The 15 best open world games on PC
Keep your options open
Image credit:Hello Games, Bandai Namco, PlayStation, Sega, Bethesda Softworks
Our list of the best open world games on PC is for those who look at a forest and think about seeing what’s in the middle. For the players who really do want to climb that mountain. Sure, the size of games these days means in some sense they all have an open world, but here we’re leaning in to those games that want you to adventure, where the onus is on exploring and seeing what you find. These are the games where part of the destination really is the journey, and you can tell the devs wanted you to stop and look around every so often to see what you could find. They might not be for everyone, but if you’re the sort of person who likes getting lost in a game for a long time, then these open world games will help you do that.
The 10 best open world games
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
- A Short Hike
- Hitman: World Of Assassination
- Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
- Forza Horizon 5
- Baldur’s Gate 3
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Subnautica
- No Man’s Sky
- Metal Gear Solid V
- American Truck Simulator
- Dragon’s Dogma 2
- Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines
- Horzion Forbidden West
- Elden Ring
15. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Image credit:Bethesda Softworks
What else should I play if I like this? The other Elder Scrolls games are easy recommends here, especially Morrowind , which is a fan favourite for being enduringly strange. For the pick of the best open worlds in Bethesda’s other famous series, go for Fallout 4 or Fallout: New Vegas . There’s also Starfield , I guess.
Look, there’s a reason some things become so entrenched in pop-culture that their very existence is sort of a joke. How many times has this game been released, arrow to the knee, see that mountain? Yuk it up, but we wouldn’t be able to make those jokes if we didn’t actually all love this game. Skyrim is still incredibly popular, not just for the huge vistas and engaging world, not just for the slightly janky physics that sends you screaming into the air the first time a giant attacks you, and not just beacause of the 2016 remaster, or the Anniversay Edition update that officially welcomes mod content into the game.
It’s all those things and more. Skyrim, arguably, perfected the Bethesda style of RPG, where you are an extremely special chosen one, but without it seeming smug or annoying. At the same time, it was perfectly possible to just go off and do your own thing - take a slow ride through the snowy forests in the north, if you don’t fancy killing dragons and sucking the soul out of their bones to power your magic shouting. It’s a flexible and joyful Tolkien-esque fantasy by itself. But the modding scene? That really kicks things to another level. One where you can replace dragons with Thomas The Tank Engine.
14. A Short Hike
Image credit:adamgryu
What else should I play if I like this? Give Donut County and Frog Detective a whirl for similar, stress free vibes. Don’t discount Alba: A Wildlife Adventure or Tchia , if you’re after a whimsical tour of some lovely countryside.
A Short Hike takes the crown for the loveliest game on this list. You play as a cute penguin who decides that they’d quite like to reach the summit of Hawk Peak. And so, off you pop, on a calming ascent which you can tackle any way you’d like. There’s fishing by river banks or diving off cliff edges and soaring over to hidden treasures.
There are many other wonderful bits about the game, but it’s bumping into other hikers that makes the climb particularly memorable. You might get involved in some races, you never know! Oh, and the soundtrack by Mark Sparling is lush and relaxing. What a world to soak in. Please give it a go.
13. Hitman: World Of Assassination
Image credit:IO Interactive
What else should I play if I like this? The many Hitman games that came before it. Hitman: Blood Money is excellent, as is Contracts .
Hitman: World Of Assassination may not spring to mind as a traditional ‘open world game’, but hey, it’s all of Hitman 2 and 3’s offerings bundled into one mega-package of mini-sandboxes. You control Agent 47, a bald man with a barcode on the back of his head. He’s good at garroting folks and making quips while garroting folks, and it’s up to you to deploy the garrote, and sometimes explosive rubber ducks, to assassinate high profile people.
What makes Hitman such a great open world game is the freedom you’ve got from the off. Each formula one race course, or Italian town, or quaint manor house has so many ways to creatively kill off the bad guys. There’s a demo on Steam, too.
12. Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Sega
What else should I be playing if I like this? The rest of the Yakuza series! Here’s the order we’d recommend you tackle them in.
Yakuza: Like A Dragon was a joyful introduction to a new protagonist, Kazuma Kiryu, and transported players to the city streets of Isezaki Ijincho, as well as Kamurocho Sotenburi. In Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth you’re whisked away to Hawaii. Though Ifinite Wealth has an optional island area to play a sort of upscaled version of Animal Crossing , there’s much fun to be had riding a Segway around Hawaii.
