Thousands of players attempting to access the online action game ARC Raiders on December 24 encountered server outages, leaving many unable to log in and experience the new Cold Snap update, according to reports from the game’s community and social media activity.
Gamers reported encountering persistent “Network Timeout” errors despite logging in, while the game’s login queue system has done little to ease the congestion during the peak holiday period.
ARC Raiders, developed by Embark Studios, launched earlier this year and quickly gained popularity for its cooperative PvE missions and dynamic in game environments.
The Cold Snap update, released this week, introduced a new map condition and an updated Raider Deck, drawing a surge of players eager to explore the content.
“The timing could not have been more challenging for the servers,” said Michael Chen, a game infrastructure analyst based in San Francisco.
“Holiday periods often result in peak traffic that can strain online game servers, particularly when a popular update goes live.”
Embark Studios has not issued an official statement regarding the outage as of late December 24, leaving the community waiting for clarification on when services will resume.
Server downtime is not uncommon for online multiplayer titles during periods of heightened demand. Experts suggest that capacity issues, combined with holiday related spikes in player activity, often contribute to login delays and intermittent connectivity failures.
“Games like ARC Raiders operate on cloud hosted servers that can struggle when the number of simultaneous players exceeds projections,” said Sarah Patel, a network systems consultant.
“Implementing additional server nodes or temporary load balancing can mitigate these interruptions, but it requires quick action from the developers.”
Similar incidents have occurred with other popular titles. For example, the launch of a major update for Fortnite in 2022 caused thousands of users to be locked out temporarily, highlighting the ongoing challenge of scaling real time online games.
On social media, thousands of complaints were shared under ARC Raiders’ official channels and discussion forums, signaling a significant impact on the player base.
Early reports indicate wait times exceeding 15 minutes in the login queue, with some players being repeatedly disconnected due to network errors.
According to gaming industry analysts, peak holiday server traffic can increase 200 percent above average daily activity for top tier online multiplayer games.
Embark Studios, while popular, operates with fewer server resources than larger competitors, which can exacerbate downtime during surges.
Players voiced frustration and disappointment over the unexpected downtime. “I’ve been planning to try the new Cold Snap map all week, and now I can’t even log in,” said Jordan Ramirez, a New York based ARC Raiders player.
“It’s a shame, especially during Christmas when everyone is home and ready to play.”
Another player, Emily Stone from London, described her experience.
“I queued for nearly 20 minutes, and then the network timed out. It’s really disappointing because the new update looked exciting.”
Community moderators and forums have documented repeated reports of similar issues worldwide, illustrating the global scale of the outage.
Analysts suggest that server stability may improve if Embark Studios deploys additional server capacity or implements temporary fixes to handle the holiday load.
“Developers typically monitor server activity closely and respond to outages within hours during high traffic events,” said Chen.
The studio has yet to release a timeline for when ARC Raiders will be fully operational, leaving players reliant on announcements or updates through official channels. Continued downtime could affect engagement with the Cold Snap update, analysts noted.
As of December 24, ARC Raiders remains largely inaccessible to many players worldwide due to server outages, despite the anticipation surrounding the Cold Snap update.
With no official update from Embark Studios, gamers are left waiting while experts suggest that increased server demand during the holiday season is likely the primary cause.
While online connectivity issues are not unusual in the gaming industry, the incident underscores the challenges faced by developers in scaling infrastructure to meet sudden surges in player activity.
