Many ARC Raiders players are describing being shot through walls or trading kills seconds after dying, indicating a delay between what the game client displays and what the server registers in real-time. ARC Raiders has earned some impressive player counts and positive reviews since launch, thanks to its slick presentation and solid PvPvE combat. A recent wave of desync reports has put a dampener on the game’s success, however.
Beyond the initial ARC Raiders server congestion caused by high player demand, ARC Raiders has faced plenty of speculation about its backend setup. A popular theory suggested that desync was so prevalent because the game ran on a 3Hz server tick rate. That said, recent coverage paints a very different picture.
ARC Raiders Players Report Desync and Hit Detection Issues
A report from The Escapist helped clarify what’s actually happening behind the scenes. Their testing found that ARC Raiders seems to run on roughly 90Hz servers, debunking the popular theory that the game operates at a borderline unplayable 3Hz tick rate. The account added that the studio is actively investigating ongoing server issues and packet loss that some players continue to experience.
That claim was further dismissed by @ARCRaidersNews on X, who confirmed—via creator @Kleanisklean—that someone at Embark told them directly the game “wouldn’t even run at 3Hz.”
Even with that rumor put to rest, clips of questionable hit registration continue to surface across Reddit, YouTube, and X, showing ARC Raiders players getting tagged while fully behind cover or exchanging fire after clear delays. Some community members believe the problem lies in the game’s packet handling over UDP, which manages live movement data. Embark has yet to comment publicly on any specific theory but has acknowledged broader backend instability since launch.
A Serious Desync Problem Could Sink ARC Raiders
These technical issues couldn’t come at a worse time for a live-service title trying to cement its reputation. Though the core gunplay in ARC Raiders is sharp and rewarding when everything works, desync can turn even the best potential PVP encounters into no more than a bug-ridden headache. Players finding fundamentals like solid cover and peek-timing to be unreliable only stands to erode the sense of control that makes extraction shooters like ARC Raiders satisfying.
