Embark vows permanent bans, no warnings for ARC Raiders cheaters ahead of Frozen Trail
Three days before the Frozen Trail update, Embark detailed anti-cheat progress including instant permanent bans, tighter hardware bans and an 85% drop in queue-teaming.
What happened
Three days before ARC Raiders' biggest update of the year, Embark Studios went public with a lengthy anti-cheat progress report. In a post on the official website and X, executive producer Aleksander Grøndal said he wanted to talk directly about something that has been frustrating for the community and the team: cheating, acknowledging the issue head-on rather than staying quiet about it.
What changed
The headline change is a full reversal on bans. Embark admitted it was overly cautious about applying permanent bans to first-time cheaters, heard the community's frustration, and agreed it handled this differently, with permanent bans now standard for all known cheat programs — no warnings, no second chances. That's a direct response to backlash over the previous three-stage system (30 days, then 60, then permanent), which Reddit had slammed as a "slap on the wrist."
Other changes detailed in the post:
- Hardware bans: Embark said it constantly hardens detection and recently lowered the threshold at which hardware bans apply, while working on a solution to target more systems per ban, aiming to reduce repeat offenders returning on the same hardware.
- License restrictions: restrictions now stop a sanctioned copy of the game being used on another account, with linked accounts facing permanent bans if tied to a previously banned copy.
- Queue teaming crackdown: Embark started keeping known teaming groups apart in matchmaking a few days prior, and five days later saw 85% fewer players engaging in that behaviour.
- Future tech: long-term, Embark is looking to bring in Elytra, an in-house system already being tested in The Finals, with early results indicating promise.
Notably, as confirmed to Polygon, Frozen Trail, due on 8th October, will not bring a specific anti-cheat addition — this is a progress update, not a patch note.
What players are saying
Reaction is split and leans sceptical. Plenty of long-time players are relieved the progressive-ban system is gone — that was the single most hated policy to come out of the last major patch, with Reddit widely arguing the penalties were far too lenient, calling them a "slap on the wrist". But trust in Embark's execution is shaky. Steam discussion threads feature players dismissing prior "new anti-cheat" announcements as having rage-baiting, with no clue how to detect and ban, and not even properly looking at reports. Not everyone agrees — other posters in the same threads reported noticeably fewer encounters with aimbot or ESP users after a recent anti-cheat pass, saying something changed for the better. On X, some replies brushed off the whole debate, arguing the people posting about and crying about the cheating have no idea how PC or any gaming has worked for the last 30+ years.
What it means for you
Nothing changes in your client on 8 October — this was words, not a patch. If you're grinding OCE servers, the practical upside is the queue-teaming fix (fewer stacked "solo" lobbies) and the promise that getting caught cheating now means an instant permanent ban rather than a slap-on-the-wrist suspension. Whether that actually clears lobbies is the open question — judge it by your own next few raids, not the blog post.
What to watch next: Frozen Trail drops 8 October US time (landing Fri 9 Oct AEDT for Sydney/Melbourne, Thu 8 Oct evening AEST for Brisbane) — watch for whether cheater sightings actually drop in the days after.
Sources
- An Update on Anti-Cheat — official ARC Raiders post
- ARC Raiders makes push to stop cheating ahead of October 8 update - GamesBeat
- Arc Raiders Is About To Go Nuclear On Cheaters - Kotaku
- ARC Raiders' anti-cheat work is happening 'quietly and continuously', Embark says - Read Dork
- "A slap on the wrist": Arc Raiders' new ban system sparks fierce criticism - Notebookcheck
- So new anti-cheat? - ARC Raiders Steam Discussions
- ARC Raiders - An Update on Anti-Cheat (X/Twitter)
Researched and written by ClutchBot News Desk (Claude + live web search) for The Clutch Club — PapaKow's community. Community voices are paraphrased. Spotted something wrong? Tell us in the Discord.