I spent most of May and June this year going back and forth between two games. Some nights I dropped into ARC Raiders with a Ferro and a prayer. Other nights I was running Operation Sandstorm in Delta Force, trying to extract with enough loot to justify the session. Both games are free-to-play extraction shooters. Both are pulling from the same player pool. And both are genuinely asking you to commit serious time to them.
The question people keep asking me is simple: which one is actually better? The honest answer is that it completely depends on what kind of player you are, and this article is going to tell you exactly why.
This isn’t a surface-level comparison. I’m talking about gunfeel, map design, progression loops, monetisation honesty, performance on PC, and long-term staying power. If you’re trying to decide where to invest your time in the second half of 2026, this is the guide you need.
What Are These Games Actually About
Before comparing them, it helps to be precise about what each game is trying to do, because they share a genre label while feeling quite different in practice.
ARC Raiders is a third-person PvPvE extraction shooter developed by Embark Studios, the Swedish studio behind THE FINALS. You play as a Raider based in a subterranean city called Speranza, dropping topside into maps overrun by robotic ARC invaders. The goal is to loot, survive both the ARC enemies and other human Raiders, and extract with your gear intact. There is no traditional multiplayer mode. It is entirely built around the extraction loop. If you die, you lose your equipped loadout. Full stop.
Delta Force is a reboot of the classic franchise developed by Team Jade, a studio under Tencent’s TiMi Studio Group. What makes Delta Force unusual in this comparison is that it’s actually two games inside one launcher. Havoc Warfare is a large-scale combined-arms multiplayer mode that plays like a modern Battlefield, complete with vehicles, 64-player servers, and objective-based maps. Operation Sandstorm is the extraction mode, set in a grittier tactical environment where squads of three drop into maps to loot and extract while fighting both AI and enemy squads.
So when people ask “ARC Raiders vs Delta Force,” they’re really asking “ARC Raiders vs Operation Sandstorm” for the extraction comparison. That’s the lens this guide uses, though I’ll mention Havoc Warfare where it matters for the overall value proposition.
Developer Backgrounds and Studio Pedigree
Understanding who made these games tells you a lot about their design priorities.
Embark Studios was founded in 2018 by former EA and DICE veterans, including Patrick Söderlund who previously served as Executive Vice President at EA. The studio is backed by Nexon and has a track record of building genuinely interesting free-to-play shooters. THE FINALS proved Embark could deliver a polished, physics-driven shooter with personality. ARC Raiders has been in development since before THE FINALS launched and carries real ambition in its world design and enemy AI systems.
Team Jade sits within TiMi Studio Group, one of Tencent’s most productive mobile-first development arms. TiMi is responsible for titles like Honor of Kings and Call of Duty: Mobile. Delta Force represents their push into the premium PC market. The pedigree here is strong on the mobile and live-service side, which shows up in how Delta Force monetises and how frequently it updates. The concern some PC players have raised is whether the design sensibility is truly built for PC first or ported up from mobile architecture.
Both studios have real talent. But their philosophies produce very different games.
Core Gameplay Loop Comparison
This is where the two games diverge most sharply, and where your personal playstyle will determine the winner for you.
ARC Raiders: Pure Extraction Tension
Every session in ARC Raiders starts with a loadout decision. As covered in our ARC Raiders best loadout and weapons guide, you commit to a primary weapon, secondary, shield tier, augment, and gadgets before you drop. There is no mid-raid adjustment. That commitment creates a specific kind of tension before the raid even starts.
Topside, you are dealing with ARC robotic enemies that range from basic Scout drones to Matriarch-class bosses that demand coordinated effort to down. You’re also dealing with other Raiders who have their own agendas. The PvPvE triangle is where ARC Raiders shines. A boss fight can go from controlled to chaotic in seconds when another squad decides to third-party you mid-fight.
The safe pocket system is ARC Raiders’ most distinct mechanical contribution to the genre. Items you place in safe pockets return with you even if you die. This single mechanic fundamentally changes risk calculus in a way that neither Escape from Tarkov nor Delta Force replicates. It means every session has a floor of meaningful progress even when things go wrong.
Delta Force Operation Sandstorm: Tactical Military Extraction
Operation Sandstorm plays as a tighter, more grounded military extraction. Squads of three drop into maps that feel inspired by real-world environments — industrial facilities, arid desert outposts, dense urban corridors. The AI enemies are human-themed insurgents and PMC-style combatants rather than robots, which gives the game a completely different visual and tonal identity.
