ARC Raiders, the new and booming extraction shooter from Embark Studios, has exploded in popularity since its launch in late 2025. Boasting an astonishing 12 million copies sold and a record-breaking 3.2 million daily active users as of January 4th, the game has shattered expectations, with Steam alone seeing peaks of over 481,000 concurrent players. Yet, amid this triumph, top streamers are sounding the alarm over what they describe as an epidemic of cheating that's poisoning high-level play.
Launched after a successful playtest phase, ARC Raiders blends intense PvPvE extraction mechanics with deep looting and crafting systems, drawing comparisons to Escape from Tarkov and Hunt: Showdown. Its cross-platform appeal has propelled it to the top of Steam charts, with daily peaks pushing 3.5 million players across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox. Analysts report over $350 million in revenue, cementing it as one of biggest hits recently.
However, the honeymoon phase appears to be over for competitive players and sweats. High-skill PvP lobbies where aggressive playstyles and gear investment pay off are reportedly being overrun by cheaters wielding wallhacks, aimbots, ESP (extra-sensory perception), and blatant no-recoil macros. Fresh Steam accounts with multiple VAC bans and suspiciously high playtime (e.g., 950+ hours solely in Arc Raiders) are popping up frequently, wiping squads and rendering hours of progression meaningless.
The frustration peaked this week as prominent streamers took to X and their broadcasts to vent. 100 Thieves founder and Call of Duty legend Nadeshot detailed a hellish week in a lengthy post, claiming he'd encountered cheaters in nearly every raid: "I swear to you there were 15-20 games where we got blatantly hacked on... Hours and hours of looting, crafting and investment of time and resources wiped out raid after raid."
He likened the situation to peak Call of Duty cheating and urged Embark to pursue legal action against cheat providers, akin to Epic Games' Fortnite crackdown on cheaters.
Shroud, another FPS icon, unleashed a tirade during a stream, estimating "50% of each lobby is cheating" and blasting Embark: "Embark has 0 control over their game... if there's no meaningful change in the next week or 2, what's the point in f*cking playing? It's a waste of time." Ninja echoed the sentiment, warning that failure to address cheaters and stream snipers could drive away influencers like top streamer Peanut.
Nickmercs, TimTheTatman, Swagg, Agent00, and others have shared clips of suspicious kills from players shooting through ceilings to impossible wallbangs and magically disappearing from thin air. Which is helping with fueling viral outrage.
Not everyone is affected equally. Casual players sticking to PvE focused lobbies report minimal issues, with some claiming zero encounters after hundreds of hours. Streamer Myth argued that big names face disproportionate targeting: "Cheaters are actively trying to clip farm and get reactions from big streamers." Embark's skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) may funnel aggressive, high-MMR players including streamers into cheater-infested zones.
Embark uses Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) and has a strict ban policy, with players receiving loot refunds for confirmed reports. However, no major ban waves or updates have been announced in January, despite the outcry. The studio's X account has been quiet on the issue, focusing instead on milestones like The Game Awards wins. With ARC Raiders' momentum unmatched still topping Steam's premium sales weeks after launch the cheating crisis threatens to derail its legacy.
Streamers like Shroud have already pivoted to alternatives like Tarkov 1.0, and more could follow if Embark doesn't act swiftly. Hardware bans, HWID bans, legal pursuits, or enhanced EAC detection could stem the tide, but time is of the essence. For now, Raiders in high-stakes lobbies are fighting not just Arcs, but an invisible army of hackers. Will Embark reclaim control, or will cheaters raid the game's bright future?
What are your thoughts on the cheating pandemic spreading throughout gaming? Has it gotten worse throughout the years? Let us know what your thoughts are in the comments below.