Highlights
- The first closed beta for ARC Raiders' China version has gone live and revealed two new map conditions not available in the global build.
- The Rebellion Incident mode functions as a near-PvE experience where players default to friendly fire being disabled.
- Players can still engage in PvP combat, but they will be marked as traitors for the whole lobby.
ARC Raiders is shifting away from its monthly content updates. Instead, the game will receive major updates every six months with a ton of content. The game’s beta branch in China, co-developed by Embark Studios and Tencent, leaked details about a new player-versus-environment (PvE) game mode.
The new mode is called Rebellion Incident, and it may arrive in the next major update in October 2026. Friendly fire is disabled by default, and players have to work together to secure objectives. The ARC Raiders community has been asking for a PvE mode since release, and the developers might finally fulfil the players’ requests.
What the China Beta Revealed
The Chinese version of ARC Raiders is being developed by Tencent and operates as an entirely separate client from the global version, with its own servers exclusively for players in China. That separation is standard practice for major shooters entering the Chinese market, and mirrors the approach Embark took with The Finals, which received its own Chinese open beta in late 2025.
Players have uncovered tons of new content in the beta. Two new map conditions are in the works. The first, called Double Double Queen, depending on translation, appears to introduce both a Queen and a Matriarch boss enemy on the same map simultaneously. The second, and the one generating significantly more discussion, is called the Rebellion Incident.
Rebellion Incident functions as something close to a dedicated PvE mode, which ARC Raiders has never officially offered in its global build. In this condition, players spawn as what the game designates as friendly troops, meaning they cannot damage each other by default. However, players can choose to initiate a rebellion, at which point the game broadcasts a server-wide announcement that rebels are present, and the traitors are marked with a red icon on the compass and in-game map for all other players to track.
It is meant to be a low-difficulty mode, but it gives players access to resources for progressing the game. It removes the player-versus-player (PvP) elements of the game, giving gamers a more laid-back experience compared to the standard ARC Raiders game modes.
ARC Raiders Rebellion Incident Release Date
The China beta is a separate development track handled primarily by Tencent, and what gets tested there does not automatically transfer to global servers. However, both the global and Chinese versions of the game currently share the same content, and the Rebellion Incident mode may make it into the next content update for all regions.
The global build is set to receive the Frozen Trail update in October 2026, which may introduce PvE mode. Embark has not commented on the beta findings. But given how the global community has repeatedly requested a PvE mode, it seems unlikely the studio is not paying attention.
