Arc Raiders, one of the hottest extraction shooters of 2025, just made a surprise appearance on South Park, giving fans of both the game and the show an unexpected crossover. The cameo came in Season 28’s "Turkey Trot" episode and highlights not only the game’s cultural reach but also the famously last-minute production style of South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.
Arc Raiders in South Park? Yes, Really. Check out the clip of it down below:
In the episode, Cartman angrily finds Tolkien Black playing Arc Raiders on Xbox in his living room. It’s a significant moment for Embark Studios, whose hit shooter has now sold over 4 million copies and hit 700,000+ concurrent players across platforms.
While video games have appeared in South Park before most famously World of Warcraft in the Emmy-winning Make Love, Not Warcraft Arc Raiders’ cameo marks one of the fastest media integrations the show has ever pulled off.
How the Cameo Happened in Just 3 Days
Embark’s Ashley St. Germain, head of marketing, shared the lightning-fast timeline on LinkedIn:
This three-day turnaround is par for the course for South Park, which has long been famous for producing episodes week-by-week. In fact, Parker and Stone once missed an air date simply because they couldn’t finish in time a rare occurrence for the team, but one they openly admitted was their fault.
The show’s chaotic production pipeline allows for ultra-topical humor and pop culture references. Season 27 experimented with biweekly releases, though it was plagued by delays. Now back in Season 28, the show's ability to stay relevant by inserting timely references like Arc Raiders proves that their model still works.
And this isn't just a fluke. At San Diego Comic-Con 2025, Parker revealed they didn’t even know what the next episode would be just days before airing.
Almost everyone knows that South Park has a history of featuring different video games in the show. Perhaps the most famous one being World of Warcraft. Blizzard's MMORPG was the focus of the episode, Make Love, Not Warcraft, at a time when it was one of the hottest video games on earth.
South Park’s love affair with gaming goes way back. In addition to World of Warcraft, other featured titles include:
- Call of Duty
- Rock Band
- Counter-Strike
- Red Dead Redemption
- And now, Arc Raiders
With only one episode left in Season 28 (set to air December 10th), this last-minute surprise sets the bar high for whatever finale chaos Parker and Stone have planned. What do you think they will release? What topics or new fad could they do? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section down below!
For those not familiar with Arc Raiders, here is a quick look at the trailer for the game down below:
Deadly ARC machines roam the surface as the last of humanity fight over valuable supplies. Loot is scarce, death is quick. Do YOU have what it takes to become a Raider? Enlist. Resist.