As ever, seemingly small quests can spiral into strange, multi-part stories, but great attentino to detail has been given to making the setting feel authentic. You can buy Kona coffee, Mango shave ice, see the living statues on Waikiki beach, and visit the canals, malls and markets that actually exist in Honolulu. It’s a real holiday, getting to run around and indulge in the Yakuza series’ signature brand of kind of wacky antics - unabashed fun, noless - but with more of a beach party vibe.
11. Forza Horizon 5
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/ Xbox Game Studios
What else should I play if I like this? Admittedly, it was a very close contest between Forza Horizon 5 and its predecessor Forza Horizon 4 , so yeah, go play that too. FH4 has, arguably, nicer streets and the nicer scenery if you’re into Scottish fields as opposed to the Mexican sunshine.
Justin said Forza Horizon 5 is “as close to flawless as any racer has ever come” in our review . Whatever you might think of this, the game is a might open world racer that’s - as cheesy as it sounds - an actual festival. Chopping up Mexico’s dusty beaches, tangled jungles, and sunny streets is a carefree celebration of swinging the back out. The map is filled with interesting slants on traditional races, and it’s perhaps one of the most positive games, ever? It’s the sort of game where if you could crash your Bugatti Veyron through someone’s porch, it would give you a little treat for doing so.
Maybe one of FH5’s strongest assets is being a racing game for people who might not be into racing games. You can take it as seriously as you’d like, and it’s an actual joy to hop in and drive around Mexico for a bit, whether that’s with pals or on your lonesome.
10. Baldur’s Gate 3
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Larian Studios
What else should I play if I like this? You can do much worse than look to Larian’s previous work with Divinity Original Sin 2. You can look backwards to the other Baldur’s Gates, plus Planescape: Torment and its spiritual successor Torment: Tides Of Numenera. For more of the Baldur’s Gate setting, Neverwinter Nights 1 and 2. For big lush fantasy maps but less intensive combat, Dragon Age: Inquisition.
There’s so much to say about Baldur’s Gate 3 . Perhaps up top we should mention that it has difficult turn-based combat built on Dungeons & Dragons’ D20 system, so it’s not for everyone. But if you’re alright with that, the fantasy world in BG3 is a real doozy. The maps are huge and fold in and around each other, full of secrets and weirdo characters who are as likely to ask you to steal an egg or track down a missing child as they are to be, er, having sex in a barn. It’s worth the effort to go on an arduous quest to save Faerûn so you can keep running around the place.
From waking up in the wreckage of an exploded ship, you gingerly explore and find temple ruins, a rocky coast, a secret druid grove. There are sun-dappled forests and a camp of hard-partying goblins. Did someone order a bustling city with docks and fortresses? What about a swamp, or the Underdark - an underground realm full of bioluminescence and living mushroom people. There’s a cursed land covered in life-leeching fog, with an equally cursed castle at the centre of it. There’s a vampire’s stronghold, and a lair in actual hell. The world of Baldur’s Gate 3 holds basically anything you can imagine for a fantasy epic.
9. Red Dead Redemption 2
Image credit:Rockstar Games
What else should I play if I like this? Give the original/sequel Red Dead Redemption a go! Other Rockstar Games might not capture the wild west vibe, but don’t discount Grand Theft Auto V .
Red Dead Redemption 2 might seem like too obvious a choice for a list like this, but it’s an obvious choice for a reason: it’s really good. And man, its open world is an astonishing feat and totally transportative. The diversity of flora and fauna, hooves crunching in snow, crouching over a clifftop and watching a herd a bison graze. It might not be as densely packed as say, Elden Ring, yet that isn’t Rockstar’s aim here.
As we pointed out in our Red Dead Redemption 2 review , the game is more of an orchestration of action rarely seen in open world games. You’ve got carefully curated heists, with a slow-burn story that catalogues the rise and fall of Arthur’s gang as motivations once aligned go out of joint. There’s relative freedom to relax - at least early on - and soak in the pleasures of taking a bubble bath or hunting a gator, or simply rolling a potential purchase around your hands in some out-of-the-way shop in a little town. RDR2 is special.
