Embark Studios, the developer behind the popular extraction shooter ARC Raiders, is rolling out a new time-limited event called Shared Watch, designed to bring players together and shift the focus of gameplay toward shared combat against the game’s machine enemies. Announced shortly before its launch via social channels and community posts, Shared Watch is scheduled to begin on February 10, 2026, and will run through February 24, 2026  giving players two full weeks to participate and earn rewards. 

You watch my back, I’ll watch yours – that’s how Speranza keeps ticking
Join your fellow Raiders in celebrating the Shared Watch; team up with strangers, turn your barrels on the machines, and earn rewards in the process.

The Shared Watch Event begins tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/ssYtkLxZ4r

— ARC Raiders (@ARCRaidersGame) February 9, 2026

According to the official ARC Raiders X account the central idea behind Shared Watch is simple: rather than prioritizing conflict between human players, the event encourages raiders to cooperate and “watch each other’s backs” while targeting the fearsome artificial intelligence known as the ARCs that roam the world of ARC Raiders. The event’s tagline emphasizes this philosophy: “You watch my back, I’ll watch yours, that’s how Speranza keeps ticking.” Throughout the event period, players are urged to team up with others and work together to deal damage and destroy ARC machines in order to earn progression. 

Participation in Shared Watch revolves around earning Merits, a special event currency that players accumulate by dealing damage to ARC machines and defeating them. These Merits then unlock a progression track of rewards, which includes cosmetic items, Raider Tokens (the in-game currency used for purchasing cosmetics), and a new themed cosmetic set known as The Slugger, which appears to draw inspiration from baseball aesthetics. 

While ARC Raiders isn’t switching into a fully PvE-only mode for this event, the mechanics strongly nudge players toward cooperative play. Comments from community discussions and leaks of the event system make it clear that PvP engagement is still possible and players can still encounter other raiders  but the emphasis on rewards tied to damage against ARCs rather than other players is intended to reward teamwork and shared combat goals. 

Shared Watch also arrives at a time when ARC Raiders continues to evolve its live events and seasonal content. Developer updates have brought back older map conditions like Cold Snap as part of the event rotation, adding extra environmental challenges to expeditions. The event’s two-week run slot places it just before the next major in-game expedition cycle begins, potentially offering a cooperative warmup before the next chapter in the game’s live service roadmap. 

ARC Raiders blends PvE and PvP mechanics, players can both fight AI enemies and engage each other for resources and survival. Shared Watch represents a deliberate effort by Embark Studios to reward players for prioritizing cooperation and common objectives. By tying exclusive cosmetics and rewards to a progression system centered on damage against ARC machines, the studio could be trying to encourage more teamwork.  

As the event goes live on February 10, 2026, raiders around the world will be watching to see whether the Shared Watch event can bring about a more collaborative atmosphere in ARC Raiders, or whether familiar competitive instincts will persist even while players chase Merits and unlock new rewards together.