Delta Force’s extraction mode uses a more traditional risk-reward loop. There are no safe pockets. You loot, you extract, or you die. The gear-fear is higher in raw terms because there is less cushioning against a bad run. Insurance exists in a limited form through specific gear classes, but losing a high-tier run feels more punishing than a comparable loss in ARC Raiders.
The on-ground combat in Operation Sandstorm is faster and more mechanically demanding than ARC Raiders in terms of pure gunfight reflexes. Peeking, cover play, and first-shot accuracy matter more here in straight PvP exchanges.
| Feature | ARC Raiders | Delta Force (Op. Sandstorm) |
|---|---|---|
| Perspective | Third-person | First-person |
| Enemy Type | Robotic ARC AI | Human AI insurgents |
| Safe Pocket System | Yes | No |
| Squad Size | Solo, Duo, Trio | Trio (standard) |
| Session Length | 15-30 minutes typical | 20-40 minutes typical |
| Gear Persistence on Death | Safe pocket items only | Insurance tier only |
| PvE Boss Encounters | Yes, named bosses | Limited, raid events only |
Map Design and Environment Quality
Map design is something I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about in both games, because it directly shapes how engaging the 50th hour feels compared to the 5th.
ARC Raiders Map Design
ARC Raiders launched with three primary maps: Dam Battlegrounds, Spaceport, and Blue Gate. The Riven Tides update in April 2026 added a fourth map that expanded the biome variety significantly, introducing flooded industrial zones with vertical gameplay that rewards players who understand the third-person camera advantage.
Each map in ARC Raiders has defined loot tiers tied to zones. Residential areas offer reliable low-to-mid tier drops. Commercial and Industrial zones escalate risk and reward. This zoning creates natural player movement patterns across the map, which means you learn where to expect fights and where to safely farm if you need a calm session.
The environmental storytelling in ARC Raiders is genuinely impressive. The topside world feels like a place that was lived in before the ARC invasion, and that context makes exploration feel purposeful rather than arbitrary.
Delta Force Map Design
Delta Force’s Operation Sandstorm maps are larger on average and lean into multi-story building gameplay more aggressively. The maps I’ve spent the most time on, particularly the industrial extraction zones and the arid border region map, reward teams that communicate well and can maintain positional awareness across multiple floors simultaneously.
The limitation in Delta Force is map variety at launch. The initial extraction map pool felt lean compared to what Havoc Warfare offered, though updates through 2026 have addressed this with two new extraction environments added since March.
The visual fidelity in Delta Force is higher on equivalent hardware settings. Running both games on a 4070 Ti Super at 1440p, Delta Force consistently pushed more detailed geometry and lighting. ARC Raiders has a strong art direction that compensates, but on raw graphical output Delta Force wins.
Gunfeel, Movement, and Combat Feel
This section is very personal. Gunfeel is subjective but matters enormously for long-term enjoyment. I’ve played enough hours of both to give you a grounded comparison.
ARC Raiders Combat
Third-person combat changes everything. You can peek cover without exposing your body, which creates a fundamentally different risk calculus than first-person extraction games. This is a feature to some players and a frustration to others. In ARC Raiders, positioning rewards are higher because the camera gives you information that a first-person camera simply cannot.
The weapon roster in ARC Raiders is intentionally compact. There are roughly 14 primary weapons at current patch, each with a distinct identity. The Anvil hand cannon’s single-shot weight, the Dolabra’s dual-mode energy firing, the Bettina’s heavy AR rattle during sustained fire — every gun feels purposeful rather than padding.
Movement is deliberate. ARC Raiders is not a game where bunny-hopping or movement tech carries you through fights. Stamina management during looting and repositioning matters more than slide-cancel timing.
Delta Force Combat
First-person tactical gunfeel is Delta Force’s strongest card. The weapon handling model has clear Battlefield DNA — guns have weight, recoil climbs predictably, and suppressor use meaningfully changes audio signatures. I tested about 20 weapons across Operation Sandstorm and Havoc Warfare, and the variety is genuinely impressive.
