ARC Raiders promised new anti-cheat updates and streamer protections after some very public frustration from creators who say stream sniping is making the game feel like “a waste of time.”
The tension bubbled up in early January 2026 as reports of exploits and suspected cheaters spread across social media. Things escalated when Shroud openly questioned why he should keep playing if nothing changed.
Not long after, Ninja added posted a blunt “Where are you?” on X aimed at the developers. This came after a frustrating December in which he repeatedly reported cases he considered “f*cking shameless” stream sniping.
But the only official response from Embark was that patches would be coming “soon”, until now.
Embark responds with concrete changes
Addressing players directly via Discord, Embark said it has been closely watching the situation, opening its statement with: “Raiders! We’ve seen the discussion around the topic of cheaters in ARC Raiders.”
Embark stressed that the feedback around stream sniping has not gone unnoticed, saying it is “listening to, and acting on your feedback,” and confirming that new tools are being introduced specifically to help streamers mitigate the issue. Those tools are part of a wider set of changes planned for the coming weeks, which also include updated detection systems and revised rulesets aimed at identifying and removing cheaters more quickly.
The studio added that it is updating its anti-cheat systems to improve detection and bans, while also applying client-side fixes to address the widely abused “out of map” glitch.
While Embark did not outline exactly how the streamer tools will work, it framed them as a direct response to creators who have spent weeks calling out stream sniping during live broadcasts, some even made compilations.
Embark acknowledged they took their time to address the backlash and noted that parts of the team were on holiday as frustration peaked, but said work is now actively underway. “Over the next few weeks, we are implementing significant changes,” the studio promised.
With stream sniping now explicitly named in Embark’s response, the focus shifts to whether those promised tools meaningfully reduce targeted harassment of live players once the updates roll out.