8. Subnautica
Image credit:Unknown Worlds Entertainment
What else should I play if I like this? Subnautica: Below Zero is set two years after the original and plays quite similarly, if a little worse. Still, it’s more Subnautica. No Man’s Sky might offer a similar feeling of discovering new alien lands.
Subnautica ’s open world is, for the most part, an underwater wonderland filled with coral reefs, volcanoes, and neon jellyfish. It’s a survival game at heart, where you craft oxygen tanks and pod homes to keep yourself in tip top condition underseas. And there’s nothing quite like riding your handmade submarine off the edge of a cliff and staring into a vast inky blackness. Honestly, it’s both mesmerising and terrifying as you wonder what’s beneath, then hear a bloodcurdling roar bubble upwards. Subnautica is, without a doubt, a horror game in disguise.
As with all the open worlds on this list, Subnautica lets you submerge anywhere and everywhere early on. But it’s great in letting you know your limits, and gradually exposing you to new and helpful materials, or areas, or whatnot. The game never makes the survival aspect a chore.
7. No Man’s Sky
Image credit:Hello Games
What else should I play if I like this? Subnautica (above you on this list) and Subnautica: Below Zero are about exploring alien places. You could also check out The Outer Worlds and Starfield for more, albeit tonally different, space exploration.
No Man’s Sky was a divisive release in 2016, but since then the devs at Hello Games have been hard at work building on the foundation provided by their space exploration sim. Hell, this is a game all about open worlds - multiple! About charting a course through unknown starts and seeing what you find! Since launch, No Man’s Sky has had more than 30 updates to add new features and polish it up. It’s had new vehicles, new play modes, and you can even domesticate the alien creatures you find now. How cool is that?
But for our purposes on this list, we should also highlight that basically everthing on every world you explore in No Man’s Sky - and there are a lot, as you head towards the centre of the galaxy - is created through procedural generation. It leads to unexpectedly beautiful planets full of weird ferns and wonky dinosuars, bright purple rocks and yellow skies. Sights that only RNG could come up with. The most recent update to No Man’s Sky was this year (which is true of basically every year). It’s one of those games where the best time to start playing is always today.
6. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Image credit:Konami Digital Entertainment
What else should I play if I like this? There isn’t anything like MGSV, really, but you could give Kojima’s Death Stranding a go. While it’s markedly different, it’s got an open world with all of Kojima’s weirdness bundled up in there.
Metal Gear Solid was always revered for its complex sneaking systems, but Metal Gear Solid V took that depth and applied it to (multiple) enormous open worlds. Sneaking across the sun-scorched mountains of Afghanistan is as much an exercise of imagination as it is a test of your stealth abilities. Sure, you can choose to take the long way around an enemy outpost. If you’re boring. But why not ride your horse straight through it instead, avoiding conflict by hiding against the body of your trusty steed? Or take out the soldiers using a tranquiliser gun, before shipping them off to home base using a big comedy balloon? Or avoid stealth altogether, and call in your helicopter to gun them down while A-Ha’s Take On Me blares out of its speakers?
The world of MGSV is a delight, sure, but it’s the playful things you can do in it that makes it feel truly special. Every journey back into enemy territory is a fresh opportunity for expressive decision making. Part immersive sim, part stealth sandbox, the game really is something else.
5. American Truck Simulator
Image credit:SCS Software
What else should I play if I like this? Euro Truck Simulator 2 offers a very similar trucking experience for those who find no adventure in Aberdeen, Washington but go weak at the knees imagining delivering potassium to Aberdeen, Scotland.
For a game limited to major highways and byways in a cut-down version of a fraction of the USA (still building eastward with each expansion), American Truck Simulator feels vast and free. That is partially the romance that American trucking holds for a European: the call of the open road, those flat lands with endless skies, and the Americana that drips from every vintage convertible and neon-lit gas station. But it is still huge, and feels surprisingly open and free even though you’re mostly driving a set route to a time limit.
One job you’re hauling a load up the Pacific Coast Highway on a glorious day, next you’re winding through narrow unknown roads at night with a wide load, then you’re blowing through mundane towns you’ve never heard of and wouldn’t want to live in but are glad to have briefly known. And you can always sack off and go exploring because hey, it’s only money. The developers are also increasingly supportive of tourism, adding viewpoints at pretty places and even creating reasons for trucks to go where they shouldn’t, into Yellowstone . Honk honk!
