Designing Maps Across Sizes: Lessons from Arc Raiders' 2026 Roadmap

Hook: Why your maps aren’t working for all match types — and how to fix them now

Designers and studio leads: you know the pain. Players complain that your maps feel either too sprawling for quick modes or too cramped for objective play. Match types split the player base, and content teams burn hours reworking the same level across modes. If Embark Studios’ 2026 roadmap for Arc Raiders taught us anything, it’s that a deliberate, spectrum-driven approach to map sizes can increase lifecycle, improve matchmaking, and delight players across solo, squad, and esport contexts.

The 2026 context: why size variety matters now

Late 2025 and early 2026 accelerated two trends that affect map design decision-making:

• Telemetry-first iteration: live games now ship with richer analytics out of the box. Designers use heatmaps, funnel data, and time-in-zone metrics to justify structural changes in hours, not months.
• Mode proliferation: players expect both casual fast-play modes and deeper objective experiences. Studios (including Embark) respond with multiple map sizes tuned to match types rather than shoehorning one layout into every mode.

When Arc Raiders' design lead Virgil Watkins talked about maps "across a spectrum of size" in a GamesRadar interview, he crystallized what many teams were already doing: think in scaling archetypes (micro, standard, macro) rather than rigid map buckets.

Core principle: design for the size spectrum, not for a single player count

The practical shift is this: design a level as a modular system that can be tuned across a size spectrum. Each size should support a coherent loop for its match type. If you treat map size as a slider with specific levers (spawn density, traversal shortcuts, cover granularity, and objective placement), you can generate variants that feel handcrafted while sharing assets and flow logic.

Size archetypes and match-type alignment

Below are three archetypes to standardize your approach. Use them as templates, not rules.

Micro (2–12 players) — fast, lethal, and read-easy

Best for quick elimination modes, duels, and pop-in events. Objectives are urgent and close; movement aims for rapid engagements.

• Match length: 5–10 minutes
• Design focus: clear sightlines, fast rotations, predictable choke points
• Tactical features: secondary vault lanes, compressed verticality, increased spawn frequency

Standard (12–32 players) — the workhorse size

Most social and ranked modes sit here. Standard maps balance tactical depth with readability.

• Match length: 10–20 minutes
• Design focus: multiple viable routes, purposeful cover, and distinct control nodes
• Tactical features: mid-range sightlines, designed flank corridors, objective staging areas

Macro (32+ players) — grand, emergent, and layered

For large-scale objectives, conquest-style modes, and cinematic setpieces. Macro maps need systems for persistence and meaningfully separate arenas to avoid spawn camping.

• Match length: 20–60 minutes
• Design focus: emergent hotspots, traversal networks, transport nodes
• Tactical features: vehicles or fast traversal, sub-objectives, multiple sightline tiers

Step-by-step: turning one level into a family of variants

Here’s a practical, repeatable pipeline I use when building map variants. It’s inspired by how teams like Embark plan roadmaps and includes concrete playtesting hooks for each step.

1) Lock the narrative and functional anchor

Identify the persistent element that defines the level — a core landmark, set of objectives, or unique mechanic. For Arc Raiders that might be the Stella Montis atrium or a Spaceport launchpad. Keep that anchor in every variant to preserve recognizability.

2) Define mode-specific player flow goals

Write short, measurable goals for each variant: e.g., "Micro variant: average time-to-first-contact < 40s," or "Macro variant: 3 meaningful objective shifts per match." These targets drive layout decisions.

3) Create a modular blockout

Block out the map as a grid of modules—rooms, corridors, arenas—tagged by function (combat, downtime, objective). This modularity is the key to downscaling or expanding the layout without brand-new assets.

4) Apply size-specific tuning layers

For each archetype, toggle a series of levers:

• Spawn density and timing — higher in micro, lower in macro
• Traversal shortcuts — add or remove dash lanes, zip lines, or transport pods
• Cover granularity — higher fidelity cover in micro; layered cover in macro
• Objective staging — cluster objectives for micro, spread and chain objectives for macro

5) Balance encounter pacing and TTK

Match type defines the feel of combat. Short matches and micro maps need tight TTKs and high risk; macro maps permit longer TTK and more tactical retreats. Tune weapon spawns, health pickup frequency, and ability cooldowns per variant.

6) Build telemetry hooks into the map

Instrument the level with event hooks: entry/exit of zones, objective captures, death locations, and time-spent in chokepoints. These feed your playtests and post-launch tuning — tie them into your observability stack so you can act on hot data fast.

7) Iterate with rapid playtests and heatmaps

Run three tiers of playtests:

1. Internal quick loops (design + QA) to validate mechanics and spawns.
2. Closed community tests (10–100 players) to collect early behavior and qualitative feedback — working with your playerbase is critical (consider moving community touchpoints off noisy feeds into owned channels; see community migration playbooks).
3. Telemetry-driven open tests (live servers) to capture robust heatmaps and deviation metrics.

Practical design patterns for cross-size reuse

These patterns help keep variants feeling intentional rather than recycled.

1) Hierarchical landmarks

Use the same landmark at all scales but change its role. A fountain might be a central capture point in a standard map, a flanking shortcut in a micro map, and a contested supply depot in a macro map.

2) Flow anchors

Implement flow anchors—nodes that always funnel players predictably (stairs, tunnels, bridges). In micro variants, compress anchors; in macro, add branching paths between them.

3) Tiered verticality

Use verticality to create differentiated sightlines across sizes. Micro maps use shallow tiers to prevent camping; macro maps can support major vertical movement with skybridges or lifts.

