Arc Raiders Store Update 1.38.0 Patch Notes – Matchmaking Changes (2026)

Arc Raiders pushed Store Update 1.38.0 live today across all platforms, and the headline is matchmaking. The studio is testing a revised algorithm that prioritizes match quality over speed — meaning you’ll wait longer for a squad that actually fits your playstyle and size. Two new Torpedo outfit colors auto-unlocked for existing owners, and the Fourth Expedition kicked off for players chasing Mystery Rewards.

This is a quality-of-life patch disguised as a store update. The matchmaking changes are the real story: the algorithm now works harder to pair you with squads that match your size and playstyle instead of just filling slots fast. The trade-off is longer waits, especially during off-peak hours or in low-population regions. If you’ve been getting mismatched squads — solo players thrown into quad stacks, aggressive players paired with slow looters — this is the fix you’ve been asking for.

The Torpedo colors are a nice bonus if you already own the outfit. The Fourth Expedition is a seasonal content reset for players who’ve maxed out the prior three. If you’re new or haven’t finished Expedition Three, this update won’t change much for you beyond the matchmaking tweak.

The studio heard feedback that matchmaking works most of the time, but falls apart in edge cases: late-night queues, certain maps, or specific regions where the player pool thins out. The new algorithm adjusts how it evaluates potential matches before committing you to a lobby.

The studio kept the detail light. Here is what it actually stated, and what it did not:

• Playstyle and squad size are weighted more heavily — the studio says you should run into squads matching your playstyle and squad size more consistently. It has not said which signals feed that, so any specific list of tracked behaviours is guesswork
• Squad size consistency falls under that same stated goal, so solos should land in pre-made trios and quads less often
• Low-population hours, certain regions and specific map conditions are named by the studio as the cases that fall short — it describes them as the problem, not as separately tuned dials

The catch: you will wait longer. The studio put it plainly: the algorithm may take a little longer to find a match, since it is now working harder to find a better one. It gave no figure, so anyone quoting exact added seconds is inventing them. During peak hours with healthy populations, you won’t notice much difference. Off-peak or niche regions will see the biggest improvement — and the longest waits.

Why This Matters for Solo Players

If you’ve been running solo and getting consistently dumped into lobbies with coordinated three-stacks, this is your patch. The old system prioritized speed and would slot you wherever a gap existed. The new one will hold your queue longer to find other solos or a duo that won’t steamroll you.

Why This Matters for Squads

Pre-made groups should see tighter competition. You’re more likely to face other organized squads instead of a loose collection of randoms. The downside: if your squad plays at an unusual time or in a smaller region, your queue could stretch noticeably during slow periods.

This Is Explicitly a Test

This is a test phase. The studio describes this as testing, so current behaviour is not necessarily final. If queue times blow out too far or the quality improvement doesn’t justify the wait, expect further tweaks in a follow-up patch.

The Torpedo set gets Camo and Black variants as of this update. If you already own the outfit, both colors unlocked automatically — no purchase needed. The studio says owners receive them automatically: log in and they’re in your inventory.

If you don’t own the Torpedo set, these are just additional color options when you buy it from the store. No functional changes, purely cosmetic.

The Expedition system is Arc Raiders’ seasonal progression track. The Fourth Expedition departs with this update and carries its own Mystery Rewards. The studio has not published a breakdown of what those rewards contain, and it has not stated that the Fourth requires finishing the first three.

The studio asked players on their fourth run to share which Mystery Rewards they pulled, likely to gauge community interest in specific drops. If you’re curious how Expeditions work or what to expect from the reward structure, the patch note links to their earlier Expedition explainer.

For most players still working through earlier Expeditions, this launch doesn’t affect you. The Fourth Expedition is endgame content for the subset who’ve already cleared the prior three tracks.

No balance adjustments. No bug fixes. No weapon tuning, map changes, or system overhauls. This is a store and matchmaking update, not a content patch. If you were hoping for gear rebalancing or crash fixes, you’ll need to wait for the next numbered update.

The studio didn’t mention any known issues being addressed, which suggests the current build is stable enough that they’re focusing on quality-of-life improvements rather than emergency fixes.

The discourse around longer queue times always splits the same way: half the playerbase wants instant matches, the other half wants good matches. This patch picks a side.

YouTube videos and Reddit threads will tell you that matchmaking speed is the priority in extraction shooters because downtime kills momentum. That’s true for games with enormous playerbases where quality and speed aren’t in conflict. Arc Raiders doesn’t have Tarkov’s population yet, so the old algorithm was duct-taping mismatches together to keep queues under 30 seconds. The result: frustrating lobbies where your playstyle clashed with your squadmates or you faced wildly uneven competition.

The new system trades a bit of that speed for compatibility. If you’re the type of player who tilts after one bad squad experience and logs off, this is a net win. If you’d rather take your chances with a mismatch than stare at a queue screen, you’ll hate the change.

Regional Players Get the Biggest Shift

Low-population regions have had the worst of it, and the studio names regions and off-peak hours among the cases it wants to fix. It has not said which regions, so any named list is speculation. The old algorithm would throw together whoever was online just to get a match started. Now those regions will wait longer, but the squads should actually make sense when they form.

Expect some complaint threads from players in those regions who’d rather have a fast bad match than a slow good one. The studio will need to watch retention metrics closely here.

Depends on how much you value match quality over queue speed. If you’ve been frustrated by mismatched squads — solos facing organized teams, aggressive players paired with slow looters — this patch directly addresses that at the cost of slightly longer waits. If you play during peak hours in high-population regions, you’ll barely notice the difference. Off-peak or smaller regions will feel the trade-off more sharply. The matchmaking algorithm changes are a test, so the studio will likely tweak further based on retention and feedback data. The Torpedo colors are a freebie for existing owners, and the Fourth Expedition is only relevant if you’ve already cleared the first three.

Neonsect has covered Arc Raiders since its 2026 launch, tracking patches and meta shifts across 40+ live-service games since 2016.