4. Dragon’s Dogma 2
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Capcom
What else should I play if I like this? The first Dragon’s Dogma is the obvious pick here, but elsewhere in Capcom’s stable of ‘wailing on giant monsters’ games, go for Monster Hunter: Rise
The original Dragon’s Dogma was a kind of cult hit, almost, and Dragon’s Dogma 2 continues in it’s grand tradition of fantasy weirdness. What marks DD2 apart - otherwise being a fantasy world with dragons and ogres that you adventure in - is that journey’s anywhere are fraught with danger. You have to genuinely plan ahead. Do you have enough money to get a cart somewhere? That’ll be safer, but it might be quicker to go yourself. Still, though, if the journey is going to take longer than a day, you’ll end up travelling at night, and things get genuinely dark and wildly more dangerous at night. That’s when the deadliest monsters come out. Still, even if you pay for a cart you might get attacked by an ogre, but at least on the cart you’ve got some guards to back up you and your crew.
Point is, Dragon’s Dogma 2 isn’t technically a tactics game, but you have to approach travel very tactically if you want to succeed. And because of the systems in the game, there’s a chance that when you make it to town a massive bastard dragon will just wander up to the gates anyway. It’s great!
3. Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines
Image credit:Activision
What else should I play if I like this? Maybe Bloodlines 2 if it ever comes out. The original Fallout games aren’t exactly all that gothic or erotic, but they capture a similar amorality. There was also a debate as to whether this spot should go to Dragon Age 2 , the more compact Dragon Age where you see a city change over decades.
Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines may need a big ol’ mod to get it in working order, but it’s pen ’n’ paper RPG is a wonderful descent into sex, blood, and dependency, going to dark nooks and crannies which other games dare not. The game offers you so many choices, too - ways to succeed or fail, miserably - in the first half, which makes it one of the truest RPGs on PC. There are a myriad of ways to tackle any situation, whether that’s finding some passcodes, sucking on some necks, or doing some sexy sweet talk. Couple these choices with superb writing and you’ve got a world that genuinely feels alive, even if the character models look… less alive.
But why is Bloodlines on an open world list? Because of its setting in a grimy 00s playground, small but dense, where you get to know the denizens that stay up late for all sorts of reasons. There are odd pockets and secrets to find in the four areas: Santa Monica, Hollywood, Downtown Los Angeles, and Chinatown. And after the gunsmoke has cleared and you’ve failed your last attempt at a seduction, the thing you’ll remember most is your rundown apartment in Santa Monica, the red lit windows of the club in LA, the graveyard in Hollywood…
2. Horizon Forbidden West
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/PlayStation
What else should I play if I like this? Defo go for the first in the series, Horizon Zero Dawn , if you haven’t already. The Dragon Age series captures something of the lush open world, as does (of course) The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
Horizon Zero Dawn was one of the first games to escape PlayStation exclusive containment and make it onto PC. Thus, we get a taste of the sequel, too. Set a thousand years in the future after rogue robots turned everything living on Earth into fuel, the Horizon series starts when things have been in a more stable state for a while. An advanced AI system has been producing robots that take the place of some of the missing animals to cultivate the planet, while humans have re-evolved into disparate tribal societies with their own cultures and customs. In Forbidden West you head over to California, which means you get redwood forests, and rocky desert along with your lush jungles and snowy mountains.
There are also new huge robot dinosaurs to hunt, including ones that are like giant brown bears, or massive snapping turtles. The ruins of the old world are still around, too, so you get to climb and leap around the sky scrapers that were once San Francisco, or explore the underground remains of Vegas. Coupled with a day and night system, and some absolutely beautiful water that covers the place with jewel green and blue rivers and ponds, and you’ve got an open world you can really get lost in.
1. Elden Ring
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Bandai Namco
What else should I play if I like this? Other Souls games may not offer similar scope, but the contentious Dark Souls 2 is, arguably, the most similar of the bunch.
Elden Ring is an open world RPG set in the Lands Between, a place teeming with gangly beasts that want to murder you. Except it’s a really wonderful world, actually. One that gently guides you in the right direction, yet tempts you off the beaten track and into ruined forts, or tight knit caverns, or elevators that’ll blow your mind. Without sounding overdramatic, you probably haven’t ever encountered an open world as dense as Elden Ring’s.
