21 December 2025

What Arc Raiders Has in Common With Stranger Things, and Why It Works

By newsgame

When I think of ARC Raiders, I don’t normally think about anything related to Stranger Things. However, now that I’m playing the game in the midst of the Netflix series’ final season, I keep seeing plenty of parallels between the two that are really fascinating. ARC Raiders and Stranger Things‘ stories are wildly different, but the two rely on the same aspects to make their worlds feel fully alive. Both involve a larger-than-life threat, as many epics do, but what makes their formulas work so well is a combination of tools that continues to be a success in pop culture.

The extraction shooter only launched back in October, but its short lifespan hasn’t stopped it from being one of the biggest games of 2025. ARC Raiders has scratched an itch that many other live-service games have been attempting to hit. Between the new ARC Raiders update and the first half of Stranger Things‘ final season hitting Netflix, they have both had plenty to offer recently. Even if you’re only a fan of one and not the other, it’s hard to deny that both ARC Raiders and Stranger Things both share a nostalgia-heavy core.

Synth-Heavy Soundtracks Bring ARC Raiders and Stranger Things to Life

The most noticeable similarity between the two at first is their soundtracks. The ARC Raiders soundtrack is one of 2025’s best game scores, but it’s clear that it also sounds an awful lot like Stranger Things‘ music. At this point, even if one hasn’t even watched the show, Stranger Things has some of the most iconic music of the past decade, especially its main theme song. The show simply wouldn’t feel the same without its score, and ARC Raiders would likely feel much different without its synth-focused music, too. Synth immediately sets the mood in both. Whether it’s Eleven encountering a Demogorgon or trying to avoid an ARC while scavenging supplies, the sound of beautifully moody synths in the background really elevates the tension. It’s an essential cornerstone to their worlds, but it’s also a key component to the next trait they both share: a love for retro 80s style.

Retro 80s Aesthetic is the Heart of Each World’s Design

Of course, since Stranger Things is actually set in the 80s, it’s obvious why its aesthetic is this way. When it comes to ARC Raiders, developer Embark Studios could have easily chosen a different style. A completely different decade could have been the source of inspiration. ARC Raiders could have gone way more futuristic with its style or even more bare and survivalist, since it’s a post-apocalyptic story based around a deadly robotic AI threat. A more primitive, wasteland-inspired look would have felt too much like Horizon, though, and the Fallout franchise has staked a claim on a post-apocalyptic world wrapped up in the imagery of naive 1950s optimism.

ARC Raiders‘ retro tech has a practical quality to it that isn’t flashy. Whether it’s ARC Raiders weapons, cosmetics, or items, they are all incredibly grounded and analog, coincidentally matching the pre-digital world of Stranger Things. Even though ARC Raiders uses the 80s as a blueprint, it definitely isn’t the first sci-fi game to be inspired by the decade.

Other Notable Games That Embrace 80s Retro-Futurism

Alien: Isolation (2014)
Cyberpunk 2077 (2020)
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy (2021)
Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet (in development)

Nostalgia Fuels ARC Raiders and Stranger Things’ Tone

It’s hard to embrace retro-futuristic style without also relying heavily on some serious nostalgia. The 80s are often looked at fondly because of their intense impact on pop culture. Whether it was music, movies, TV, or products, the 80s were filled with iconic moments that still influence creators today. While nostalgia can be a powerful tool, it can also easily become cheesy. However, ARC Raiders and Stranger Things don’t use the 80s as an avenue to shoehorn references. Stranger Things is a love letter to the 80s, not a parody, and ARC Raiders uses the decade’s vibe as a tool to ground its world instead of making it feel like a cheap and easy gimmick.

Isolation and Slow-Burn Tension Make for a More Meaningful Experience

Isolation and slow burns are definitely traits that are more in line with Stranger Things‘ earlier seasons, but it still applies when looking at the series and ARC Raiders. Before the main Vecna storyline officially kicked off, Stranger Things unfolded as a slower-paced mystery, and one of the many things that ARC Raiders does so well is handle measured pacing. When ARC Raiders brings the action, it’s intense, but when there isn’t any threat to take down and players can focus on survival and scavenging, it’s quite a slow-burning experience for a live-service game. Other live-service titles like Fortnite and Call of Duty have made action the top priority, but ARC Raiders forces players to take their time. Both Stranger Things and ARC Raiders let the tension hang in the air, making the mystery and heavy mood the priority instead of constantly servicing action-hungry appetites.

What is it About This Formula That Works So Well?

Synthesizers are versatile instruments that can capture a variety of emotions.
80s retro-futurism is an aesthetic that makes for eye-catching, but grounded, visuals.
Nostalgia is a useful tool to make viewers feel attached.
Slow-burn storytelling can make for a richer experience.

Any one of these features is strong enough on its own, but when they’re combined, it creates a really powerful identity. ARC Raiders and Stranger Things ultimately look nothing alike, but they use the same tools to build their own special worlds. Throughout pop culture, 80s sci-fi has been one of the genre’s most successful periods, and the decade’s unique vibe is bound to continue inspiring developers and creators.

So, even though ARC Raiders‘ lore is a far cry away from Stranger Things and its Dungeons & Dragons-inspired horror mystery, the two still share core principles, and that’s fascinating. Despite embracing the same aspects, these properties have managed to clearly stand on their own, demonstrating how a single theme can inspire diverse and unique stories.