Arc Raiders has plenty of ways to humble you, but the Buried City button puzzle feels like the developers decided to test your patience on purpose. What looks like a harmless red button in front of a mysterious door quickly escalates into a map-wide exercise in coordination. This isn’t a puzzle you brute force, and it’s definitely not one you casually stumble through between fights.
Distances are long, mistakes are punished instantly, and the game offers absolutely no sympathy when things go wrong. If you’ve found yourself staring at that door, wondering how to open it, you’re in the right place. This guide lays out what’s going on, what you’re actually expected to do, and how to approach the puzzle without spiraling into full raid-induced despair.
How To Complete The Buried City Button Puzzle
The Buried City button puzzle in Arc Raiders is a brutal test of coordination that requires activating 15 red buttons across the map in a strict sequence. These buttons are spread far apart, sometimes more than 500 meters from one another, which makes the puzzle slow and unforgiving. Pressing even a single button out of order instantly resets the entire sequence.
Movement speed is critical, so bringing Adrenaline and Ziplines is highly recommended. The faster you move, the less time there is for something to go wrong.
While it’s technically possible to complete the puzzle solo, it’s far more realistic with a duo or trio. Splitting up allows each player to camp near specific buttons and alternate presses as the sequence progresses. Clear voice communication is essential, as timing and confirmation matter for every activation. Without consistent callouts, it’s easy to lose track and accidentally reset the puzzle.
Be aware that anyone can interact with the buttons. If another player, even a random passerby, presses a button out of order, the puzzle immediately resets.
Below, we describe and show each button location in detail.
Arc Raiders: Achievement/Trophy Guide
Let’s get achievement hunting.
Button 1: Plaza Rosa Attic
The first button is tucked away inside one of the left-most Plaza Rosa buildings, on the top floor. Head up to the second floor and look for the room with the distinct green kitchen. Right next to that kitchen, along the wall, you’ll find the red button waiting to be pressed just beside the floral armchair.
Button 2: Galleria (Lower Level)
This button sits at the very bottom of the Galleria’s interior on the southern end, hidden along the lower floor in a narrow corridor. If you’re coming from the roof, slide down the yellow rope, then immediately turn left. Follow the tight hallway until you spot the button tucked against the wall between a few metal shelves.
Button 3: Warehouse Rooftop (Rear Side)
Climb onto the Warehouse roof using the yellow ladder on the west side of the building. Once on top, move toward the rear wall near the skylights. The button is hidden in a cramped space between two ventilation units, easy to miss if you’re not checking the walls carefully.
Button 4: Marano Park Shop
Inside Marano Park, surrounded by trees in the open space, look for the small, grey standalone shop building. Head inside and search the interior walls: the button is placed within the shop itself, making this one of the more straightforward finds.
Button 5: Grandioso Apartments (South Building, Top Floor)
Enter the southern Grandioso Apartments building and make your way to the highest interior floor (not the roof). Step out onto the balcony, break the glass, and loop around back inside. The button is hidden behind a blue-and-orange patterned couch, tucked out of direct sight.
Button 6: Piazza Arbusto Tower
This button is mounted on the exterior wall of the tall blue tower in Piazza Arbusto. You’ll need to carefully traverse the narrow ledge wrapping around the tower to reach it, so watch your footing while circling the structure. You can get up here by climbing the shorter building by the bridge side.
Button 7: Library Bus
Just north of the Library, look for the parked bus, the same one that can spawn a weapon case. Step inside the bus and check the interior walls to find the button hidden within.
Button 8: Town Hall Adjacent Building
Head into the building to the left of Town Hall and work your way up to the top floor. Inside, you’ll find a purple-colored bedroom. The button is hidden behind the bed, so make sure to check the back wall.
Button 9: Buried Properties (Raider Depot South)
Just south of the Raider Depot in Buried Properties, you’ll find a crumbled building marked by a yellow flag and a small yellow vehicle inside. The button is embedded within the ruins of this structure, just next to the small yellow vehicle.
Button 10: Hospital Stairwell
Go to the Hospital and locate the main stairwell. Travel all the way down to the lowest floor, near the hospital metro entrance. The button is hidden under the stairs, right at ground level. It’ll be behind the yellow caution floor signs that are stacked there.
Button 11: Collapsed Bridge Structure
At the Abandoned Highway, look for the broken bridge section that has collapsed and now rests against a building. Use the yellow zipline to reach the elevated wreckage. Once underneath the bridge structure, you’ll find the button within the rubble.
Button 12: Church Ruins
At the Church Ruins location, head toward the bottom-left section of the buried structures. The button is placed right next to a chimney on a roof. There are many trees surrounding this.
Button 13: Santa Maria Attic
Within the Santa Maria housing compound, head to the far-left house. Enter the attic by climbing onto the roof and accessing the skylight door. The button is hidden inside this attic space along the interior wall, next to some piled furniture.
If you see a Security Breach Container here, you are in the wrong attic at the Santa Maria compound. Exit that attic and keep following the roofline towards the left.
Button 14: Piazza Roma Tower
This button is located inside the beige brick tower near Piazza Roma on the northwest side, close to Marano Station. Explore the tower’s interior floors carefully, as the button is mounted on the corner of one of the internal walls rather than outside. You’ll know you’re in the right place when you see a tall tree and a black street lamp.
Button 15: Building Near The Red Tower (Final Button)
The final button is found inside a building with green shutters just north of Red Tower, with the entrance on the north side of the building. Look along the first floor next to the stairs. Pressing this button concludes the Buried City puzzle and unlocks the door for you to open.
What Are The Buried City Button Puzzle Rewards?
Once you press the final button, the locked door in Buried City will finally open. Fireworks will shoot out as it unlocks, and you can enter a room packed with loot. Inside, you’ll find items like Guitars, Recorders, Shakers, and Candle Holders.
Guitars and Shakers are exclusive to this puzzle, so you’ll only be able to obtain them by completing this puzzle successfully.
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