ARC Raiders, a brand-new Extraction Shooter by Embark Studios, has recently launched on consoles and PC, with a strong opening reception, as it is enjoying 260,000+ players on Steam.
However, ARC Raiders' launch has been soured with reports of players having their hard-earned loot stolen not by skilled players, but by foul play committed by cheaters.
In ARC Raiders, if you encounter cheaters or unfair play, Embark will refund your items to your inventory.🔗 u/Jfourmes pic.twitter.com/MpZG4tRXJuNovember 1, 2025
Embark Studios isn't taking this lying down, as it's tracking down these cheaters and refunding the lost items to the victims' inventories, even if they haven't been reported by players.
This has been confirmed by several players on Reddit confirming loot and gear they lost has suddenly been returned to their inventory without realizing it.
I didn't know we get refunded is someone cheats :O W devs <3 from r/ArcRaiders
This is thanks to a complex "Abnormal Match Compensation" anti-cheat system, Embark Studios has put in place for ARC Raiders. If it detects a player was killed by a cheater who is using third-party tools such as aimbots or wall hacks during a match, it will return the gear the downed player carried in that battle through in-game mail.
As for the cheater, they will be punished with account penalties, including having their account banned so they will be forced to repurchase the game and lose all their gear in the process.
However, it is important to know that players can make Embark Studios' job easier by directly reporting a cheater's profile ID or an in-game incident on the developer's official website or in game.
Don't think you can away with cheating in ARC Raiders
It's very commendable to see Embark Studios go above and beyond to protect its player base from cheating hackers who are too cowardly to play the game as intended at the expense of everybody else.
I'm personally unfamiliar with Extraction Shooters as I never played one, but from the sound of my colleague, Michael Hoglund's, preview of ARC Raiders, it's turning out to be a surprise hit, with him stating that "ARC Raiders is one of the few in the genre that will find a way to bring both casuals and competitive players alike into the same space to experience one of the best games releasing in 2025."
It features a collection of diverse, richly detailed maps, dozens of hours' worth of content, and challenging gameplay as you scour the land for supplies while fending off rival players and intimidating killer robots known as the ARC.
So if you're a fan of Extraction shooters, ARC Raiders is worth putting on your 2025 wishlist as it is now available for purchase on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and PC via Windows and Steam.
FAQ
What is ARC Raiders?
ARC Raiders is a third-person extraction shooter set in a post-apocalyptic world where you are scavenging for supplies, gear and weapons to help you survive, fighting off looters and mysterious mechanical beings known as the ARC.
Can this game be played offline?
No. ARC Raiders is an online-only game that can be played solo or with friends in 3-player co-op parties.
Is ARC Raiders available on Xbox Game Pass?
ARC Raiders is not available to freely download via Xbox Game Pass or PC Game Pass. However, it is playable through Xbox Cloud Gaming through the stream your own game initiative.
Does ARC Raiders have Xbox Play Anywhere support?
Yes. ARC Raiders features Xbox Play Anywhere support, which means if you buy it on Xbox, you will automatically own it on Windows PC and vice versa.
Additionally, your achievements, progress, and accumulated gear will carry over between the aforementioned platforms when using the same Microsoft account.
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