ARC Raiders Frozen Trail | Gaming News #45
ARC Raiders Frozen Trail gets a September 23 first look before its October 8 launch, a full extraction shooter progression overhaul with a new frozen map.
Gaming News · Issue #45 · 21 September 2026
TL;DR
- ARC Raiders Frozen Trail gets a September 23 first look before its October 8 launch, a full extraction shooter progression overhaul with a new frozen map.
- Co-op looter shooter Mycopunk hits 1.0 on October 20 and lands day one on PS Plus for no extra cost.
- A typhoon forces Tokyo Game Show 2026 to cancel its final day, cutting Monday's reveals and demos.
- Steam is giving away Crystal Crisis, Space Menace, and Deadshot to keep, but the claim windows close this week.
🎯 Extraction shooters
ARC Raiders Dates Its Biggest Update Yet: Frozen Trail Gets a September 23 Reveal, Launches October 8
Embark Studios confirmed on September 18 that ARC Raiders, its co-op PvPvE extraction shooter, will show the Frozen Trail update in a September 23 livestream at 10am PT, then launch it October 8. Embark calls it the game's biggest update since launch: a new frozen map, a progression overhaul with a decoratable Outpost, revamped skill trees, and a giant new ARC machine enemy. The current live build also warns players to spend expiring in-game currency within a month.
Player impact: If you play ARC Raiders, bank your runs and spend that expiring currency before Frozen Trail reshuffles progression, and clear your October 8 calendar for the new map and skill trees.
Sources: Beebom · ARC Raiders
🔜 Coming soon
Co-op Looter Shooter Mycopunk Leaves Early Access October 20, Day One on PS Plus
Mycopunk, Devolver Digital's four-player co-op looter shooter about robots clearing fungal-infested alien planets, will leave Steam Early Access on October 20 for PC and PS5 at $14.99, revealed during the September 20 PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct. It lands day one on the PlayStation Plus Game Catalog, so Extra and Premium subscribers pay nothing extra. The 1.0 build adds new guns, grenades, modes, maps, a new playable character, and cosmetic hats.
Player impact: PS Plus Extra and Premium members can play the full launch at no added cost on October 20, so squads chasing a cheap co-op shooter can slot it in without buying. Everyone else pays $14.99.
PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct Packs 36 Games and 13 World Premieres, With Demos Live Now
The PC Gaming Show Tokyo Direct ran September 20 alongside Tokyo Game Show, showing 36 games and 13 world premieres in a 90-minute broadcast. Highlights included Firefly's city-builder Stronghold 4, Devolver Digital's look at Virtue and Tenebris Somnia, the tactical builder Let's Build a Dungeon dated October 20, and the fantasy strategy game Fool King on November 16. Several featured games put playable demos on Steam during the show.
Player impact: If you keep a PC wishlist, the demos are live on Steam right now, so try Let's Build a Dungeon and the Devolver premieres before they rotate out.
🆓 Free to try
Steam Free-to-Keep This Week: Grab Crystal Crisis, Space Menace, and Deadshot Before They Lock
Steam is running several free-to-keep giveaways you claim once and own forever. Crystal Crisis, a puzzle fighter, is free to keep until September 21 at 11:59pm PT. Space Menace and Deadshot are both free to keep until September 23 at 10am PT. A free Dying Light: The Beast weapon-pack DLC is also claimable until September 24. Each needs a single claim on your Steam account before its deadline.
Player impact: These stay in your library for good, so claim Crystal Crisis today before it expires, then grab Space Menace and Deadshot before September 23. No purchase, just one click each.
📦 Other
Tokyo Game Show 2026 Scraps Its Final Day as Typhoon Dujuan Nears
Organizer CESA canceled the fifth and final day of Tokyo Game Show 2026, scheduled for September 21, in a notice published September 19. It cited forecasts of strengthening wind and rain and the risk of transit disruptions leaving attendees stranded. The show, running at Makuhari Messe near Tokyo, was meant to be its first ever five-day event, for its 30th anniversary. Sunday, September 20, became the last floor day, cutting Monday's stage shows and programming.
Player impact: Anyone holding a Monday ticket loses the day, and studios that saved reveals or hands-on demos for the final stage slots miss their window. Watch for canceled showcases to reappear online instead.
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