ARC Raiders Anti-Cheat Update: Why This Is the News We Have Been Waiting For
Embark Studios has published An Update on Anti-Cheat, a direct message from Executive Producer Aleks laying out how the studio is fighting cheating in ARC Raiders. It lands on September 30, 2026, just over a week before the October 8 update.
We will be upfront about where we stand. For a lot of the MetaForge team, cheating has been the single thing that made ARC Raiders feel broken, and this is the first time Embark has spoken about it this plainly, so we are glad to see it.
Why this update matters to us
ARC Raiders works because every raid carries risk you can read and respond to. A rival squad you hear on the stairs, a Trio camping an extract, a solo Raider who outplays you: all of that is the game working as intended.
Cheating removes that. When a loadout you spent an evening building disappears to an aimbot through a wall, there is no lesson to learn and no decision you could have made differently.
That is why the tone of this post stands out as much as the content. Embark admits it was “overly cautious” on bans early on and says outright that it “should have handled this differently.”
What changed at a glance
The table below collects every concrete change and figure from the post, alongside what it means for your raids.
| Area | What Embark confirmed | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Ban policy | Any account caught using cheats is permanently banned | No warnings or second chances for first-time cheaters |
| License restrictions | A sanctioned copy of the game cannot be used on another account | Buying a fresh account on the same copy no longer works |
| Linked accounts | Accounts ever linked to a banned copy are also permanently banned | Alt accounts tied to a cheater go down with the main |
| Hardware bans | Threshold for hardware bans recently lowered | Banned machines are blocked from running the game sooner |
| Hardware ban coverage | Expansion to “almost all systems” caught cheating, planned later in 2026 | Fewer repeat offenders returning on the same PC (TBC on timing) |
| Detection | Kernel-level Denuvo protection, Anybrain detections, and in-house machine-learning models | Multiple systems have to agree before action is taken |
| Future tech | Elytra anti-cheat in small-scale testing in THE FINALS | Could come to ARC Raiders later, no date given |
| Queue teaming | 85% fewer teaming players five days after separation began | Solo lobbies should feel noticeably fairer |
| Spoiled raids | Down from around 1 in 50 to 1 in 300 | No meaningful impact on queue times, per Embark |
Permanent bans are now the default
The biggest policy change is simple. Permanent bans are now standard for all known cheat programs, and Embark states there are “no warnings, no second chances.”
That closes the loop that frustrated so many of us. A first-time cheater used to be able to take a temporary suspension, wait it out, and come back to the same lobbies.
Embark has also moved on the ways cheaters get around bans:
- License restrictions: The specific copy of the game tied to a sanction can no longer be moved to a new account.
- Linked accounts: Any account that has ever been associated with a banned copy also receives a permanent ban.
- Economy exploits: Embark says it has improved its ability to sanction accounts involved in economy exploits, not only cheat software.
Hardware bans are getting wider
Hardware bans stop the game from running on a machine Embark has linked to cheating. The studio says it has lowered the threshold at which these bans apply.
A broader fix is also in progress that should let Embark hardware-ban “almost all systems caught running cheat software.” Embark hopes to ship it later in the year, so we are treating the exact timing as TBC.
The post is honest that hardware bans are “not a silver bullet,” since cheat makers work to spoof or bypass them. We appreciate that framing, because it sets expectations rather than promising cheating will disappear overnight.
How detection works now
Embark describes a layered setup: kernel-level protection from Denuvo, detections from Anybrain, and a growing set of in-house machine-learning models. These systems work together to build confidence before any action is taken.
This builds on the studio’s Ensuring Fair Play update from May 2026, which covered kernel-level protection, telemetry-based machine learning, and a manually reviewed appeals process. The new post confirms a human is still in the loop through appeals, which matters if you are ever caught by a false positive.
Longer term, Embark is testing a system called Elytra in THE FINALS on a small scale. Early results “indicate that this system has promise,” but there is no date for an ARC Raiders test yet.
Why cheaters are not banned instantly
One of the most common complaints is watching someone stream themselves cheating while still playing days later. Embark explains that its systems analyze behavior across multiple instances before banning, to avoid hitting legitimate players.
