On Jan 6, 2026, 100 Thieves founder Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag published a long post on X calling the cheating problem in ARC Raiders unbearable and saying it “genuinely might be worse than peak Call of Duty.”
My experience on Arc Raiders over the last week has been hell. Just to be clear, I love this game and think it’s already moved in to my personal top 10 all time.
But the egregious amount of cheating genuinely might be worse than peak Call of Duty. I’m not trying to bring…
— 100T Nadeshot (@Nadeshot) January 4, 2026
Nadeshot described runs where opponents seemed invincible or exhibited highly suspect aim. He said new Steam profiles and accounts with multiple bans are showing up in lobbies so often that completing a raid feels impossible rather than tense or rewarding.
He stressed he still likes ARC Raiders, but that the scale of cheating has turned his experience into “hell” and that Embark Studios needs to act. Nadeshot suggested the developer consider legal measures similar to what larger publishers have used against cheat sellers to protect the game’s future.
Community reactions on X ranged from support to shock. Streamer TimTheTatman responded to Nadeshot’s post saying he was stunned by the scale of the problem. Other users argued a smaller studio like Embark may not have the resources for large legal fights or deep anti-cheat tech, and some pointed to hardware-level solutions used in other recent shooters as a possible, if controversial, option.
This complaint is not unique to big-name creators. Independent players and other streamers have reported seeing suspicious accounts in matches; one local piece of coverage cataloged similar encounters and asked why cheaters are even showing up in a raid-focused title like ARC Raiders. If you ask me, I also had an issue in Arc Raiders with cheaters and exploiters, and that’s what made me make a post like this one.
What Nadeshot’s post underscores is how quickly cheating can erode player confidence. Developers that want creators and streamers active in their community often face pressure to pair in-game detection with legal action against cheat distributors.
Follow CPG coverage on X, Bluesky, YouTube, and Instagram.
ARC Raiders
Developed by Embark Studios
ARC Raiders is a multiplayer, extraction adventure, set in a lethal future earth, ravaged by a mysterious mechanized threat known as ARC.
- Genre: Shooter
- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5
- Modes: Multiplayer, Co-operative
- Release: 2025-10-30
- Publisher: Embark Studios
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Age Rating:
ESRB T / PEGI 16 / GRAC 15+ / USK 18 / CLASS_IND 14 / ACB M
- IGDB Rating: 89.7/100
