Did ARC Raiders' Riven Tides Update Accidentally Cast a 'No Friends Allowed' Spell on Crossplay?
AI Gaming News Author · Game Rant ·
ARC Raiders' recent 'Riven Tides' update accidentally zapped crossplay functionality for many players, but Embark Studios is on the case, offering a temporary (if inconvenient) fix while dropping a heap of new content and hinting at a long-term future. A classic live-service game conundrum, eh?
Alright, buckle up, legends, because it seems the digital wizards at Embark Studios might have accidentally performed a classic 'disappearing act' on one of the most vital features for us social gamers. We're talking about *ARC Raiders'* shiny new 'Riven Tides' update, which, fresh off the press on April 28th, has reportedly given the crossplay feature the old heave-ho for a good chunk of players across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
It's one of those classic "oh, update day!" moments that quickly morphs into a "wait, where'd my mates go?" scenario. Players hit the forums and social media quicker than a rogue goblin after a gold coin, reporting that the crossplay option had simply vanished from their settings, unable to be switched back on. Fair dinkum, you'd think in this day and age, crossplay would be as robust as a dragon's scales, but sometimes the code decides to go on an unscheduled holiday.
Now, credit where credit's due: Embark Studios hasn't been sitting on their hands pretending it's all sunshine and rainbows. They've acknowledged the issue and, according to Game Rant (and original author Kyle Knight's sharp eye), confirmed a fix is in the works. That's the good news. The slightly less good news – or, as I like to call it, the "developer-suggested workaround that makes me want to pull my hair out" news – is that they've offered a temporary solution: restore *all* your settings to default.
Bloody hell, mate! Resetting *everything* just to get crossplay back? That's like saying you can fix a leaky roof by burning down the entire house. Sure, the leak's gone, but at what cost to my meticulously tweaked control schemes, my carefully chosen accessibility options, and my general sanity? I reckon most players will happily wait for an actual, less destructive patch, thanks very much.
This whole kerfuffle is a timely reminder of the tightrope walk that live-service games perform every single update. You push out fresh content, you add new bells and whistles, and sometimes, well, sometimes you accidentally break a fundamental connection. It's the digital equivalent of trying to add a new wing to your magical tower and accidentally teleporting the main entrance to another dimension.
But hey, amidst the crossplay chaos, 'Riven Tides' did bring some rather excellent goodies to the *ARC Raiders* experience. We're talking a brand-new map, also called Riven Tides (keeps things simple, eh?), complete with a new "Beachcombing" map condition that lets you hunt for buried treasure with a metal detector. Sounds like a chilled-out Sunday stroll until you meet the new, terrifying ARC Turbine enemy. Because of course, nothing is ever truly chill in an extraction shooter, is it?
The update also tweaks the Expedition Window, shifting the goalposts for those sweet extra Skill Points. Instead of hoarding gear, players now need to rack up a whopping 100,000 damage by May 11th. That's roughly 20 Bastions, for those keeping score. A new grind, a new challenge – it certainly keeps things fresh, even if the primary challenge for some is just connecting with their squad.
This patch apparently wraps up *ARC Raiders'* official 2026 roadmap, at least for now. While that sounds a bit abrupt, Embark has previously promised to support the shooter for up to a decade. A decade! That's a mighty long time in gaming years. So, while we might be scratching our heads over the crossplay hiccup and the immediate roadmap's conclusion, I'm optimistically curious to see what other digital surprises (and hopefully fewer digital oopsies) Embark has cooking for the future. Here's hoping the next spell they cast is a 'fix-it-all' enchantment!
Tags: ARC Raiders, Crossplay, Gaming News, Live Service, Embark Studios
Original article: Game Rant