ARC Raiders plays out in fast, messy firefights with enemies swarming from every angle. On a controller, the difference between “barely hanging on” and comfortably tracking targets often comes down to a handful of settings: sensitivity, aim assist, boost, and how the game handles reloads and interactions.
The values below are a strong, battle-tested baseline for Xbox, PlayStation, and controller-on-PC players, followed by short explanations so you know what each slider is doing and how to adjust it to your own hands.
Core ARC Raiders controller settings (recommended baseline)
| Category | Setting | Recommended value | What it affects |
|---|---|---|---|
| Targeting | Aim Assist | On | Gives light stickiness to moving targets so tracking feels less jittery. |
| Camera | Invert Vertical Look Input | Off (unless you already play inverted) | Whether pushing up looks up or down. |
| Interaction | Interact / Reload Behaviour | Prioritize Reload (or Tap to Interact if you prefer) | Whether a tap near loot reloads or interacts first. |
| Look speed | Horizontal Sensitivity | 75 | Unzoomed left-right camera speed. |
| Look speed | Vertical Sensitivity | 60 | Unzoomed up-down camera speed. |
| ADS speed | Zoom Sensitivity Multiplier | 25–40% | How much slower (or faster) aiming becomes when zoomed. |
| Scoped | Scoped Zoom Sensitivity | 50% | Camera speed while aiming through scopes. |
| Response | Look Response Curve | Linear | How directly stick movement maps to camera movement. |
| Deadzones | Look Inner Deadzone | 0–5 | How much right-stick movement is ignored at center. |
| Deadzones | Movement Inner Deadzone | 5–10 | How much left-stick movement is ignored at center. |
| Boost | Horizontal Look Boost | 140–150 | Extra turn speed at full right-stick tilt. |
| Boost | Vertical Look Boost | 120 | Extra vertical speed at full right-stick tilt. |
| Boost timing | Look Boost Ramp-up Time | 0.5s | How quickly that extra speed kicks in. |
| ADS boost | Zoom Horizontal Look Boost | 70–85 | Horizontal boost while aiming. |
| ADS boost | Zoom Vertical Look Boost | 50–70 | Vertical boost while aiming. |
| ADS timing | Zoom Look Boost Ramp-up Time | 0.2–0.3s | How quickly ADS boost activates. |
These numbers land in the same band used by experienced controller players: snappy enough to track multiple targets, but slow enough when zoomed that weak spots and strafing raiders are still manageable.
Aim Assist and interact/reload behaviour
Aim Assist in ARC Raiders is present but not overwhelming. It gives a slight pull toward enemies, which helps when bots zig-zag or players strafe across your screen. With it disabled, you are fully on raw stick input while crossplay lobbies still include players using assistance, which is a clear disadvantage.
Set:
- Aim Assist: On for almost everyone.
- Turn it off only if you strongly prefer a completely raw feel and are comfortable tracking weak points purely by hand.
Interaction and reloads share the same button. In hectic fights, that can get you killed if the game chooses to loot a crate instead of topping up your mag.
| Setting | Suggested use | Behaviour in a firefight near loot |
|---|---|---|
| Prioritize Reload | Recommended on controller | Quick tap reloads first; holding interacts with objects. |
| Tap to Interact | Alternative if you never reload mid-loot | Tap interacts by default; reload timing becomes more finicky. |
Prioritize Reload lets you spam one tap to reload while repositioning, without worrying about accidentally opening a container mid-fight. If you play on mouse and keyboard, Tap to Interact can be more comfortable because reload usually sits on its own key, but on a controller, the shared button benefits from reload priority.
Horizontal / vertical sensitivity and ADS multipliers
ARC Raiders’ third-person camera needs to track large arcs of movement as enemies swarm, but precise vertical control is still important for recoil and headshots. A split sensitivity is effective:
- Horizontal Sensitivity: 75
- Vertical Sensitivity: 60
Horizontal is slightly higher because you scan left-right across a wider field; vertical can stay lower to keep small up-down corrections under control. If 75 feels twitchy, drop both axes by 5–10 points while keeping the same ratio.