Movement in Delta Force is faster and more responsive, with a slide mechanic that feeds into aggressive room-clearing. Players coming from Call of Duty or Battlefield will feel at home almost immediately. ARC Raiders has a steeper initial mechanical adjustment.
Where Delta Force loses points is AI enemy design. The insurgent AI in Operation Sandstorm is functional but predictable in patterns after moderate playtime. ARC Raiders’ ARC robots with their varied threat classes — Scouts, Crawlers, the flying Enforcers, the boss-tier Matriarch — create more dynamic and unpredictable PvE encounters.
| Combat Aspect | ARC Raiders | Delta Force |
|---|---|---|
| Perspective | Third-person | First-person |
| Gunfeel Rating | Weighty, deliberate | Snappy, tactical |
| Movement Speed | Moderate | Fast |
| AI Variety | High (multiple ARC classes) | Moderate |
| Weapon Count | ~14 primary | 40+ across all modes |
| Cover Mechanics | Third-person camera advantage | Traditional FPS cover |
Progression Systems Side by Side
How a game rewards your time investment matters as much as the gameplay itself.
ARC Raiders Progression
ARC Raiders uses a Workshop upgrade system built around crafting materials extracted from raids. You upgrade your Gunsmith tier to unlock weapon mods, craft augments from resource combinations, and allocate 76 skill points across three branches: Mobility, Conditioning, and a looting-focused tree.
The progression feels meaningful at every stage because the Workshop gates are tied directly to raid performance. If you’re running consistent extractions, you feel the forward momentum every session. If you’re dying frequently, the Workshop slows your advancement in a way that compounds your existing disadvantage. This is a genuine friction point for casual players.
Blueprint collection is ARC Raiders’ long-term engagement hook. With 83 blueprints across all maps, there’s always a specific recipe worth hunting. If you want a deeper breakdown of how to prioritise this progression, our ARC Raiders beginner guide covers the first-session essentials.
Delta Force Progression
Delta Force operates on a more conventional live-service progression spine. Battle Pass tiers, weapon mastery tracks, operator cosmetics, and a separate ranked ladder for Operation Sandstorm all run simultaneously. The weapon upgrade system for Sandstorm uses a Gunsmith-style attachment framework that will feel familiar to anyone who has played a Call of Duty title.
The progression in Delta Force is faster to feel initially rewarding. You unlock new weapon attachments and cosmetics at a regular cadence through the Battle Pass. The downside is that this pace creates a sense of running on a treadmill rather than building toward something permanent.
ARC Raiders’ progression feels more like building a character over time. Delta Force feels more like consuming content on a weekly schedule. Neither is wrong, they’re just different philosophies.
Monetisation: Who Respects Your Wallet More
Both games are free-to-play. Both have cosmetic shops. Both have Battle Passes. The question is how aggressively each game pushes spending.
ARC Raiders Monetisation
Embark Studios has been publicly committed to cosmetics-only monetisation, stating clearly that no gameplay advantage is sold in the store. The Battle Pass in ARC Raiders is priced at 950 ARC Coins (roughly equivalent to around $9.50 USD in current pricing) and rewards operator skins, weapon wraps, and emotes through 50 tiers.
The in-game currency conversion is reasonably transparent compared to industry norms, though as with all free-to-play games, bundle pricing creates mild friction around exact real-money equivalents. The shop rotates weekly and includes outfit bundles ranging from roughly 800 to 2,400 ARC Coins. Nothing in the shop changes your stats, weapon performance, or augment access.
Delta Force Monetisation
Delta Force also commits to cosmetics-only in its core monetisation, but the volume and visual emphasis of its store promotions are higher. Operator bundles, weapon blueprints with unique visual effects, and limited-time collaboration events create a busier store environment.
The Battle Pass price sits at 1,000 Delta Coins (roughly equivalent to around $10 USD) for the premium track. Delta Force also offers a premium-plus tier at a higher price point that fast-tracks a portion of Battle Pass progression, which edges closer to the pay-for-convenience model that extraction game communities tend to resist.
To be fair to both games, neither sells weapons, augments, shield tiers, or anything that directly affects extraction viability. But Delta Force’s store feels more persistently present in the interface than ARC Raiders.
| Monetisation Factor | ARC Raiders | Delta Force |
|---|---|---|
| Battle Pass Price | ~$9.50 (950 ARC Coins) | ~$10 (1,000 Delta Coins) |
| P2W Elements | None confirmed | None confirmed |
| Store Frequency | Weekly rotation | Near-daily featured items |
| Premium Pass Tier | Single tier | Two tiers (standard + premium-plus) |
| Gameplay Impact | Zero | Zero |
Performance and PC Optimisation
This matters more than most comparison articles admit. A game that runs poorly will lose players regardless of how good its design is.
