There’s nothing quite like that sinking feeling when you grapple into a firefight, ready to unleash chaos on an enemy squad, only to realize your Raider is standing there like a complete pacifist. No gun. No defense. Just vibes and an inevitable death screen.
That’s exactly what’s happening to Arc Raiders players right now, and if you’ve experienced it yourself, you’re definitely not losing your mind. This weapon draw glitch is real, it’s spreading, and it just claimed two of the biggest names in streaming as its latest victims.
Key Takeaways:
- A frustrating Arc Raiders weapon glitch is preventing players from drawing their guns during firefights
- Popular streamers Ninja and Nadeshot have both experienced this game-breaking bug on stream
- The glitch appears connected to grapple and traversal tool usage
- Embark Studios has not officially addressed this specific bug yet
- Community reports suggest the issue is becoming increasingly widespread
What Is the Arc Raiders Weapon Glitch?
The bug is brutally simple in concept but devastating in practice. Players are finding themselves completely unable to pull out their weapons during active combat situations. You hit the button to swap to your gun, and absolutely nothing happens. Your character just stands there, defenseless, while enemies turn you into Swiss cheese.
What makes this particularly nasty is that it seems to trigger most often after using traversal tools like the grapple or zipline. You’re moving tactically, positioning for an engagement, and then the game decides you don’t actually need a weapon for this fight. Thanks for that, I guess.
Some players have reported being able to access their main weapon but not their secondary, while others find themselves completely locked out of any offensive capability. If you’ve been grinding the complete throwables and grenade guide to perfect your loadout, you know how frustrating it is when even your grenades won’t save you from this mess.
Ninja and Nadeshot Fall Victim to the Pacifist Bug
When a bug takes down casual players, it’s annoying. When it takes down two of the most recognizable names in gaming during their streams, it becomes headline news. Esports reporter Jake Lucky shared a clip on December 23rd showing exactly what happens when this glitch strikes at the worst possible moment.
There appears to be an ARC Raiders bug not allowing players to pull their gun out
— Jake Lucky (@JakeSucky) December 23, 2025
Happened to both Ninja and Nadeshot pic.twitter.com/I5OHM5yUHr
Richard Tyler Blevins—better known as Ninja—was recorded grappling into an active firefight, ready to engage. The only problem? His gun apparently decided it was taking a personal day. While desperately trying to explain to his squadmates via voice chat what was happening, Ninja got absolutely melted. No weapon, no chance, no mercy from the enemy team.
Nadeshot reportedly encountered the exact same issue, triggering a wave of responses from players who suddenly realized they weren’t alone in their suffering. Comments flooded in with variations of the same story: engagements lost, loot forfeited, and frustration mounting.
Arc Raiders Community Reactions Paint a Grim Picture
The community response to this bug has been swift and, predictably, not thrilled. Players have been sharing their horror stories across social media and forums, each one more painful than the last.
One player summed up the collective frustration perfectly, noting how there’s nothing worse than trying to engage and just standing there helpless while hoping they patch it soon. Another admitted they thought they were genuinely losing it when the glitch happened to them, relieved to discover it wasn’t a personal skill issue but an actual game problem.
The variations of the bug make it even more confusing. Some Raiders can access their main weapon and raider tool but find their secondary completely locked. Others report total weapon blackout. The inconsistency makes it nearly impossible to predict when you’re about to have a very bad day on the surface of Speranza.
If you’re debating whether to reset your expedition for better rewards, this bug might make that decision for you—involuntarily and at the worst possible time.
What Causes the Arc Raiders Weapon Draw Bug?
Based on community reports and analysis of the affected clips, the weapon glitch appears most commonly connected to grapple and traversal tool usage. The current theory is that something in the animation state or input queue gets scrambled when transitioning from mobility actions back to combat readiness.
Think about the typical engagement pattern in Arc Raiders. You hear gunfire or spot enemies, you use your grapple or zipline to reposition quickly, and then you try to engage. That transition from movement to combat is where the bug seems to strike most frequently.
The game’s skill tree system doesn’t appear to influence whether you’re affected, and the bug has been reported across all platforms—PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. It’s not a performance issue or a connection problem. It’s something deeper in the game’s code that’s causing weapon inputs to simply not register.