Zoom multipliers then slow things down the moment you aim. Without that reduction, the same stick movement that feels fine for free-look becomes far too fast for precise shots.
| Setting | Recommended range | Effect when aiming |
|---|---|---|
| Zoom Sensitivity Multiplier | 25–40% | Scales down your base sensitivity while ADS. |
| Scoped Zoom Sensitivity | 50% | Specific multiplier for full scopes. |
Around 25% gives a very controlled ADS feel, good for landing weak-spot shots and longer bursts. Pushing up toward 40% keeps ADS quicker for aggressive players who like to flick from bot to bot. Try starting at 25%, then bump it in steps of 5% until you can both track strafing targets and make small corrections without overshooting.
Look Response Curve and deadzones
The response curve defines how the camera speed ramps as you push the stick out from the center. In ARC Raiders, the three key options are:
| Curve | Behaviour | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Linear | Stick movement maps 1:1 to camera speed across the whole range. | Players who want predictable, consistent aiming. |
| Exponential | Slow near the center, then accelerates as you push further. | Players who like very fine micro-adjustments but big flicks at the edge. |
| Sinusoidal / “dynamic” style | More complex curve with stronger changes in acceleration. | Can feel loose in ARC Raiders; often less consistent for tracking. |
Linear works especially well here because fights often involve constant tracking around the player rather than tiny “tapping” adjustments. The stick displacement you feel matches the turn speed you get, which makes muscle memory much easier to build.
Deadzones then decide how much stick movement near the center is ignored. Too high, and the camera feels unresponsive; too low, and any stick drift in your controller becomes constant unwanted movement.
- Look Inner Deadzone: 0–5
- Movement Inner Deadzone: 5–10
On a fresh or high-quality controller, 0 for Look and 5 for Movement keeps inputs crisp. If you see the camera nudging on its own while you are not touching the stick, raise the relevant deadzone in small steps (2–3 points) until the drift stops. Keep both values under 10 if possible; beyond that, you start to lose fine control.
Look Boost, ramp-up time, and “turbo” turning
Boost is where ARC Raiders’ controller settings get more unusual. Think of Look Boost as a turbo stage on your right stick: when you push the stick close to the edge, the game multiplies your current turn speed on top of your base sensitivity.
| Boost setting | Suggested value | What it changes |
|---|---|---|
| Horizontal Look Boost | 140–150 | Max extra speed turning left/right at full stick deflection. |
| Vertical Look Boost | 120 | Max extra speed looking up/down at full deflection. |
| Look Boost Ramp-up Time | 0.5s | Delay before fully boosted speed kicks in. |
| Zoom Horizontal Look Boost | 70–85 | Horizontal boost while aiming. |
| Zoom Vertical Look Boost | 50–70 | Vertical boost while aiming. |
| Zoom Look Boost Ramp-up Time | 0.2–0.3s | Delay before ADS boost is fully applied. |
With boost off (all values at 0), your camera turns at one fixed speed based solely on sensitivity. That’s consistent, but it can feel sluggish when you need to whip 180 degrees because a drone just buzzed your flank.
With a boost too high or with a very low ramp-up time (near instant), every full-stick movement becomes a huge flick, which is hard to control when tracking tightly grouped enemies.
Values around 140–150 horizontal and 120 vertical, with a 0.5-second ramp, strike a balance: normal tracking remains smooth when you move the stick halfway, but if you slam the stick to the edge and hold it, the camera accelerates enough to turn around quickly. For ADS, using roughly half those boost values and a shorter ramp (0.2–0.3 seconds) keeps aiming responsive without destroying precision.
Tip: if you find yourself constantly overshooting 90-degree turns while ADS, lower both Zoom Boost values by 10–15 points before touching your base sensitivity. That keeps your normal aim intact while toning down only the emergency “turbo” turns.