What’s special about Elden Ring is its freedom to explore, not only on your spectral steed, but in your character’s build, too. Want to go samurai? Sure. Want to go for a hybrid of mage and knight? Absolutely. It’s the first FromSoftware game which actively encourages you to probe the dark if you’re struggling with a big obstacle. You never know what you might find, and crucially, how - if you can survive getting your skull crushed by a rock giant, or something - whatever it drops, or unlocks, might help you push further.
A Short Hike
PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X/S , PC , Nintendo Switch
American Truck Simulator
PC
Elden Ring
PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X/S , PC
Hitman World of Assassination
Video Game
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Video Game
Subnautica
PS4 , Xbox One , PC , Nintendo Switch
Sunset Overdrive
Xbox One
Yakuza 0
PS4 , Xbox One , PC
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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:
| Blueprint | Type | Recipe | Crafted At |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bettina | Weapon | 3x Advanced Mechanical Components 3x Heavy Gun Parts 3x Canister | Gunsmith 3 |
| Blue Light Stick | Quick Use | 3x Chemicals | Utility Station 1 |
| Aphelion | Weapon | 3x Magnetic Accelerator 3x Complex Gun Parts 1x Matriarch Reactor | Gunsmith 3 |
| Combat Mk. 3 (Flanking) | Augment | 2x Advanced Electrical Components 3x Processor | Gear Bench 3 |
| Combat Mk. 3 (Aggressive) | Augment | 2x Advanced Electrical Components 3x Processor | Gear Bench 3 |
| Complex Gun Parts | Material | 2x Light Gun Parts 2x Medium Gun Parts 2x Heavy Gun Parts | Refiner 3 |
| Fireworks Box | Quick Use | 1x Explosive Compound 3x Pop Trigger | Explosives Station 2 |
| Gas Mine | Mine | 4x Chemicals 2x Rubber Parts | Explosives Station 1 |
| Green Light Stick | Quick Use | 3x Chemicals | Utility Station 1 |
| Pulse Mine | Mine | 1x Crude Explosives 1x Wires | Explosives Station 1 |
| Seeker Grenade | Grenade | 1x Crude Explosives 2x ARC Alloy | Explosives Station 1 |
| Looting Mk. 3 (Survivor) | Augment | 2x Advanced Electrical Components 3x Processor | Gear Bench 3 |
| Angled Grip II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 3x Duct Tape | Gunsmith 2 |
| Angled Grip III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 5x Duct Tape | Gunsmith 3 |
| Hullcracker | Weapon | 1x Magnetic Accelerator 3x Heavy Gun Parts 1x Exodus Modules | Gunsmith 3 |
| Launcher Ammo | Ammo | 5x Metal Parts 1x Crude Explosives | Workbench 1 |
| Anvil | Weapon | 5x Mechanical Components 5x Simple Gun Parts | Gunsmith 2 |
| Anvil Splitter | Mod | 2x Mod Components 3x Processor | Gunsmith 3 |
| ??? | ??? | ??? | ??? |
| Barricade Kit | Quick Use | 1x Mechanical Components | Utility Station 2 |
| Blaze Grenade | Grenade | 1x Explosive Compound 2x Oil | Explosives Station 3 |
| Bobcat | Weapon | 3x Advanced Mechanical Components 3x Light Gun Parts | Gunsmith 3 |
| Osprey | Weapon | 2x Advanced Mechanical Components 3x Medium Gun Parts 7x Wires | Gunsmith 3 |
| Burletta | Weapon | 3x Mechanical Components 3x Simple Gun Parts | Gunsmith 1 |
| Compensator II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 4x Wires | Gunsmith 2 |
| Compensator III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 8x Wires | Gunsmith 3 |
| Defibrillator | Quick Use | 9x Plastic Parts 1x Moss | Medical Lab 2 |
| ??? | ??? | ??? | ??? |
| Equalizer | Weapon | 3x Magnetic Accelerator 3x Complex Gun Parts 1x Queen Reactor | Gunsmith 3 |
| Extended Barrel | Mod | 2x Mod Components 8x Wires | Gunsmith 3 |
| Extended Light Mag II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 3x Steel Spring | Gunsmith 2 |
| Extended Light Mag III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 5x Steel Spring | Gunsmith 3 |
