A well-documented enthusiast of Arc Raiders, retired Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro and current streamer Shroud says that if Embark's extraction shooter was out for just a few more months, it would've taken home the Game of the Year prize over Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
He, full name Michael 'Shroud' Grzesiek, says as much on a recent stream. "I really do believe if this game came out at this state in the summer, it for sure wins. 10,000%," he states. "But there's just not enough time - three weeks, four weeks is not enough time to process how good a game actually is."
True enough, Arc Raiders did get in just under the wire for The Game Awards qualification. Coming out on October 30, 2025, the multiplayer loot-'em-up slid in before the November cut-off for nominations to be submitted. The awards operate on a jury-based system, involving dozens of media outlets around the world and across the industry, and that inherently favors games that have been out longer.
"I really do believe if this game came out at this state in the summer, it for sure wins"Shroud thinks ARC Raiders would've won Game of the Year if it would've released earlier in the year pic.twitter.com/gIVOffxKXHJanuary 13, 2026
But there needs to be some parameters for submission and consideration, and it speaks to just how good the first impressions of Arc Raiders were that it still got nominated, and won, Best Multiplayer Game. Blockbuster RPG Clair Obscur received the statue for Game of the Year, amid a record-breaking sweep of the awards, and Grzesiek was openly critical of the decision.
Until he played Sandfall's fantastical adventure and admitted it's actually pretty great. While it may have been disappointing to Embark that Arc Raiders didn't enjoy much attention on the awards circuit, the ever-rising player numbers have no doubt soothed any wounds. Grzesiek can rest easy that, for now at least, Arc Raiders is doing just fine.