Some players have speculated that the bug might be related to the inventory system or how the game handles item slot assignments after certain actions. Regardless of the technical cause, the practical result is the same: you’re standing in a firefight with nothing but hopes and prayers.
Embark Studios Response Status
Here’s where things get a bit frustrating for the community. As of this writing, Embark Studios has not officially commented on this specific weapon glitch. Given their track record with Arc Raiders since launch, this is somewhat surprising—and the community is definitely taking notice.
To be fair, Embark has been remarkably responsive to bugs and exploits in Arc Raiders. When the locked door exploit allowed players to phase through walls and grab loot without keys, they rolled out Update 1.4.0 with creative countermeasures—including lethal traps for anyone attempting to abuse the exploit. When the gun quick-swap exploit let players bypass intended fire rates on heavy weapons, they patched it quickly.
The December 1.7.0 update, which introduced the Cold Snap map condition and various quality-of-life fixes, addressed numerous collision and geometry issues but didn’t specifically mention this weapon draw problem. With the development team currently on holiday break until January, a dedicated fix might be a few weeks away.
That said, if player reports continue mounting—and high-profile streamers keep getting clipped while experiencing the bug—I’d expect Embark to at least acknowledge the issue soon. They’ve built a lot of goodwill with their responsive post-launch support, and staying silent on a game-breaking bug would be out of character.
Potential Workarounds and Temporary Fixes
Until Embark rolls out an official fix, players have been experimenting with workarounds. I have to be upfront here: none of these are guaranteed solutions, and results vary wildly from player to player.
Some Raiders report that rapidly cycling through all weapon slots can sometimes “unstick” the bug and restore weapon access. It’s not elegant, and it takes precious seconds you probably don’t have in a firefight, but it’s worth trying if you find yourself locked out.
Others suggest avoiding grapple usage immediately before expected combat if possible. Easier said than done in a game where mobility can mean the difference between extraction and death, but if you’re paranoid about the bug, approaching engagements on foot might reduce your risk.
There’s also the nuclear option: dying and respawning seems to reset whatever state causes the glitch. Not exactly ideal when you’re carrying valuable loot, but if you’re already defenseless, a controlled death might be better than flailing around hoping for a miracle.
Players focused on the Cold Snap skill reset mechanics might want to hold off on aggressive builds until this gets sorted. Nothing hurts quite like optimizing your character for combat effectiveness when the game decides you’re not allowed to actually fight.
How This Compares to Previous Arc Raiders Exploits
Arc Raiders has had its share of technical issues since launching on October 30, 2025. The locked door exploit was arguably worse from a game economy standpoint—players could access high-tier loot without keycards, completely undermining the risk-reward loop that makes extraction shooters compelling.
The gun quick-swap exploit was also nasty. Players discovered they could bypass intended fire rates by rapidly swapping to quick-use items and back, turning slow but powerful weapons like the Il Toro shotgun into quasi-automatic death machines. That one directly broke PvP balance in ways that made firefights feel unfair.
This weapon draw glitch is different because it’s not exploitable—it just happens to you, without warning, at the worst possible moment. You can’t abuse it for advantage. You can only suffer from it and watch your loot disappear into an enemy’s inventory.
What sets Embark apart from many developers is how quickly they’ve addressed previous issues. The blueprint buff adjustments came within days of community feedback about drop rates. Matchmaking improvements rolled out based on player concerns about spawn distances. If they maintain that pattern, this weapon bug should be high on their priority list.
Arc Raiders Platform Availability and Current Status
For those still deciding whether to jump into Arc Raiders or waiting for this bug to be fixed, here’s the current state of affairs.
Arc Raiders is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC through Steam and Epic Games Store. It launched on October 30, 2025, at a price point of $39.99 for the Standard Edition and $59.99 for the Deluxe Edition. Cross-play and cross-progression are fully supported across all platforms via Embark ID, so your progress follows you regardless of where you play.
The game hit over 700,000 concurrent players within the first couple weeks of launch and has won Best Multiplayer Game at The Game Awards 2025. Despite bugs like this one, the core gameplay loop has clearly resonated with players looking for a more accessible extraction shooter experience.
