Embark Studios pushed ARC Raiders Live Update 1.42.0 on August 18, 2026 at 2:00 AM PDT, and it is a content patch rather than a maintenance one. The headline addition is the second half of the Phantom Targets Player Project, but the update also changes how map conditions are scheduled worldwide, folds in a long list of audio and combat fixes, and adds a fresh batch of cosmetics.
Quick answer: Update 1.42.0 is live on every platform with no server downtime. Download the patch, launch the game, then open the Projects tab in the Raider menu in Speranza to pick up Phantom Targets Part 2.
What Update 1.42.0 adds
This is one of the smaller live updates Embark has been shipping between larger drops, and it arrives ahead of the Frozen Trail update scheduled for October 8. Everything below is active as soon as the client finishes patching.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Phantom Targets Part 2 | Second half of the Raider Project, plus the Phantom Targets Event and the Anomalia Outfit |
| Tick Hunter Set | Now available on all storefronts |
| Map conditions | Regional Map Condition Scheduling replaces the single global schedule |
| Twitch drops | Car Freshener and Ceramic Vase |
| Fair play | Anti-cheat progress report from Embark |
| Downtime | None |
Phantom Targets Part 2: The erratic Wasps
The mystery Shani opened with Store Update 1.40.0 finally has a culprit. After Raiders repaired antennas and tested unusual ARC parts across Part 1, she traced the strange surveillance readings to erratic Wasps — ARC units behaving in ways she has not recorded before. They emit odd noises, fly in irregular patterns, and are carrying tech nobody can identify.
The important detail is that every one of those Wasps is swarming toward the same location, and Shani needs Raiders to find out what is waiting there. The Anomalia Outfit ships alongside the event.
Part 1 is action-based rather than donation-based, so objectives tick during a raid instead of requiring you to hand in extracted materials. You confirm progress the same way as before, by returning to the Projects tab, claiming the completed stage, and watching the next one unlock. The Phantom Targets Project closes on September 6, 2026, which is a tight window if Part 1 is still sitting unfinished in your log.
Map conditions now run on regional schedules
Until now, map conditions rotated on one global timetable, which meant players in some parts of the world reliably logged in after the interesting ones had ended. Starting with 1.42.0, Regional Map Condition Scheduling offsets that rotation per region so conditions land closer to local peak hours.
In practice, the same conditions still appear — you are simply less likely to miss them because of where you live. To help you work out which schedule applies to you, the Map selection screen now carries a Region label showing your current matchmaking region.
Note: the map condition tracker on the ARC Raiders website has not been updated for the regional split yet, so what it displays may not match what is actually running in your game.
Gameplay, audio, and UI fixes in 1.42.0
The combat fixes are the ones most likely to change how a raid plays out. The Queen and Matriarch stomp attacks had been landing through walls or from far outside their intended range, and that has been corrected. The Photoelectric Cloak also now functions against Turbine lightning attacks and Matriarch missiles, which meaningfully expands what it protects you from.
| Area | Change |
|---|---|
| Gameplay | Queen and Matriarch stomp attacks no longer hit through walls or from too far away |
| Gameplay | Photoelectric Cloak works against Turbine lightning and Matriarch missiles |
| Gameplay | Surge Coil Trap has spawn protection so it cannot hit players as they spawn in |
| Gameplay | Quick Wheel slots can be rebound |
| Gameplay | Dolabra, Hullcracker, and Rascal deal damage correctly in the Practice Range |
| Gameplay | Snitches and Snitch Scanners can spawn Fireflies |
| Audio | Indoor footsteps refined: scuff sounds removed, better audibility at range, updated occlusion and concrete cues |
| Audio | Clearer footstep audio through foliage; new sounds for plastic cloth and tarp surfaces |
| Audio | Distinct firing audio for all Tier 3 magazine upgrades |
| Map | A Buried City zip line that could not be interacted with has been repositioned |
| Performance | Improved UI texture streaming cache for memory efficiency |
| Stability | Several crash fixes |
| UI | Projects no longer show “Part X completed” when they have no parts |
| UI | The “Claim” shortcut in the logbook now opens the correct project page |
| UI | Clearer matchmaking error messages and corrected localized text |
Embark’s support-facing notes list one additional enemy change: the Snitch can call in a Rocketeer, and can also call in a Firefly and Hornet duo. Snitch Scanners are excluded from that behavior.
Anti-cheat update and account security
Embark used 1.42.0 to publish another fair play check-in. Recent work with Anybrain and Denuvo Anti-Cheat led to action against a large number of accounts running recently popular cheating software. The studio says it is also building methods that make it harder to obtain new accounts, which is aimed at serial offenders who simply re-register after a ban.
Detection for what Embark classifies as “economy exploits” has improved as well, and sanctions there are ongoing. Separately, several parallel initiatives are targeting teaming and matchmaking abuse, including groups forcing their way into the same lobbies to grief other players. Details on those have not been shared yet.
There is a warning attached for players tempted by third-party tools. Unverified software puts more than your account at risk, since a ban is only the first consequence and your personal data can end up exposed. Embark’s advice is to enable 2FA or passkeys on every external account tied to your Embark ID, and to never share credentials.
Cosmetics, Twitch drops, and the rubber ducks
The Tick Hunter Set is now purchasable on all storefronts. The bundle contains the Tick Hunter outfit in red, white, green, and black, the Field Telephone backpack, the Tick Trophy backpack charm, the Spider Tattoo face style, and 2,400 Raider Tokens. Two new Twitch drops are also live, a Car Freshener and a Ceramic Vase.
The Rubber Duck Design Contest wrapped up too. Three finalists were picked by popular vote on the ARC Raiders Discord, with designs from gekko.rar, im_AshCheeks, and nassguhl. Those ducks are being built into the game and will arrive in a future update rather than this one, so there is nothing to claim yet.
Known issues after Update 1.42.0
Two of these can stop you playing entirely, so check them before you start troubleshooting your own hardware. Crashes on Xbox Series S are still under investigation with no fix timeline. On PC, crashing tied to Windows Update KB5121003 is a known problem, and Embark has posted a temporary workaround in the official Discord thread while a proper fix is developed.
Players launching through Epic may suddenly lose keyboard input. The current advice is to disable any active overlay, and if that does not restore control, alt-tab out of the game and back in.
| Issue | What you will see |
|---|---|
| Projects tab | A notification dot that will not clear |
| Trigger ‘Nade | Throw animation may not play if you detonate immediately after throwing |
| Weapon swap | Animation breaks when swapping right after a vault |
| Baron Husk | Player animations break if you interrupt the search |
| Hidden Bunker | Shredders float up to the ceiling in some rooms |
| ARC Turbine | Leapers can jump through it |
| Merits items | Items carried into a raid wrongly display a Merits icon |
| Riding ARC | Shots fired while riding may not register |
| Doors | Some let flashlight beams pass through instead of blocking them |
| Outfits | Clipping on Triumph, Reaver, and Azimuth |
| Ermal | Old offers can appear in the Acquire and Craft menu (visual only) |
If the Projects tab still shows Part 1 as your active stage after patching, restart the client — the Part 2 stages only appear once the update has fully applied. Everything else in 1.42.0 is server-side and needs no action from you.
