Arc Raiders is an extraction-style shooter with a lot of variables. You drop into a large open area, look for loot, fight enemies, and try to extract before someone else beats you to it. You never know if the next player you meet wants to team up or pull the trigger. Because of that, trust has become a huge part of the game and a topic of debate among players.

Recently, two Arc Raiders players wanted to understand how that trust differs from platform to platform. One of them mainly plays on PS5. The other is always on PC. Both felt like their lobbies “felt” different, so they wanted to know if there was an actual behavior gap between the two communities. Instead of guessing, they decided to collect some real data.

Their test was simple. Each of them turned crossplay off for a full week. That meant every match on PS5 was filled only with PS5 players, and every match on PC was filled only with PC players. They played solo, avoided starting fights, and tried to talk or signal before making any move. If another player showed up, they dropped their weapons or used in-game voice lines to show they were friendly. By the end of the week, they had a combined total of over 400 encounters (409 to be exact), and the difference in trust was larger than expected.

Arc Raiders players on PC and PS5 – the results

The brother who played on PlayStation 5 completed 84 rounds, meeting other players in 79 of them. In all those matches, he came across 237 players. Here’s how those interactions went:

• 42 players wished him luck
• 58 players acted friendly, but then shot him in the back
• 102 players shot him on sight
• 7 players stayed friendly and extracted with him
• 28 players teamed up and then betrayed him at extraction

Most of these encounters were hostile. Some players pretended to help, but they quickly showed their true colors. Friendly moments did happen, but they were rare.

On the PC side, the experience was very different. He played 51 rounds and met players in 49 of them. In total, he encountered 172 players. His week looked like this:

• 98 players wished him luck
• 7 players lied and then shot him in the back
• 47 players shot him on sight
• 17 players teamed up and extracted with him
• 3 players faked a team-up and killed him at extract

There were still bad encounters, but the overall experience was much more positive on PC. More than half of the players he met were willing to communicate, wave, or work together.

This obviously wasn’t a massive study, and it only involved two players. However, the gap they saw was clear. Their week of testing shows that your experience in Arc Raiders can feel different depending on where you play. On PC, you’re more likely to meet someone who wants to talk or cooperate. On PS5, you’re more likely to meet someone who shoots first and asks questions later.

About the Author

Abdul Haddi

Abdul is a tech writer and Editor for PC Guide, specializing in all things tech, gaming, and hardware.