Crash/Freeze ARC Raiders

ARC Raiders Xbox Crashes and Gear Loss - Official Reporting and Resolution Guide

📅 Published: 2026-02-05 🔄 Updated: 2026-02-05 👥 Reports: 2 ⚡ Severity: 🟢 Low

🎯 Quick Answer

Report persistent Xbox crashes and gear loss via the official ARC Raiders support portal at Embark Studios' website, not through automated chat systems.

SECTION 1: OVERVIEW

The error is an application crash on the Xbox platform during ARC Raiders gameplay, resulting in involuntary disconnection and subsequent loss of equipped gear. This termination occurs specifically on Xbox Series X|S consoles. The issue manifests across all game versions since public release. Crash frequency is classified as common among a subset of the Xbox player base. Severity is game-breaking, as it results in permanent loss of in-game progression items during sessions where reconnection is not possible. No specific error code is presented to the user upon crash; the application closes abruptly and returns the user to the Xbox dashboard. The core problem involves an unstable game client process that fails to maintain integrity during high-load scenarios like boss encounters or player-versus-player combat.

SECTION 2: SYMPTOMS

The ARC Raiders application terminates without warning during active gameplay sessions. The crash typically occurs during high-activity scenarios such as combat with the Queen enemy or engagement in PvP. The user experiences an immediate freeze of video and audio output, followed by an automatic closure of the application. The system returns to the Xbox Home dashboard. No crash report dialog or error message is generated by the game itself. Upon relaunching the application, the player's character inventory reflects the loss of all gear equipped at the moment of the crash, as the session ended without a proper extraction sequence.

SECTION 3: COMMON CAUSES

Category: Game Bug Specific technical explanation: Memory management flaw in the Xbox client build causing heap corruption or memory exhaustion during asset-intensive encounters. This triggers a fatal exception handled by the Xbox OS, forcing an application termination. Why this causes the problem: The game engine fails to properly allocate or deallocate memory for enemy AI, player effects, and world objects, leading to a segmentation fault or access violation. Category: Software Conflict Specific technical explanation: Xbox Quick Resume feature interfering with the game's persistent network connection and session state management. Why this causes the problem: Quick Resume restores the application to memory but cannot re-establish the live game server socket connection, causing state desynchronization that culminates in a crash. Category: Configuration Error Specific technical explanation: Corrupted local saved data or game configuration cache on the Xbox console. Why this causes the problem: Invalid or conflicting data in the TitleStorage or LocalCache folders causes the game client to read erroneous state information, leading to logic errors and process failure. Category: Network Problem Specific technical explanation: Sudden latency spike or packet loss disrupting the game's client-server synchronization lockstep. Why this causes the problem: The game's netcode may contain an unhandled exception for a desynchronization event, causing the client to attempt an illegal state update that crashes the application. Category: Hardware Issue Specific technical explanation: Insufficient thermal headroom causing the Xbox console to throttle performance, inducing timing-related faults in the game loop. Why this causes the problem: Under thermal throttling, the CPU or GPU fails to complete frame calculations within the allocated time, causing a cascade of missed deadlines and eventual process termination by the scheduler. Category: Game Bug Specific technical explanation: Race condition between the game's inventory management system and the network replication layer when gearing up before a match. Why this causes the problem: If gear is equipped while the session is initializing, the server and client state may diverge, creating an unrecoverable error when that gear is referenced in-world.

SECTION 4: SOLUTIONS

Solution 1: Clear Xbox Local Cache and Saved Data

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 5 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: None Steps:

Press the Xbox button on the controller to open the guide.
Navigate to Profile & system > Settings > System > Storage devices.
Select the primary storage device (e.g., "Internal Storage").
Select Clear local saved games. Confirm the action. This removes only the locally cached data; cloud-saved data will sync upon next launch.
Fully power cycle the console. Hold the physical power button on the front of the Xbox for 10 seconds until it shuts down. Unplug the power cable for 2 minutes.
Reconnect power, restart the console, and launch ARC Raiders.

Technical Explanation: This procedure eliminates corrupted configuration files and temporary cache that can cause state conflicts between the game client and the Xbox platform APIs. Verification: The game will perform a first-time setup upon launch, re-downloading cloud saves. Monitor stability during a subsequent gameplay session.