The studio also says its team reviews videos and streams on YouTube and other platforms and acts on clear evidence. So a clip still being online does not mean the account behind it is safe.
The queue teaming numbers are the standout
Queue teaming is when players coordinate to land in the same solo lobby and gang up on Raiders who queued alone. For solo players, this has been almost as damaging as outright cheating.
Embark says it spent months building detection that can reliably identify teaming groups, and a few days before the post it began keeping them apart in matchmaking. Five days later, it saw 85% fewer players teaming.
The headline figure is spoiled raids dropping from around 1 in 50 to 1 in 300. That is roughly an 83% reduction in how often a raid is ruined this way, with Embark reporting no meaningful impact on queue times.
To put that in terms of a real play session, we ran the odds of hitting at least one spoiled raid based on Embark’s two figures:
| Solo raids played | Chance of at least one spoiled raid (1 in 50) | Chance of at least one spoiled raid (1 in 300) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 raids | 18.3% | 3.3% |
| 50 raids | 63.6% | 15.4% |
| 100 raids | 86.7% | 28.4% |
These are our own calculations from the published rates, assuming each raid is independent, and they are illustrative rather than official Embark data. Still, going from a better-than-even chance of a spoiled raid every 50 games to around 1 in 7 is a big shift for anyone who plays solo most nights.
Example Scenario: You play 10 solo raids across a weekend. Under the old rate, there was close to a 1 in 5 chance that at least one of them would be ruined by a coordinated team, while under the new rate that drops to about 1 in 30.
Embark is clear that teaming up with someone you meet in a raid through proximity chat is still allowed. What it is targeting is coordinating before the raid begins to gain an unfair advantage.
How this fits with the PvE Toggle test
This post arrives a week after Embark announced the PvE Toggle beta test for October 13-20, 2026. That announcement focused on playstyle choice and did not mention cheating.
We see the two as complementary. A PvE queue removes player damage for those who want it, while this anti-cheat work is what will keep PvPvE worth playing for everyone who still wants the risk.
What we want to see next
We are encouraged, but this is a starting point, not a finish line. These are the things we will be watching after the October 8 update and our coverage on the Frozen Trail hub:
- Hardware ban rollout: A date and a sense of how well the expanded coverage holds up against spoofing.
- Ban figures: Even rough numbers on permanent bans issued would help rebuild trust.
- Elytra testing: Confirmation of when, or if, ARC Raiders joins the test.
- Teaming follow-up: Whether the 85% reduction holds once teaming groups adapt.
- Regular updates: Embark says it will “keep you updated,” and a consistent cadence would go a long way.
Cheating will never be fully gone from a competitive extraction shooter, and Embark says as much, calling it “a multi-billion dollar industry.” What matters is making it costly and short-lived, and for the first time in a while, it feels like the balance is shifting back toward fair-playing Raiders.
We will keep tracking the state of the game on our ARC Raiders hub, including our ARC Raiders interactive maps, as the Frozen Trail update rolls out.
Frequently asked questions
Does ARC Raiders permanently ban cheaters?
Yes. Embark confirmed that any account caught using cheats is permanently banned, with no warnings for first-time offenders.
Does ARC Raiders use hardware bans?
Yes. Embark has lowered the threshold for hardware bans and is working on an expansion to cover almost all systems caught cheating, planned for later in 2026.
What anti-cheat does ARC Raiders use?
The post names kernel-level protection from Denuvo, detections from Anybrain, and Embark’s own machine-learning models. Elytra is being tested in THE FINALS and may come to ARC Raiders later.
Why are some cheaters not banned right away?
Embark’s systems analyze behavior across multiple instances to avoid banning legitimate players. Once there is enough certainty, a permanent ban is issued.
Is teaming in solo queues bannable in ARC Raiders?
Embark now detects queue teaming and keeps known teaming groups apart in matchmaking. Teaming up with someone you meet in a raid through proximity chat is still allowed.
How much has queue teaming dropped?
Five days after separating teaming groups, Embark saw 85% fewer players teaming, and spoiled raids fell from around 1 in 50 to 1 in 300.
