RPS Verdict: The Game Awards 2025

Take a deep Geoff

Image credit:The Game Awards

Last night saw the Peacock theatre in LA fill up with prominent game industry folk all eager to be blasted with trailers for four hours straight. We weren’t in the room for The Game Awards 2025, but half of the team stayed up to be to be assaulted with announcements in real-time via livestream, while the other half caught up on the barrage this morning.

Having now had some sleep, we decided to collect our thoughts on Geoff-fest 2025 and not at all use it as a way to point out who is looking the most tired.

Julian: What ho, Mark! You look horribly fresh-faced and well-rested. I’ve not braved a mirror but, going by my lack of sleep after covering last night’s Game Awards, I’d guess the face staring back would look like the approximation of a human visage made out of white playdough.

In terms of kicking things off, I’m keen to know, when you got up this morning and read our plug Everything Announced at The Game Awards 2025 post plug, what did you watch first? What jumped out at you from the show?

Mark: Howdy Julian, you look perfectly ravishing this fine Friday. When I rose from my slumber this morning and went straight to the RPS homepage RPSly to scroll through RPS’ everything announced article, the first thing that struck me was that Larian’s Divinity game was actually just called Divinity . Despite those trademarks suggesting the name would be a monolithic single word, I couldn’t fathom there not being one or two extra words tacked on the end. Magic beans or maybe evil goop given the trailer.

The Star Wars racer was the game that I immediately couldn’t wait to play , as I continue to fail to deviate from the stereotype I’ve established for my tastes, though I couldn’t help noticing that it seemed rather lonely in terms of big reveals near the end of the show. Was the latter something you live-watchers felt as you reacted in real-time, that the Geoffs maybe felt a bit frontloaded this year?

Image credit:Fuse Games

Julian: It’s an odd one. When you’re covering it live, the pace is fairly constant because even when there are lulls in the announcements you will still be writing up whatever it was that was just shown.

That said, after the announcement trailer for Highguard I was still expecting a big closing reveal. After all, throughout the show the camera had picked up big name developers in the audience, folk like Hideo Kojima and Todd Howard. While big Todd had given out an award for best game director, I wouldn’t have been shocked if he had also been there to show off an update on the Elder Scrolls 6 , say.

I realise that’s possibly unfair to Highguard. Amid a lot of cinematic trailers where developers showed nothing tangible about their games, Wildlight revealed their hero shooter with a video that gave a good sense of what it will look like when we get to play it at the end of January. Which can’t be said for Warlock or even, sorry to say it, Larian, Divinity.

Focusing on that sense of absence, were there any games in particular that you think were missing? I know there’s one I was sure was going to be part of the showcase that didn’t turn up…

Mark: In previous years, there’s usually been a game I prepped a shell article for purely on vibes and then got left in the system like a snowman in spring. There was one summer showcase where I did what still VG247 newsman Sherif dubbed the ‘non-committal Kojima shell’ just because Geoff had previously had him on to announce a podcast, so I was sure he’d feature somehow . He did not.

Image credit:Bethesda

Nothing of the sort this year, mainly because I had less time to fill with prep. The Elder Scrolls 6 might be it in terms of games I’d have been very intrigued to see, but I’ve sort of given up on trying to anticipate anything about when we’ll see that at this point, something I can’t imagine I’m alone in. Even some new CGI gubbins to replace those mountains everyone’s seen 20 million times would have done. Outside of that, CD Projekt ruled out any Witcher weeks in advance, which would’ve immediately stolen my attention like it did last year.

In terms of what did show and didn’t immediately blow me away, but I may well end up really into once I’ve played it, Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic seems like it could fit that bill . As a young whippersnapper about the treehouse, I’ve not given the first two KOTORs a go despite their legendary status, which meant the nostalgia wave didn’t immediately get me on board when Casey Hudson popped up.

What was it that you were expecting, but didn’t show? After all, Miss Piggy, Batman, and Lenny Kravitz all made cameos - who else do you need?

Julian: Obviously I was glad when I was able to cross them off my bingo card. You all said I was foolish to suggest both Kravitz and Miss Piggy would turn up but, then, I have been doing this for a long time and my contact book is extensive. No, the thing I was sure was going to be at the show was the Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag remake. It’s not only one of the worst-kept Ubisoft secrets (from a company that is notoriously leaky), but there was even a leak earlier this week which put it firmly in Game Awards announcement territory for me.

