Unknown Error ARC Raiders

Mouse Freezing Intermittently - ARC Raiders Fix Guide

📅 Published: 2026-02-03 🔄 Updated: 2026-02-03 👥 Reports: 9 ⚡ Severity: 🟢 Low

🎯 Quick Answer

Lower your mouse polling rate to 500Hz or 250Hz via your mouse's manufacturer software, as high polling rates can cause interrupt conflicts with ARC Raiders' engine.

SECTION 1: OVERVIEW

This error occurs when the ARC Raiders game client experiences a temporary input processing halt specific to the mouse device. The game engine continues to render frames and process other inputs, but mouse movement and button-up events are not registered for a period of 2-5 seconds. This is a hardware-software conflict error, not a full system or game freeze. It primarily affects Windows 10 and 11 platforms running the ARC Raiders client via Steam or its native launcher. The issue manifests across various game versions and is intermittent, with frequency ranging from zero to multiple occurrences per session. Severity is high as it directly impedes combat functionality. No specific in-game error code is generated; the failure is silent within the application's input stack.

SECTION 2: SYMPTOMS

The mouse cursor and look controls freeze completely for 2 to 5 seconds. During this period, the game continues to run at normal framerate, audio plays, and keyboard inputs (WASD movement, keyboard abilities) are processed normally. If the left mouse button was held down for firing at the moment of freeze, the weapon will continue firing automatically until the freeze ends, as the "button up" event is not received. The freeze resolves spontaneously, with control returning without a crash. This typically occurs during high-action sequences but is not strictly tied to specific in-game events or locations.

SECTION 3: COMMON CAUSES

High USB Polling Rate Conflict: Mice set to 1000Hz or 8000Hz polling can overwhelm or create timing conflicts with the game's input handling loop, particularly in Unreal Engine titles under certain full-screen rendering modes.
Exclusive Full-Screen Optimization: Windows Full-Screen Optimizations can create a conflict between the game's raw input capture and the Desktop Window Manager (DWM), leading to intermittent input pipeline stalls.
Outdated or Corrupt Mouse Driver Stack: An outdated system hidclass.sys or mouhid.sys driver, or a corrupted manufacturer-specific driver (e.g., Razer Synapse, Logitech G Hub) can cause intermittent communication failures.
USB Power Management Interrupts: The Windows usbhub.sys driver may be set to allow the system to turn off USB root hubs to save power, causing brief disconnections.
Game Display Mode Incompatibility: Running in exclusive fullscreen mode on certain multi-monitor or HDR setups can cause the DirectX swap chain to briefly stall input processing during presentation.
Background Process Interference: Overlay software (Discord, Xbox Game Bar, NVIDIA ShadowPlay) or peripheral management suites can inject input events that conflict with the game's exclusive input access.
Firmware Bug in Wireless Mouse Dongle: The transceiver firmware for wireless mice may have a bug that causes periodic re-synchronization, appearing as a freeze to the host system.

SECTION 4: SOLUTIONS

Solution 1: Reduce Mouse Polling Rate

Difficulty: Easy Time: 5 minutes Success Rate: High Steps:

Open your mouse configuration software (e.g., Razer Synapse, Logitech G Hub, SteelSeries GG).
Navigate to your mouse's performance or settings tab.
Locate the polling rate (Hz) setting.
Change the rate from 1000Hz or 8000Hz down to 500Hz.
Click "Apply" or "Save" and close the software.
Launch ARC Raiders and test.

Why it works: A lower polling rate reduces the frequency of interrupts the mouse sends to the CPU. ARC Raiders' engine, under specific conditions, may mishandle the rapid interrupt queue from a 1000Hz+ mouse, causing the input thread to stall while it processes the backlog.

Solution 2: Disable Full-Screen Optimizations for ARC Raiders

Difficulty: Easy Time: 3 minutes Success Rate: Medium Steps:

Navigate to your ARC Raiders installation directory (e.g., C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\ARC Raiders).
Locate the game's main executable file (ARC Raiders.exe or similar).
Right-click the file and select Properties.
Navigate to the Compatibility tab.
Check the box labeled "Disable full-screen optimizations".
Click Apply, then OK.
Launch the game.