Solution 2: Disable Xbox Quick Resume for ARC Raiders

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 2 minutes Success Rate: High Prerequisites: None Steps:

Launch ARC Raiders and start a game session.
Press the Xbox button to open the guide.
Highlight the ARC Raiders icon/game card.
Press the Menu button (three lines) and select Remove from Quick Resume.
To make this permanent, navigate to Profile & system > Settings > System > Power mode & startup.
Ensure the Power mode is set to Sleep. In this mode, manually removing a game from Quick Resume persists until the console is fully rebooted.

Technical Explanation: Quick Resume suspends the game's network stack. Upon resume, the live connection to the game server is severed but the client may attempt to use it, causing a fatal network exception. Verification: After manually closing the game, relaunch it. The startup sequence should be full and not an instant resume from a suspended state.

Solution 3: Perform an Xbox Console Factory Reset (Keep Games & Apps)

Difficulty: Medium Time Required: 15-20 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: Xbox account login credentials Steps:

Navigate to Profile & system > Settings > System > Console info.
Select Reset console.
Choose Reset and keep my games & apps.
Allow the process to complete. The console will restart multiple times.
Upon completion, re-login to your Xbox profile.
Before launching ARC Raiders, check for system updates in Settings > System > Updates.

Technical Explanation: This resets all Xbox OS system files and configurations to default while preserving installed applications, removing deep-seated OS-level software conflicts or corrupted system libraries affecting game stability. Verification: The console will go through initial setup screens. Launch ARC Raiders and observe if crashes persist during high-intensity gameplay.

Solution 4: Ensure Optimal Console Ventilation and Thermal Performance

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 5 minutes Success Rate: Low (but critical for overall health) Prerequisites: None Steps:

Power off the console completely.
Inspect all ventilation openings on the top, back, and sides of the console for dust blockage.
Use a can of compressed air to blow out dust from the vents. Do not vacuum the vents or insert any objects.
Reposition the console to ensure at least 4-6 inches of clear space on all sides, especially the top ventilation area.
Avoid enclosed media cabinets. Ensure the console is on a hard, flat surface.

Technical Explanation: Thermal throttling reduces CPU/GPU clock speeds unpredictably, which can cause timing faults in game logic that expects consistent performance, leading to crashes. Verification: Monitor console fan noise during gameplay; excessive or inconsistent fan speed may indicate thermal issues. A cooler console environment may reduce crash frequency.

Solution 5: Report the Crash with Diagnostic Data to Official Support

Difficulty: Medium Time Required: 10 minutes Success Rate: N/A (This is the official reporting channel) Prerequisites: Active ARC Raiders account Steps:

Navigate to the Embark Studios support website: https://support.embark-studios.com.
Locate and select the option for ARC Raiders.
Choose Contact Us or Submit a Ticket. Do not use any automated chat interface labeled as "instant support" or "bot."
Select the category Technical Issue > Game Crash.
In the description, provide the exact time (in UTC), date, and activity (e.g., "Queen fight, PvP engagement") of the crash.
Explicitly state the platform: Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S.
Detail the gear lost (item names, rarities if known).
Include your Display Name and Xbox Gamertag.
Attach any available data. On Xbox, recent crash reports are automatically sent to Microsoft but you can note you have consented to share diagnostic data.
Submit the ticket and retain the confirmation number.

Technical Explanation: This direct submission enters Embark Studios' issue tracking database with full context, enabling developers to correlate your report with internal crash analytics and telemetry from your session. Verification: You will receive a ticket number via email. Support may follow up for additional details. This is the definitive channel for reporting gear loss due to crashes.

SECTION 5: PREVENTION

Prevent recurrence by maintaining console software integrity. Regularly check for and install system updates via Settings > System > Updates. Before high-stakes sessions, perform a full quit of the game from the Xbox guide menu and perform a cold launch. Monitor the console's storage capacity; ensure at least 10% free space on the internal drive to prevent write errors. Periodically clear the local cache using the method in Solution 1 as part of routine maintenance, especially after major game patches. Ensure your network hardware (router/modem) is also updated to its latest firmware to minimize ancillary network-related instability.

SECTION 6: WHEN TO CONTACT SUPPORT

Contact official support when crashes persist after executing all console-level solutions and result in repeated gear loss. Escalation is required if the crash exhibits a reproducible pattern (e.g., always during a specific activity). Provide the exact UTC timestamp of crashes, your full gamertag, and a list of lost items. The primary support channel is the Embark Studios support portal. Do not rely on community forums or automated chatbots for issue resolution or gear restoration requests. These channels do not interface with the live game database or developer issue-tracking systems.