Armored Core 6 will use two varieties of DRM on PC, according to its Steam store page. With the Armored Core 6 release date boosting towards us rapidly, you might be wondering whether you’ll need to worry about any third-party tools being used. Developer FromSoftware confirms on its Steam page that Armored Core 6 makes use of both Arxan and Easy Anti-Cheat software, so you’ll need to have both enabled to play its mech RPG game.
DRM (Digital Rights Management) tools are used by developers to protect their software from attempts to tamper with it, as well as avoiding any potential unauthorized copying or modification of the game’s files. Arxan is just one such anti-tamper tool, working similarly to that of its more well-known competitor Denuvo, and has been previously used in games including several entries in the Call of Duty series, GTA 5, and Red Dead Redemption 2.
Along with Arxan, Armored Core 6 also uses Easy Anti-Cheat, often referred to as EAC. Easy Anti-Cheat appears in FromSoftware’s Elden Ring, along with games such as Fortnite, Fall Guys, Apex Legends, and Dead by Daylight. This is most commonly used to avoid cheating during online multiplayer.
The introduction of Arxan DRM to Armored Core 6 is a step up from Elden Ring, which just uses Easy Anti-Cheat, introduced not long after the temporary shut-down of servers for the Dark Souls trilogy following an exploit that allowed malicious users to remotely access other players’ PCs.
While some players express concerns about the potential performance impact of such tools, as well as how they can impact the long-term preservation of games, they remain very common. It was just announced that Payday 3 will use Denuvo, following in the steps of another recent release, Street Fighter 6.
As long as you match up to the Armored Core 6 system requirements, you should be set to go. If you just can’t wait any longer for the clashing of steel and iron, take a look through the best robot games for plenty more of that.