How to Fight the "Network Timeout" Error in ARC Raiders (and Why It's Probably Not Your Fault)
It's the most dangerous enemy in the game: a loading screen.
There is no worse feeling. You're fully kitted, you've got your mission, you're ready to dive. You hit "launch," the wheel spins, and... "Network Timeout."
It's enough to make you want to throw your mouse through the monitor. Before you do, I've got a few things you can try, from the dead simple to the "okay, now I'm desperate" plays.
First, Just Blame the Servers
Let's be perfectly honest. This is an online-only extraction shooter that's extremely popular. Ninety percent of the time, this error isn't your fault.
It's their fault. The servers are probably on fire, getting a hotfix, or just buckling under the sheer number of people trying to log in.
Before you tear your entire network apart, do yourself a favor: check the official ARC Raiders Twitter or their Discord. If you see a wall of people screaming about the servers, just close the game. Walk away, touch grass, and come back in an hour.
The "Turn It Off and On Again" Ritual
Okay, so the official channels are quiet and your friends are in-game. It might actually be on your end. It's time to perform the sacred IT ritual.
Start with the basics. Just restart the game.
Still no good? Restart your launcher. Don't just click the 'X' on Steam—go to your system tray in the bottom-right, right-click the Steam icon, and select "Exit Steam." Give it a few seconds, then relaunch it.
The final step is the router. Go unplug it from the wall. Don't just tap the power button. Unplug it, count to 30, and plug it back in. This clears its cache and can fix all sorts of weird, invisible connection hangs.
Fix Your Busted Game Files
Sometimes, a patch doesn't install quite right and your game files get corrupted. This is a classic cause for connection errors.
Thankfully, it's an easy fix. In Steam, right-click on ARC Raiders in your library and go to "Properties." Find the "Installed Files" tab and click "Verify integrity of game files."
This will scan your installation, find any broken or missing files, and redownload them. It's a "go make a coffee" kind of fix.
Tell Your PC to Let You Play
Your computer might be "protecting" you right out of a game. An over-aggressive firewall or antivirus program is a common culprit.
Your AV might see the game trying to connect to the internet and decide it looks suspicious, blocking the connection without even telling you.
You need to dive into your antivirus or Windows Defender settings and manually add an exception for ARC Raiders. Find the "allowed apps" or "exceptions" list and add the game's .exe file to it. This tells your digital bodyguard to stand down.
The Last-Ditch Desperation Plays
Still getting the error? And you're sure the servers are up? Fine. We're in the deep magic territory now.
First, try changing your DNS. Think of it as your internet's phonebook. Your ISP's default one can sometimes be slow or outdated. You can manually change it in your Windows network settings to a public one, like Google's (8.8.8.8) or Cloudflare's (1.1.1.1).
If that fails, a VPN might work. This is a long shot, but sometimes your ISP has a really bad, congested route to the game's servers. A VPN can force your connection down a different path.
But honestly, if you've done all this and it's still not working? I'm telling you, it's not you. It's them. Go play something else and try again after the next patch.