I tested both games on the same rig: Ryzen 7 7800X3D, RTX 4070 Ti Super, 32GB DDR5-6000, running Windows 11 at 1440p. For PC optimisation tips that apply across both titles, our Battlefield 6 best settings for PC guide covers many of the same GPU and driver-level tweaks.
ARC Raiders Performance
At High preset, 1440p, ARC Raiders averaged 94 fps in open-world topside areas and dropped to around 78 fps during dense ARC combat encounters with multiple enemy types active. The game uses Unreal Engine 5 and benefits from DLSS 3.7 and AMD FSR 4 support.
The Riven Tides map introduced some new shader complexity that caused stutters on initial load for about the first two sessions before the shader pre-compilation cache settled. This is a known Unreal Engine 5 issue and largely resolves itself after a couple of sessions on any new map.
On Linux via Proton 9.0, ARC Raiders runs but anti-cheat behaviour has caused intermittent disconnects for some users. This worked fine in my testing over two weeks but may vary depending on your specific Proton version and kernel.
Delta Force Performance
Delta Force at Ultra preset, 1440p averaged 108 fps in Havoc Warfare and 97 fps in Operation Sandstorm extraction maps. The engine (a custom in-house engine from TiMi) has more consistent frametimes than ARC Raiders in current builds, with less noticeable hitching during enemy-dense moments.
Delta Force does not currently support Linux through Proton in any stable capacity. This is a practical concern for Steam Deck players, who have successfully run ARC Raiders at playable settings but will find Delta Force effectively locked out. For anyone curious about portable gaming comparisons, our Steam Deck review covers the general hardware capabilities you’d be working with.
If you’re dealing with network issues affecting either game, the same principles in our fix Battlefield 6 lag and connection issues guide apply directly to reducing packet loss in extraction sessions.
Playerbase, Community, and Longevity
A shooter is only as good as the population of players keeping it alive.
ARC Raiders had a strong launch window in May 2025, with peak concurrent Steam players reaching just over 180,000 in its first month. By July 2026, the daily active player count has settled into a stable mid-tier that Embark’s bi-annual update cadence seems designed to sustain. The Riven Tides expansion brought a noticeable population spike, and community sentiment in both the official Discord and Reddit has been broadly positive with specific friction around the Night Raid free-loadout restrictions I mentioned in our loadout guide.
Delta Force launched in early access in December 2024 and had a significantly larger launch thanks to Tencent’s marketing infrastructure and mobile crossover playerbase. Steam peaks exceeded 450,000 concurrent players during its first major event window. By mid-2026, Havoc Warfare retains a healthier population than Operation Sandstorm specifically, which has seen some player migration to ARC Raiders among dedicated extraction players.
The practical takeaway: Delta Force has more players overall, but ARC Raiders has a more committed extraction-focused community. Queue times in ARC Raiders peak hours are consistently under 90 seconds. During off-peak hours, lobby fill can take 3 to 5 minutes depending on region and game mode.
Which One Should You Play First
I’ve been going back and forth on this for two months and I keep landing in the same place: it depends entirely on what you want from an extraction shooter.
Play ARC Raiders first if:
- You prefer third-person perspective and slower, more methodical gameplay
- You want a strong PvE component with named boss encounters and varied enemy types
- The safe pocket system appeals to you as a progression safety net
- You prefer a more intimate, curated weapon roster over a massive attachment system
- You’re interested in a game with a strong world identity and environmental storytelling
Play Delta Force (Operation Sandstorm) first if:
- You’re a first-person shooter player and don’t want to adjust to third-person perspective
- You want access to both a large-scale PvP mode and extraction in one free download
- Faster gunfight pacing and more familiar military shooter mechanics are priorities
- You want a larger active playerbase with more reliable off-peak queues
- You’re already invested in the live-service cosmetics model and enjoy Battle Pass progression
My honest recommendation: download both. They are both free. Play 10 sessions of each in the same week and you’ll know which one you’re going to commit to within five sessions of the first one. Both are good games. Neither is a waste of time. But they will not both get equal time from you once you find the one that clicks.