| Extended Medium Mag II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 3x Steel Spring | Gunsmith 2 |
| Extended Medium Mag III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 5x Steel Spring | Gunsmith 3 |
| Extended Shotgun Mag II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 3x Steel Spring | Gunsmith 2 |
| Extended Shotgun Mag III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 5x Steel Spring | Gunsmith 3 |
| Remote Raider Flare | Quick Use | 2x Chemicals 4x Rubber Parts | Utility Station 1 |
| Heavy Gun Parts | Material | 4x Simple Gun Parts | Refiner 2 |
| Venator | Weapon | 2x Advanced Mechanical Components 3x Medium Gun Parts 5x Magnet | Gunsmith 3 |
| Il Toro | Weapon | 5x Mechanical Components 6x Simple Gun Parts | Gunsmith 1 |
| Jolt Mine | Mine | 1x Electrical Components 1x Battery | Explosives Station 2 |
| Explosive Mine | Mine | 1x Explosive Compound 1x Sensors | Explosives Station 3 |
| Jupiter | Weapon | 3x Magnetic Accelerator 3x Complex Gun Parts 1x Queen Reactor | Gunsmith 3 |
| Light Gun Parts | Material | 4x Simple Gun Parts | Refiner 2 |
| Lightweight Stock | Mod | 2x Mod Components 5x Duct Tape | Gunsmith 3 |
| Lure Grenade | Grenade | 1x Speaker Component 1x Electrical Components | Utility Station 2 |
| Medium Gun Parts | Material | 4x Simple Gun Parts | Refiner 2 |
| Torrente | Weapon | 2x Advanced Mechanical Components 3x Medium Gun Parts 6x Steel Spring | Gunsmith 3 |
| Muzzle Brake II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 4x Wires | Gunsmith 2 |
| Muzzle Brake III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 8x Wires | Gunsmith 3 |
| Padded Stock | Mod | 2x Mod Components 5x Duct Tape | Gunsmith 3 |
| Shotgun Choke II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 4x Wires | Gunsmith 2 |
| Shotgun Choke III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 8x Wires | Gunsmith 3 |
| Shotgun Silencer | Mod | 2x Mod Components 8x Wires | Gunsmith 3 |
| Showstopper | Grenade | 1x Advanced Electrical Components 1x Voltage Converter | Explosives Station 3 |
| Silencer I | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 4x Wires | Gunsmith 2 |
| Silencer II | Mod | 2x Mod Components 8x Wires | Gunsmith 3 |
| Snap Hook | Quick Use | 2x Power Rod 3x Rope 1x Exodus Modules | Utility Station 3 |
| Stable Stock II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 3x Duct Tape | Gunsmith 2 |
| Stable Stock III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 5x Duct Tape | Gunsmith 3 |
| Tagging Grenade | Grenade | 1x Electrical Components 1x Sensors | Utility Station 3 |
| Tempest | Weapon | 3x Advanced Mechanical Components 3x Medium Gun Parts 3x Canister | Gunsmith 3 |
| Trigger Nade | Grenade | 2x Crude Explosives 1x Processor | Explosives Station 2 |
| Vertical Grip II | Mod | 2x Mechanical Components 3x Duct Tape | Gunsmith 2 |
| Vertical Grip III | Mod | 2x Mod Components 5x Duct Tape | Gunsmith 3 |
| Vita Shot | Quick Use | 2x Antiseptic 1x Syringe | Medical Lab 3 |
| Vita Spray | Quick Use | 3x Antiseptic 1x Canister | Medical Lab 3 |
| Vulcano | Weapon | 1x Magnetic Accelerator 3x Heavy Gun Parts 1x Exodus Modules | Gunsmith 3 |
| Wolfpack | Grenade | 2x Explosive Compound 2x Sensors | Explosives Station 3 |
| Red Light Stick | Quick Use | 3x Chemicals | Utility Station 1 |
| Smoke Grenade | Grenade | 14x Chemicals 1x Canister | Utility Station 2 |
| Deadline | Mine | 3x Explosive Compound 2x ARC Circuitry | Explosives Station 3 |
| Trailblazer | Grenade | 1x Explosive Compound 1x Synthesized Fuel | Explosives Station 3 |
| Tactical Mk. 3 (Defensive) | Augment | 2x Advanced Electrical Components 3x Processor | Gear Bench 3 |
| Tactical Mk. 3 (Healing) | Augment | 2x Advanced Electrical Components 3x Processor | Gear Bench 3 |
| Yellow Light Stick | Quick Use | 3x Chemicals | Utility Station 1 |
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
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