Arc Raiders Network Icons — What They All Mean
Yellow squares, clock, jitter & shader stutter
Arc Raiders displays real-time network telemetry icons on the right side of the screen during a raid. Many players mistake these for proximity warnings or enemy indicators. They are network health warnings—understanding them can help you decide whether to extract early or push for more loot.
Yellow or red overlapping squares
Icon: Overlapping squares (yellow or red).
Meaning: Packet loss. Your data packets are not reaching the server reliably. Some of your actions (shots fired, movement) may not register.
What to do: If this persists, extract immediately—you are at risk of an AREX disconnect.
Clock icon
Icon: Clock.
Meaning: High latency (high ping). Your connection to the server is slow. Actions have a delay before registering. Caused by distance to server, ISP routing issues, or server load.
What to do: Not immediately dangerous but makes combat unreliable. Consider extracting if it stays high.
Monitor with exclamation mark
Icon: Monitor/screen with exclamation mark.
Meaning: Shader compilation stutter. Your GPU is compiling shaders in real time, causing frame drops. This is a client-side performance issue, not a server issue.
What to do: Common when visiting a map area for the first time after a patch. Usually resolves after the area has been loaded once.
Jagged line graph icon
Icon: Jagged line or graph.
Meaning: High jitter. Your ping is fluctuating rapidly rather than being consistently high or low. Jitter is often more disruptive than high ping because it makes movement and combat unpredictable.
What to do: Caused by unstable WiFi or ISP congestion. Move toward extraction if sustained.
These are not proximity warnings
The icons do not mean enemies are nearby. They indicate connection quality and client performance. Do not confuse them with in-world cues or raid alerts.
What to do when you see these icons
- Single icon appearing briefly: Monitor and continue.
- Packet loss or jitter sustained for 30+ seconds: Start moving toward the nearest extraction point.
- Multiple icons simultaneously: Extract immediately—high risk of AREX disconnect and loot loss.