Arc Raiders is adding another layer of anti-cheat protection after months of player complaints about cheaters. Patch 1.29.0 begins the rollout of Denuvo Anti-Cheat on May 19, starting with a limited player pool before Embark expands it more widely.
The studio is using Denuvo’s anti-cheat system, not its DRM service. That distinction matters because Denuvo’s DRM has a rough reputation with PC players, while Embark says this rollout is focused on catching unfair play with minimal performance impact.
The first rollout covers a smaller group of players while the studio watches the results, checks performance, and looks for problems before expanding the system.
That slower launch is a smart move for a competitive extraction shooter. Arc Raiders already uses Easy Anti-Cheat, machine-learning detection, Anybrain, and other security layers, but cheaters using wallhacks, aimbots, and exploit tools have remained a major complaint across the community.
The new Denuvo layer is meant to strengthen detection, not replace every existing system. Embark has also said it is testing a new kernel-level solution to improve how it catches cheating across Speranza and the Rust Belt.
Cheating hurts any online game, but it can feel even worse in Arc Raiders. Every run has risk. Players bring gear into the Rust Belt, fight ARC machines, loot what they can, and try to extract before another squad ruins the plan.
Wallhacks and similar tools break that tension because they give cheaters information they should never have. Knowing where players are hiding, what routes they are taking, or when they are about to extract can turn a tense raid into a one-sided ambush.
That is why anti-cheat work is more than a background technical issue here. If players believe every death might have come from unfair information, the whole loop starts to lose trust.
The anti-cheat rollout is part of a larger update. Patch 1.29.0 adds Ermal, a Nomadic Envoy trader who appears in Speranza with weekly rotating deals. Players at level 25 can trade high-value ARC materials and rare weapons for rewards such as stash space and Expedition Vault access.
The same update adds the Rascal grenade launcher, weapon durability adjustments, end-of-round social changes, and a new option to block players after reporting them. Some ARC enemies should also behave more fairly, with changes aimed at reducing awkward knockbacks and strange movement through objects.
Those additions give players more than a security patch to notice. The new trader should help late-game players make better use of extra materials, while the reporting and blocking changes give squads more control after bad matches.
Embark is also trying to avoid punishing the wrong players. The studio says accessibility devices are difficult for anti-cheat systems because some legitimate tools can look similar to devices used for cheating. Its current approach looks at player behaviour and intent, with Anybrain helping expand the system’s knowledge of accessibility hardware.
Ban appeals are reviewed by a person rather than handled only by automation. That is important for players who rely on special controllers or input devices, especially as Arc Raiders adds stronger detection tools.
For now, Denuvo Anti-Cheat is rolling out in stages while Embark watches performance, player reports, and detection data.
