As of January 8, 2026, ARC Raiders is currently the most talked-about game in the world, but for two very different reasons: record-breaking success and a growing cheating crisis. Despite being a new IP, Embark Studios' extraction shooter has managed to achieve a massive 12 million copies sold in just over two months, even managing to outperform established giants like Call of Duty and Battlefield in player retention.
However, the "honeymoon phase" is officially over, as top creators and fans alike demand a solution to the "lawless" state of the lobbies.
The Shroud Ultimatum
Former pro Michael "Shroud" Grzesiek, one of the game's loudest supporters since its October launch, didn't hold back during his recent stream. While acknowledging that the dev team was away for the holidays, he issued a clear warning to Embark:
Shroud isn't alone. Nadeshot recently claimed the cheating in ARC Raiders is "worse than peak Call of Duty," while streamers like TimTheTatMan and Cloakzy have been vocal about the "stream sniping" epidemic that makes playing the game live nearly impossible.
The "Stella Montis" Exploit & Cheating Meta
The community is currently frustrated by three specific issues:
Map Glitches: On the Stella Montis map, players have found exploits to glitch out of the environment, allowing them to shoot through roofs and floors with zero counter-play.
External Hacks: Aimbots and wallhacks are becoming increasingly common, leading players to call for "Epic-style" legal action against cheat providers.
The "Trigger Nade" Meta: A controversial grenade that has become the dominant weapon in PvP, often resulting in "instant kills" that feel unfair to many raiders.
Embark’s Response: "Loot Refunds" & The Jan 13 Update
Embark Studios has been surprisingly proactive in one specific area: compensation.
Abnormal Match Compensation: Embark has implemented a system that automatically detects if a player was killed by a cheater. If confirmed, the game refunds your lost items via in-game mail—a first for the extraction shooter genre.
Upcoming Patch: A community manager (Birdie) confirmed that the team is back from holiday and "looking into" balance changes.
Expected Buffs/Nerfs: The next update (rumored for Tuesday, January 13) is expected to nerf the Trigger Nade and the Stitcher, while also fixing the collision bugs on Stella Montis.
ARC Raiders by the Numbers (Jan 2026)
| Metric | Statistic |
| Daily Active Users (Peak) | 3.2 Million (Set Jan 4, 2026) |
| Total Copies Sold | 12 Million+ |
| Estimated Revenue | $350 Million+ |
| Steam Peak (Concurrent) | 481,966 |
Do you think the "Gear Refund" system is enough to keep people playing through the hacks, or do you agree with Shroud that the core gameplay is at risk if they don't fix the anti-cheat itself?
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