Why it works: This prevents Windows from applying its composite desktop rendering to the game's full-screen window, granting the application more direct control over the display and input pipeline, eliminating DWM-related input stalls.

Solution 3: Adjust Game Display Mode

Difficulty: Easy Time: 2 minutes Success Rate: Medium Steps:

Launch ARC Raiders and enter the game's Settings menu.
Navigate to the Video or Display settings.
Locate the Display Mode or Window Mode setting.
If set to Fullscreen, change it to Borderless Windowed.
Apply the changes and test. If the issue persists, toggle between Borderless Windowed and Fullscreen to see which mode is stable on your system.
Also, ensure V-Sync is set to Off or Disabled during testing.

Why it works: Borderless Windowed mode uses the Windows Desktop Window Manager for presentation, which has a different, often more stable, input path. This can bypass driver-level exclusive full-screen handoff bugs.

Solution 4: Update System Input Drivers and Disable USB Suspension

Difficulty: Medium Time: 10 minutes Success Rate: Medium Steps:

Press Windows Key + X and select Device Manager.
Expand Mice and other pointing devices. Right-click your mouse and select Update driver > Search automatically for drivers. Repeat for devices under Human Interface Devices.
Expand Universal Serial Bus controllers. For each USB Root Hub and USB Composite Device:

* Right-click and select Properties. * Go to the Power Management tab. * Uncheck "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power". * Click OK.

Close Device Manager and restart your PC.

Why it works: This ensures the base Windows HID drivers are current and prevents the system from suspending power to the USB controller hosting your mouse dongle/receiver, which can cause momentary disconnects.

Solution 5: Perform a Clean Reinstall of Mouse Suite

Difficulty: Medium Time: 15 minutes Success Rate: Medium for manufacturer-specific issues Steps:

Uninstall your mouse software (Razer Synapse, etc.) via Windows Settings > Apps.
Download the latest version from the manufacturer's official website.
Before installing, run the downloaded installer as Administrator.
After installation, do not restore old profiles. Reconfigure your settings (notably polling rate to 500Hz) manually.
For wireless mice: Re-pair the mouse with its dongle using the software's utility. Ensure the dongle is connected to a USB port on the motherboard's rear I/O panel, not a front-panel or hub.

Why it works: A clean install removes corrupted configuration files and driver layers that may be sending erroneous data or conflicting with Windows native HID drivers.

Solution 6: Run the Game with Elevated Privileges and Set High Priority

Difficulty: Easy Time: 3 minutes Success Rate: Low Steps:

Navigate to the ARC Raiders executable as in Solution 2.
Right-click, select Properties > Compatibility tab.
Check the box "Run this program as an administrator".
Launch the game.
Once in-game, Alt+Tab to the desktop.
Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc), go to the Details tab.
Find ARC Raiders.exe, right-click it, select Set priority, and choose High. Do not select "Realtime".

Why it works: This grants the game process higher CPU scheduling priority for its input threads, potentially allowing it to process queued mouse interrupts before a stall occurs. This is a mitigation, not a root cause fix.

SECTION 5: PREVENTION

Maintain updated system chipset and USB controller drivers from your motherboard manufacturer's website. Regularly check for firmware updates for your mouse and its receiver via the manufacturer's software. Establish a standard testing protocol: after any major Windows Update or GPU driver update, verify mouse performance in ARC Raiders. If using a wireless mouse, dedicate a USB 2.0 port on the motherboard's rear I/O for the receiver to minimize RF interference from other high-bandwidth USB 3.0 devices. Keep the mouse software installed but avoid running unnecessary background services from other peripheral vendors.

SECTION 6: SUPPORT ESCALATION

If all tested solutions fail, contact the official ARC Raiders support team through the game's publisher website. Provide the following diagnostic information: a detailed system specification (CPU, GPU, RAM, motherboard, Windows version), your mouse model and firmware version, the polling rate setting, and a precise description of the freeze duration and accompanying symptoms. Include a log of your in-game video settings and whether the issue occurs in other Unreal Engine 5 titles. Do not submit forum posts or community suggestions as part of your ticket; provide only factual data from your system.