Internet Speed for ARC Raiders — Debunking the "3Hz Server" Rumor
A viral community theory claimed ARC Raiders' servers ran at an almost unplayable 3Hz — Embark Studios directly denied this, stating the game "wouldn't even run at 3Hz," and independent testing from The Escapist measured the real tick rate at roughly 90Hz, among the highest of any game covered on this site. But that high number hasn't fully solved the game's problems: players continue to report real, visible desync — getting shot while clearly behind cover, or landing hits that don't register — which Embark has acknowledged is a backend and packet-handling issue, not a tick rate problem. Test your baseline above, or run a full check at instantspeedtest.net.
ARC Raiders Network Requirements — By Raid Stakes
The gameplay thresholds below are informal troubleshooting examples, not official requirements or measurements of the game’s network.
| Raid Type | Usable Ping | Ideal Ping | Jitter Max | Packet Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low-Risk / Early Raids | Under 100ms | Under 60ms | Under 30ms | Under 2% |
| Standard Raids | Under 70ms | Under 40ms | Under 15ms | Under 1% |
| High-Value Loot Runs | Under 45ms | Under 25ms | Under 10ms | Under 1% |
| Late-Raid PVP Encounters | Under 30ms | Under 18ms | Under 5ms | 0% |
Why 90Hz Servers Still Don't Guarantee Clean Hit Registration
This is genuinely worth understanding if you're troubleshooting ARC Raiders specifically: a high tick rate means the server updates game state frequently, but it says nothing about whether every one of those updates actually arrives intact. Investigation into ARC Raiders' desync issues points toward the UDP protocol handling live player movement data — UDP prioritizes speed over guaranteed delivery, so packets carrying position updates can be lost entirely rather than resent, which produces exactly the symptoms players have reported: appearing safe behind cover on your own screen while the server still registers you as exposed, or landing what looks like a clean shot that the server never processed. Embark has publicly acknowledged broader backend instability since launch and has already rolled out server queuing and compensation changes as they investigate further. Since this is a live, evolving issue as the studio patches it, it's worth checking your own connection stability regularly with a tool like this one, since a genuinely poor or jittery connection on your end compounds whatever backend issues exist on Embark's side. See our full ping guide for how this compares to other extraction and competitive shooters.
Related Guides
- Gamer Hub — All Game Ping Tests
- Internet Speed for Rainbow Six Siege
- Internet Speed for Apex Legends
- Internet Speed for Marvel Rivals
- Internet Speed for PUBG
- General Server Ping Test
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ARC Raiders really run on 3Hz servers?
No — this was a viral but inaccurate community rumor. Embark Studios directly denied it, and independent testing from The Escapist measured the actual tick rate at roughly 90Hz, one of the higher rates among competitive shooters. The confusion likely stemmed from real, visible desync issues players were experiencing, which people assumed meant an extremely low tick rate rather than a separate packet-handling problem.
If the tick rate is 90Hz, why do I still get shot behind cover in ARC Raiders?
Embark has acknowledged this is a backend and packet-loss issue rather than a tick rate problem — a high tick rate means the server updates frequently, but doesn't guarantee every movement packet sent over UDP actually arrives. This is an active, evolving issue the studio is patching, so checking official patch notes alongside your own connection quality is the most useful approach while it's addressed.