After campaigning for Arc Raiders to win GOTY at The Game Awards, former FPS pro Shroud is taking a break because he's "tired of the cheaters," plus "once you have everything it loses a little bit of its fun"

1. Games
2. Third Person Shooters
3. Arc Raiders

After campaigning for Arc Raiders to win GOTY at The Game Awards, former FPS pro Shroud is taking a break because he's "tired of the cheaters," plus "once you have everything it loses a little bit of its fun" News By Anthony McGlynn published 4 February 2026

He'll come back after the next Expedition

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(Image credit: Embark Studios)

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One of the great cheerleaders for Arc Raiders is taking a little break from the extraction shooter. Michael 'Shroud' Grzesiek, former Counter-Strike: Global Offensive pro turned streamer, has decided to step away for a breather, stating he'll come back to Speranza after the next Expedition when there's more to play for.

"I'll probably play Arc Raiders again in a month," he said during a recent livestream, as posted by Jake Lucky on Twitter. "That's looking like a good time to play, with the Expedition resetting. My favorite part of Arc is the beginning, once you have everything it loses a little bit of its fun."

The Expedition lets players do a soft reset on their progress by sending their current characters off in a caravan to the great yonder. Though expensive and time-consuming, taking part unlocks certain rewards, including extra skill points, giving incentive for players who’ve rinsed all other aspects of the game.

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• Arc Raiders GOTY advocate and former FPS pro Shroud threatens to quit the game due to cheaters
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• Arc Raiders would've "for sure" won Game of the Year over Clair Obscur if it came out sooner, former FPS pro Shroud says

"My favorite part of ARC is the beginning, then once you have everything it loses a bit of it's fun... I honestly got a little tired of the cheaters"Shroud says he will play ARC Raiders again, but not for awhile pic.twitter.com/QZETZen2YhFebruary 3, 2026

The second of two thus far is happening towards the end of this month, February, letting people enter spring on a fresh slate, so to speak. It coincides with turnover for the next map condition and more in the roadmap too, and Grzesiek specifies he's awaiting "new content" as well to liven up his experience.

He notes it's "still good" even when you're playing for kicks rather than progression, but the ever-present cheating is wearing on him as well. "I got a little tired of the cheaters," he adds. "I know they're making an initiative to fix that with Arc, so, excited for that."

Considering he launched a one-man campaign for Arc Raiders to win Game of the Year at The Game Awards, this is something of a contrast. But even the most ardent fans need a breather, and I've no doubt come March, Grzesiek will be back on Raider grind full refreshed. Maybe he'll finish Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 in the meantime.

Arc Raiders devs triple the frequency of Bird City after time zones locked many fans out of playing, Embark promises to "keep revising" its map event schedule

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Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. CATEGORIES PC Gaming PS5 Xbox Series X Platforms PlayStation Xbox Anthony McGlynnSocial Links NavigationContributing Writer

Anthony is an Irish entertainment and games journalist, now based in Glasgow. He previously served as Senior Anime Writer at Dexerto and News Editor at The Digital Fix, on top of providing work for Variety, IGN, Den of Geek, PC Gamer, and many more. Besides Studio Ghibli, horror movies, and The Muppets, he enjoys action-RPGs, heavy metal, and pro-wrestling. He interviewed Animal once, not that he won’t stop going on about it or anything.

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Logout Read more Arc Raiders GOTY advocate and former FPS pro Shroud threatens to quit the game due to cheaters    Arc Raiders is becoming a "waste of time" thanks to cheaters, says Shroud, who's considering a break until it's fixed    Arc Raiders would've "for sure" won Game of the Year over Clair Obscur if it came out sooner, former FPS pro Shroud says    Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 wins Game of the Year, so Arc Raiders advocate and ex-FPS pro Shroud will finally play it    After backing Arc Raiders over Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 for GOTY, FPS legend Shroud says there should be different categories for multiplayer and single-player    Despite wanting Arc Raiders to win GOTY, Shroud admits Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is good after finally playing it    Latest in Third Person Shooters Completely "pancake" Automatons threatening democracy with "new heavy-hitting" Bastion Tank in Helldivers 2    How to unlock the new Bastion Tank in Helldivers 2    Arc Raiders devs triple the frequency of Bird City as Embark promises to "keep revising" its map event schedule    Where to find Geiger Counters in Arc Raiders    Helldivers 2 patch increases "intensity" of highest difficulties, buffs melee weapons, and gives enemies a better aim    Arc Raiders' second Expedition window ends in just 23 days, but Embark still hasn't told players what they need to do    Latest in News After pushing for Arc Raiders to win GOTY, former FPS pro Shroud is taking a break because he's "tired of the cheaters"    GTA 6 owner says "generative AI has zero part in what Rockstar Games is building"    High-end live streaming mixers can cost $499, but this one somehow costs $49    Send Help producer reveals the surprising on-set hazard that had to be removed from the thriller's set: killer coconuts    Stardew Valley 1.7 update will add "2 more marriage candidates," and fans theorize they could be anyone in the farm sim    Christian Bale reveals he'd "scream like crazy" in the makeup chair for The Bride!, but fans think he's overreacting    GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

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