4) Safe zones and recovery loops

Macro maps need intentional recovery zones where lost teams can regroup. Micro maps require shorter, riskier recovery mechanics (e.g., immediate respawn points or brief invulnerability windows).

Playtesting techniques that actually move the needle

Surface-level feedback ("this feels too big") isn’t actionable. Use the methods below to translate opinion into changes.

Quantitative KPIs

• Time-to-first-contact — how long until players meet the first opponent?
• Engagement density — % of players in hotspots per minute
• Objective throughput — captures per match length
• Respawn loop duration — time between death and return to meaningful play

Qualitative hooks

• Session debriefs with chosen testers (recorded narrations during play)
• Short, targeted surveys after first match vs. fifth match (learn adaptation)
• Clip harvesting: ask players to mark a 10–15s clip for "best" and "worst" moments

A/B testing the map slider

Run A/B tests where only one variable changes (e.g., spawn density). This isolates causality. In a 2026-era studio pipeline, this can be automated: two map variants live, matched by population, with analytics tagging differences — tie the experiments back into your observability and analytics for confident decisions.

Optimization and pipeline tips — save dev time and shipping headaches

Creating many variants risks ballooning memory and build complexity. Use these engineering-friendly guidelines.

Modular asset libraries

Design environmental kits that fit multiple scales: interchangeable corridors, modular staircases, and universal props. This reduces iteration time and keeps visual fidelity consistent — a direct productivity win highlighted in developer tooling discussions on developer productivity.

LOD and streaming tuned per archetype

Macro maps benefit from aggressive streaming. Micro maps can preload fewer assets and use higher LODs—both optimizing memory and improving load times for quick modes. Also review your delivery pipeline for edge-friendly assets (see tips on reducing latency and improving viewer experience for live events) and your texture/asset strategy for responsive delivery (responsive JPEGs).

Config-driven tuning

Keep spawn tables, pickup frequencies, and objective timers in data config files. Designers should be able to shift the slider for a variant without a full build — this pattern appears across modern studios and ties back to cost and governance signals in larger engineering orgs (developer productivity).

Balancing for competitive and casual audiences

Arc Raiders’ roadmap hints at designing with multiple audiences in mind. Here’s how to keep both groups happy.

Competitive clarity

• Remove random variability in competitive variants (no random door states; predictable spawns)
• Offer mirrored or rotated versions to reduce side advantage
• Expose clear sightline charts and telemetry for esport teams

Casual delight

• Add small emergent toys (NPCs, environmental hazards) to maco variants for spectacle
• Create shorter micro playlists for casual sessions
• Leverage cosmetic-driven routing so players can express playstyle while learning layouts

Case study: hypothetically rescaling Stella Montis and Spaceport

Drawing from the existing Arc Raiders locales (Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, Spaceport, Blue Gate, and Stella Montis), here's a concrete application of the pipeline above.

Stella Montis — micro variant

Keep the labyrinthine charm but compress corridors, reduce vertical loops to one or two tiers, and place a central power node that flips control every 90 seconds. Aim for time-to-first-contact < 30s. Increase health pickups to encourage aggression.

Spaceport — macro variant

Expand launch bays into a multi-stage objective: secure fuel cells, escort launch convoy, and defend the tower. Add tram routes between arenas and persistent sub-objectives that reward map control. Introduce recovery hubs behind flanking routes.

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them

• Overcompression: shrinking a map without changing objectives makes encounters feel samey. If you downscale, rethink objective placement and spawn logic.
• Feature sprawl: adding too many unique mechanics per variant creates cognitive load. Keep one defining mechanic per size tier.
• Telemetry neglect: ignoring data leads to opinion-driven changes. Instrument early and iterate based on KPIs.
• Asset bloat: avoid unique props for tiny variants. Reuse with recolors or modular recomposition.

Future-forward ideas for 2026 and beyond

Looking ahead, expect these developments to inform map variant design:

• AI-assisted layout generation: designers will use ML to propose balanced variants based on historical heatmaps.
• Player-created variants: curated, vetted community maps that can slot into the size spectrum — supported by community tooling and playtest programs (community pitch/playtest channels).
• Dynamic cross-mode flow: maps that change mid-match to support hybrid modes—e.g., start micro, expand to macro after an objective event.

Actionable checklist — ship a variant this sprint

1. Pick one existing level and lock its anchor feature.
2. Define the target archetype and measurable KPIs.
3. Block out a modular variant in the engine in 48 hours.
4. Instrument at least five telemetry hooks (death, entry, objective, respawn, pickup).
5. Run 3 quick internal rounds and one closed community test within the week.
6. Collect heatmaps, adjust spawn density, and ship as an experimental playlist.

Closing thoughts: designing maps for a player-driven future

Arc Raiders’ 2026 roadmap is a practical reminder that modern map design is about systems and spectrum, not single-shot art. When you treat maps as flexible ecosystems—anchored by a memorable landmark, tuned for a target match type, and refined with ruthless telemetry—you unlock more varied, fair, and engaging experiences for your players.

Designers: start small. Convert one map into a micro and macro variant this month and use live data to prove the value. Studios: invest in modular pipelines and telemetry. Players: expect better variety in 2026 and beyond.

Call to action

Want a practical template to kick off your first variant? Join the PlayGo community map-lab: download our free modular blockout kit, get a checklist tailored to your engine, and submit your prototype for a playtest slot. Let’s build maps that fit every player—fast.

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