Developer Embark Studios has escalated its response to cheating in Arc Raiders by handing out permanent bans to stream snipers, a step up from previous 30-day suspensions. The move follows weeks of complaints from high-profile streamers and recent patches aimed at curbing exploits. Design lead Virgil Watkins also teased a 2026 roadmap with multiple new maps.
Since the start of the year, Arc Raiders has faced growing criticism over its cheating issues, shifting discussions from praise to frustration among players. On January 6, streamer Shroud voiced his exasperation during a live broadcast, asking, “What’s the point of fuckin’ playing?” amid encounters with cheaters. Fellow streamers Ninja and Nadeshot echoed similar sentiments, warning they might abandon the game without changes.
PC players had been exploiting the Unreal Engine console to disable visual settings, gaining unnatural vision of opponents. Embark responded swiftly: a hotfix removed the console, which was never intended to be accessible, followed by a January 13 patch that nerfed PvP-disrupting elements and blocked key card spoofing cheats. The studio also announced longer-term anti-cheating plans on the game's Discord.
On January 16, reports emerged on Reddit and X of permanent bans targeting stream snipers—players who join streamers' lobbies via visible UUIDs or chance, then use live footage for advantages. One X post by @aimkeyx showed a ban message after just 30 minutes: “Permanently suspended... Due to the severity of your violation, access to your account will not be restored.” This marks a significant escalation from prior 30-day penalties.
Streamer Tfue faced a 30-day ban days earlier, possibly for demonstrating the console exploit on stream, though he denied cheating and had his account restored. Meanwhile, design lead Virgil Watkins hinted at positive developments, promising a soon-to-be-shared 2026 roadmap featuring multiple new maps to enhance the experience for legitimate players.