Critics have been largely positive, praising the game’s atmospheric world, satisfying gunplay, and more forgiving approach compared to hardcore alternatives like Escape from Tarkov. The consensus seems to be that Arc Raiders succeeds at bringing extraction shooter tension to a wider audience without completely punishing new players.
If you’ve been researching whether the Calming Stroll perk is worth your skill points, the answer is still math-dependent—but maybe wait until you can actually use your weapons consistently before optimizing your build.
What’s Next for Arc Raiders in 2026?
Looking ahead, Embark Studios has big plans for Arc Raiders. The 2025 roadmap included the Stella Montis map, new ARC machines, fresh utility items and weapons, and expanded quests. The Cold Snap event currently running adds the Frostbite mechanic and seasonal modifiers that make every raid a survival challenge.
A complete 2026 roadmap is expected in the coming weeks, with executive producer Aleksander Grondal describing the post-launch plans as “ambitious.” New maps, additional enemy types, and continuous refinements based on community feedback are all on the table.
More immediately, players are hoping January brings a hotfix for this weapon glitch along with other quality-of-life improvements. The development team announced a shift from Thursday to Tuesday patch cycles going forward, though the holiday break means things will be quiet until the new year.
Keep an eye on the next expedition date information for updates on upcoming content drops and potential patch timing.
Should You Keep Playing Arc Raiders Despite the Bug?
Here’s my honest take: yes, but go in with tempered expectations until the fix arrives.
The weapon glitch is frustrating, potentially rage-inducing, and absolutely not something you should have to deal with in a game you paid $40 for. That said, it doesn’t seem to affect every single raid. Plenty of players are having completely normal experiences without ever encountering the bug.
If you’re the type who finds bugs hilarious when they happen to streamers but devastating when they happen to you, maybe focus on lower-stakes runs for now. Don’t bring your best gear into situations where a weapon lockout would cost you everything. Play a bit more defensively around traversal tool usage.
The core Arc Raiders experience—the tension of extraction, the satisfaction of a successful raid, the joy of actually getting your loot out—is still there when the game works as intended. Embark has earned enough goodwill with their post-launch support that I’m confident this will get addressed.
Just maybe don’t grapple into a three-squad firefight until it does.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there an Arc Raiders release date?
Arc Raiders officially released on October 30, 2025, for PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The game is currently available for purchase and fully playable across all supported platforms with cross-play functionality.
Is Arc Raiders going to be free?
No, Arc Raiders is not free to play. The game originally started development as a free-to-play title but switched to a premium model before launch. It costs $39.99 for the Standard Edition and $59.99 for the Deluxe Edition. There is no free-to-play tier or free trial currently available.
Is Arc Raiders available for Xbox?
Yes, Arc Raiders is available on Xbox Series X|S. The game supports Xbox Play Anywhere, meaning if you purchase it through the Microsoft Store, you get access to both the Xbox console version and the PC version with a single purchase. Cross-play and cross-progression are fully supported.
Is Arc Raiders out on PS5?
Yes, Arc Raiders is available on PlayStation 5. The game launched on PS5 on October 30, 2025, alongside PC and Xbox versions. PS Plus Essential membership is required for online play. Cross-play with PC and Xbox players is enabled by default.
Is Darksiders 4 confirmed?
Darksiders 4 is not related to Arc Raiders. Darksiders is a separate action-adventure franchise developed by different studios. For information about upcoming Darksiders titles, you would need to follow THQ Nordic’s official announcements.
Is Arc Raiders coming in 2025?
Arc Raiders already came out in 2025. The game launched on October 30, 2025. Development continues with new content updates planned throughout 2026, including new maps, ARC machines, weapons, and events based on the studio’s roadmap.
What to Sell in ARC Raiders?
Sell junk items, duplicate gear, and excess materials you don’t need for crafting. Low-tier weapons and armor you’ve outgrown are safe to sell for currency.
ARC Raiders What to Sell?
- Sell: Common junk, duplicate equipment, outdated weapons, excess consumables
- Keep: Rare materials, gear you actively use, components needed for upgrades
ARC Raiders Sell or Recycle?
Recycle is usually better. Breaking down items gives you crafting materials, which are often harder to find than currency. Sell only when you specifically need cash for vendor purchases. Junk items with no recycle value should always be sold.