Embark says ARC Raiders is tightening anti-cheat enforcement with detection from Denuvo, Anybrain and its own models, plus permanent bans for accounts caught cheating. The studio also reports that separating known queue-teaming groups in matchmaking reduced that behavior. It has not published an independent audit of those results, and some planned measures are not yet deployed.
What Embark announced
In its September 30, 2026 anti-cheat update, Executive Producer Aleksander Grøndal described a broader effort to identify cheat software and economic exploits, block routes cheats use, and make cheating harder and less worthwhile. Embark said it withholds some technical details so cheat makers cannot use them to adapt.
The announcement came ahead of a major update Embark said was planned for October 8, 2026. The studio’s statements describe its own systems and progress; they do not amount to an independent assessment of how effectively those systems detect cheating.
How ARC Raiders is detecting and penalizing cheating
Detection combines several systems
Embark says its current detection stack includes kernel-level protection from Denuvo, detections from Anybrain, and an expanding set of in-house models using machine learning and other data. The studio says these systems build confidence before enforcement, with human review available through appeals. It has not released a public technical specification for the systems.
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For context, Embark’s May 7, 2026 fair-play update described an earlier setup involving Easy Anti-Cheat, machine-learning models trained on player telemetry, and work with Anybrain. It also said every ban appeal is reviewed by a person. The September update is the studio’s more recent description of its anti-cheat stack.
Permanent bans and other sanctions
Embark says accounts caught cheating are permanently banned, with no warnings or second chances. Grøndal put the policy this way: “Permanent bans are now standard for all known cheat programs and, as a matter of policy, any account caught using cheats is permanently banned. No warnings. No second chances.”
The studio also described restrictions on sanctioned game licenses, tighter enforcement against linked accounts, and hardware bans when evidence indicates a particular machine is being used for cheating. Embark said it had lowered its threshold for hardware bans and hoped to expand the systems it can target later in 2026; that expansion was a plan, not a completed rollout.
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Why enforcement may take time
Embark says it does not ban someone simply because an action looks suspicious. Its systems analyze behavior across multiple instances to reduce the risk of punishing legitimate players by mistake. Staff may also review public videos or streams when they show clear evidence. That means an apparent delay is not, by itself, evidence that a report was ignored or that a player was cleared.
What counts as queue teaming—and what remains allowed
Embark defines queue teaming as players coordinating before a raid to enter the same solo lobby and attack people who queued alone. That pre-arranged effort to gain an unfair advantage is the behavior the studio says it is targeting.
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By contrast, teaming with someone encountered during a raid through proximity chat remains fair game, according to Embark. The distinction is when and how the alliance is formed: pre-raid coordination to target solo players is the problem; an alliance formed with someone met in the raid is permitted.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Embark’s reported results from separating known groups
Embark said it began keeping known queue-teaming groups apart in matchmaking. Five days later, the studio reported 85% fewer players engaging in the behavior. It also said “spoiled raids” declined from around 1 in 50 to 1 in 300, with no meaningful effect on queue times.
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Those are Embark’s reported figures, not independently verified measurements. They describe the reported effect of this matchmaking intervention on queue teaming; they do not establish the overall prevalence of cheating in ARC Raiders or prove that every suspected incident is cheating.
Quick Recap
What players can reasonably conclude
- Embark says its current detection uses Denuvo, Anybrain and in-house models; Elytra remains a possible future test for ARC Raiders.
- The studio says cheating leads to permanent account bans, with license, linked-account and evidence-based hardware sanctions also available.
- Queue teaming means arranging before a raid to land together in a solo lobby and attack solo players. Forming a team with someone first met during a raid is allowed.
- The reported decline in queue teaming is encouraging as a studio-reported outcome, but it is not an independently audited measure of the game’s overall cheating problem.
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