Arc Raiders Finally Starts Cracking Down On Duplication Exploit Cheaters
Arc Raiders, one of the biggest hits of 2026, has been fighting cheats and exploits since day one. Recently, however, a particular item duplication exploit was popularized by streamer TheBurntPeanut, whose videos on the matter received over 130K views. Embark Studios previously voiced its displeasure with this issue and patched it out with a hotfix just hours after the Arc Raiders 1.15.0 update, and now there's an official statement from the developers laying out the punishments for those who abused the exploit.
According to Embark Studios, "outcomes will vary" but range from simple warnings in low-severity cases to full suspensions in severe cases "where exploit usage had a significant impact on the in-game economy or other players' experience." Coins tied to the exploit may also be removed from users' accounts.
For players wondering why Embark Studios took so long to act on these exploits after the patch, the developers previously stated that they would need to investigate. In the statement, Embark emphasized the importance of "fairness and accuracy" when handling penalties against players, "based on what we can define, prove, and stand behind." This included "confirming exploit usage, scope, and effect," "separating accidental/edge-case behavior from repeated and intentional abuse" and assessing the exploit's impact on both the economy and competitive integrity. A more overzealous developer may have resorted to the maximum punishment for all users of the exploit, even those who just tested it once as a proof of concept or used it accidentally, so this approach is a desirable one.
In any case, it's good that Embark Studios is taking care of this problem ahead of the upcoming Expedition 2. Signups for that run from February 25th to March 1st, or just under a week from time of writing. While the game isn't hitting the same absurd peak of 481K players in the past two months, peaks in the high 200K to mid 300K range have been common. Major updates should keep the game healthy for what is hopefully years to come, and should draw in a mix of new and returning players.
