line
If you want a co-op extraction shooter with no PvP, pick ARC Raiders; if you crave the tension of battling other players, Marathon is the better choice.