HUD position, crosshair shape, and visibility tweaks
Outside the Controller tab, a few options meaningfully affect how readable fights feel on a controller.
HUD position
| Setting | Option | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| HUD Position | Stretch | Moves UI elements further to the edges, opening up more center screen space. |
| HUD Position | Centered | Keeps HUD closer to the middle; can feel more clustered. |
Stretching the HUD shrinks and pushes health, ammo, and other UI pieces outward, which frees up peripheral vision around your character. On a controller, where your thumbs are handling both movement and aim, that extra visual space helps spot flankers and incoming projectiles without constantly whipping the camera around.
Crosshair overrides
ARC Raiders lets you override weapon-specific reticles with a single, global crosshair under the Accessibility tab.
- Enable Override Crosshair Shape.
- Pick a consistent shape, such as Rounded diamond or Cross.
- Turn on the Center crosshair dot.
Then tune the fine details:
| Crosshair option | Suggested value | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Center radius | 2–4 | Small, focused center dot that’s easy to see but not huge. |
| Length | 20–21 | Line length; more noticeable when hip-firing. |
| Thickness | 1–2 | Keeps lines sharp without overpowering the image. |
| Outline thickness | 0–1 | Thin dark edge that helps against bright backgrounds. |
| Opacity | ~50% | Visible without blocking targets. |
| Color | Bright green or magenta | Stands out against both sky and terrain. |
A bright cyan, green, or magenta crosshair with a thin black outline remains readable whether you’re aiming into a pale sky, dusty desert, or dark bunker. Having one consistent shape for every primary weapon also reduces the amount of re-adjusting your eyes have to do between firefights.
Audio settings that matter for controller players
ARC Raiders’ soundscape can be loud and busy: gunshots, ambient wind, ARC machinery, and proximity chat all compete for attention. For controller players, who often rely more on sound cues than on razor-fast flicks, getting audio balance right is important.
| Audio option | Recommended setting | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Output mode | Headphones / Stereo headphones | Better directional awareness of footsteps and drones. |
| Night Mode | On | Reduces some ambient noise, making footsteps and engines easier to pick out. |
| Master Volume | Near 100% (then adjust on your device) | Keeps in-game dynamic range intact. |
| Effects Volume | ~50–55% | Prevents explosions and weapon fire from drowning out voice chat. |
| Dialogue Volume | 100% | Ensures NPC and system callouts are always audible. |
| Voice Chat Volume | 130–150% | Makes your team stand out over combat sounds. |
| Proximity Voice Chat Volume | 200% | Helps you clearly hear nearby players, friendly or hostile. |
With effects pulled back slightly and both dialogue and proximity chat pushed up, you retain the punch of the weapons but can still hear when another squad is trying to talk or bait you nearby. That can matter as much as a clean flick when deciding whether to push or disengage.
How to fine-tune for your own playstyle
No single configuration fits every player, but the ranges above sit close to what skilled controller players are converging on. From there, the best approach is small, deliberate tweaks:
- Use the in-game training area to test changes. Spend a few minutes tracking moving bots and snapping between targets after each adjustment.
- Change only one “family” of options at a time: base sensitivity, then zoom multiplier, then boost, and so on. That way, you can feel exactly which slider helped or hurt.
- If the camera feels too fast in every situation, lower Horizontal/Vertical Sensitivity by 5–10 points before touching deadzones or curves.
- If normal tracking is fine but big turns feel sluggish, raise Horizontal Look Boost by 10 or shorten ramp-up rather than inflating your base sensitivity.
- Watch for stick drift after any deadzone change by setting the controller down in a quiet, safe area and seeing if your character slowly moves or spins.
Once those basics are set, ARC Raiders on a controller stops feeling like a fight against your thumbsticks and starts feeling like a deliberate, readable third-person shooter. At that point, the game is measuring your decisions and positioning more than your settings menu.