It’s good to see Hudson is working on Star Wars again. I’ve fond memories of spending an Easter weekend playing through Knights of the Old Republic and eating chocolate eggs, so I will try my darndest to recreate the experience with Fate of the Old Republic. That said, there wasn’t even a hint of a release date in the trailer and Arcanaut Studios only formed this year, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we were looking at 2028 or 2029 release. With the rapidly dropping cocoa content in Cadburys these days, Hudson better get a move on if I’m to have a hope of performing a Fate of the Old Republic egg playthrough.

Image credit:BioWare/LucasArts/Disney

On nearer term releases, I have been able to add a couple of games to my mental list of games I’m anticipating in 2026. Ace Combat 8 and The Free Shepherd are both on there. I love an arcade-leaning dogfighter, and the Ace Combat games wrap their silly action up in the veneer of a sim, so I walk away thinking that, yes, push comes to shove, perform a Cobra maneuver in a stalling SU-27 if need be. And The Free Shepherd lets you play a sheep dog herding sheep in a sci-fi world. I am easily pleased.

I dearly hope Total War: Warhammer 40,000 will be out before next Christmas, because it looks like it will play differently from all the other games in the series. What with the plethora of vehicles, ranged units, and, well, orbital strikes, but considering Creative Assembly’s official line is “We’re not sharing a release date at this time, but will have lots more to talk about later in 2026”, I would guess they’re aiming for 2027.

I’m guessing if you were jumping through the show in catchup form, did you pick up any sense of The Game Awards reflecting what’s been going on in the industry this year?

Mark: There were the usual few sections when some acknowledgement of the likes of encouraging young women to get into development given time amid the ads, which is better than nothing. I wouldn’t say I’m that convinced the Geoffs will ever be able to find a way to truly reckon with the often ugly reality of the industry in a fashion that doesn’t feel a bit forced or jarring. In the same way that corporate monoliths have learned to write layoff statements which talk around the fact people have lost their jobs, the goal of every Keighleyfest is to craft a trailer and plaudit-filled bubble in which products like to live.

That’s not to say that we shouldn’t find other places and ways in which to confront the truth and fight for those affected by - for example - mass layoffs at billion dollar corps or the job market contracting to such an extent that the dance from gig to gig is ever harder to do without the music stopping. If Keoff and co, having seemingly given up on initiatives like the Future Class ( at least for now ), don’t think it’s their responsibility to go all out in that regard, the likes of unions and protest groups are already showing they’ll push to pick up the slack .

Image credit:CWA.

That’s not a perfect state of play, but I think it might be the best we can hope for at current. Unless someone manages to radicalise Miss Piggy by replacing the newspaper in her and Kermit’s loo with a copy of the Morning Star.

On the other hand, I did think the award giving out itself, despite being a tiny fraction of the show as usual, was nicely done. I’ve not played Clair Obscur because I’m saving all the Final Fantasies and FF-adjacent RPGs to play in the final years of my life so their nomenclature feels as apt and relatable as possible, but it was nice to see Sandfall get a night in the spotlight.

Julian: There’s a definite tension within this showcase where it’s both aiming to be a prestigious awards show wrapped in the language of this creative industry’s passion, and also a serious money maker for its organisers. As we learned this week, it can cost as much as $1 million to screen a three-minute trailer at The Game Awards . It’s not a charity event, it’s a marketing tool. Something Alice put far better than I can after the showcase back in 2023.

This isn’t unique to The Game Awards and we can always hope it will do better. I think the segment in which Felicia Day brought on representatives of Girls Make Games was a step in the right direction. In previous years those moments have felt rushed and squeezed between other trailers and awards, whereas this year it felt like it was actually given space. But, you could also have easily watched last night’s showcase and have no idea that outside were a group of developers protesting the industry’s mass layoffs .

There is also a limit to how much we should expect this of an awards show and, instead, we will need to look into ways that we can platform the voices we’re not hearing.

Let’s see what we can put in place in time for next year.

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All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

• What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
• Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
• Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations

What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

• Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
• Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
• Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
• High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
• Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
• Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
• Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

• Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
• Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
• Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
• Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

ARC Raiders

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

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