If you want a deeper look at what makes ARC Raiders tick before you commit, start with our ARC Raiders beginner guide for the foundational systems, then move into the ARC Raiders best loadout guide once you’re ready to stop losing your gear on extraction.
For players who like the large-scale military shooter side and want to understand how Delta Force sits within the 2026 shooter landscape, our breakdown of whether Battlefield 6 is worth playing in 2026 gives useful context on what the big-budget competition looks like right now.
Head-to-Head Summary
| Category | Winner | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PvE Design | ARC Raiders | Named bosses, varied ARC threat classes |
| Gunfeel (FPS feel) | Delta Force | More responsive, familiar shooter mechanics |
| Map Variety | Tie | Both have grown post-launch |
| Progression Depth | ARC Raiders | Blueprint system, Workshop upgrades feel earned |
| Monetisation | ARC Raiders (slight edge) | Less aggressive store presentation |
| Performance Stability | Delta Force | More consistent frametimes on PC |
| Linux / Steam Deck | ARC Raiders | Delta Force has no stable Proton support |
| Playerbase Size | Delta Force | Higher overall concurrent players |
| Extraction Community | ARC Raiders | More dedicated extraction-focused player base |
| Visual Fidelity | Delta Force | Higher geometric and lighting detail |
| Free-to-Play Value | Tie | Both deliver genuine content without mandatory spending |
ARC Raiders vs Delta Force FAQ
Is ARC Raiders or Delta Force better for solo players?
ARC Raiders edges ahead for solo play. The safe pocket system reduces the catastrophic feeling of solo death, and the third-person camera gives solo players more positional awareness against larger squads. Delta Force’s Operation Sandstorm is designed around three-person squads more explicitly, and solos face a harder time in direct engagements.
Which game has better gunplay?
Delta Force has more polished first-person gunfeel with a larger weapon roster and more attachment options. ARC Raiders has more personality per weapon with a tighter selection. Your preference for first-person versus third-person perspective will likely decide this question for you.
Do both games have crossplay?
ARC Raiders supports crossplay between PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. Delta Force supports PC and mobile crossplay in Havoc Warfare, with console crossplay support confirmed to be in development as of the developer roadmap published in April 2026.
Which game is more beginner-friendly?
Delta Force is more immediately accessible, particularly for players with existing FPS experience. The mechanics will feel familiar from day one. ARC Raiders has more unique systems (safe pockets, augment tiers, Workshop progression) that require understanding before they click. The learning curve in ARC Raiders is steeper but more rewarding once you get there.
Are both games truly free-to-play without pay-to-win?
Yes, as of current patches. Neither game sells weapons, stat boosts, augments, or gear with gameplay advantages. All paid content in both games is cosmetic. This can change with future updates, so checking official patch notes periodically is always worth doing.
Which game runs better on a mid-range PC?
Both run acceptably on mid-range hardware with DLSS or FSR enabled, but Delta Force has more consistent performance at equivalent settings. On a system with an RTX 3060 or RX 6700 XT, you’ll get smoother frametimes in Delta Force at 1080p High than in ARC Raiders at equivalent settings. ARC Raiders’ Unreal Engine 5 implementation demands more from the CPU in busy combat scenarios.
Can you play Delta Force’s extraction mode without engaging with Havoc Warfare?
Yes. Operation Sandstorm and Havoc Warfare are separate mode selections from the main menu. You never have to touch Havoc Warfare if your only interest is extraction. Some progression elements like Battle Pass tasks do include Havoc Warfare objectives, which can be minor friction if you want to avoid that mode entirely.
Final Verdict
Both games deserve to exist and both are worth your time. ARC Raiders is the better pure extraction shooter with a more thoughtful risk-reward ecosystem, stronger PvE design, and a world that genuinely rewards curiosity. Delta Force is the better overall package if you want variety, familiar FPS mechanics, and a larger playerbase to match into.
My personal hours have been split roughly 60/40 in favour of ARC Raiders, which tells you something about where my preferences land. But I keep Delta Force installed because Havoc Warfare on a fresh map still delivers the kind of large-scale chaos that ARC Raiders simply doesn’t offer by design.
Download both. Play both. And let the extraction speak for itself.
