ARC Raiders drops to mixed reviews for the first time since launch as player patience runs thin

I could have predicted this outcome half a year ago. With months of stagnant content, rampant cheating, and a balance skewed toward streamers and hardcore players at the expense of casual gamers, ARC Raiders has, for the first time since its launch, received mixed reviews.

Currently, the “mixed” rating on Steam reflects only recent feedback, standing at a 50% positive split. That means that out of roughly 3,000 reviewers in the past month, half would not recommend the title.

The backlash stems from a perceived neglect by Embark and a pronounced leniency toward streamers and veteran players. Casual players claim that these groups exploit the system by forming so‑called “friendly” lobbies solely to overwhelm opponents.

One of the most scathing negative reviews asks, “A live‑service game with a promised ten‑year support plan that sold 20 million copies now drops into maintenance mode after just a few months? Is this a joke?” The issue lies in Embark’s decision to halt monthly updates in May and postpone its next major patch by five months, forcing players to endure the same game state for almost half a year.

The latest update, officially titled Frozen Frontier, brings a brand‑new map, fresh enemies, and an expanded storyline, while also promising to deepen the progression system—though the specifics of those changes remain somewhat nebulous. Still, the title has endured a prolonged content drought, leaving many players disappointed and eroding the community’s enthusiasm.

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Across the board, negative reviews converge on a single grievance: rampant cheating. Despite employing Easy Anti‑Cheat alongside other protective measures, ARC Raiders has struggled to suppress unsportsmanlike behavior, undermining the integrity of its competitive scene.

One critic lamented, “I loved this game for a while, but it’s so infested with rats and cheaters now that it’s only playable in solo runs half the time.”

Another player vents, “Enjoy battling blatant cheaters who flaunt their exploits, as the developers seem utterly inept at enforcing fair play.”

The troublesome players—dubbed “rats”—first feign camaraderie, only to betray teammates. This behavior mirrors complaints that ARC Raiders attracts a hardcore demographic that manipulates matchmaking to sidestep aggressive lobbies and linger in more lenient ones, where they can exploit the relaxed environment.

The cumulative effect of these issues has precipitated a dramatic erosion of the player base, plummeting from nearly 500,000 at its zenith to a mere 30,000 concurrent users during peak periods—a staggering 90% drop. While such a decline might be tolerable for a single‑player RPG, it spells trouble for a live‑service, perpetually online multiplayer title.