ARC Raiders Down: Thousands of gamers worldwide reported sudden disruptions on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as several popular online games and platforms, including ARC Raiders, Fortnite, Steam and the Epic Games Store, stopped mid-play. Downdetector showed a sharp spike in outage reports, particularly from the United States, prompting widespread speculation that Amazon Web Services (AWS) was down.
Social media users expressed anger over repeated holiday disruptions and reliance on shared servers, with some even speculating about cyberattacks. However, AWS categorically denied any outage, stating that its services were operating normally and that the confusion stemmed from events elsewhere on the internet.
Key Takeaways on AWS Christmas Outage and Gaming Disruptions
- ARC Raiders, Fortnite, Steam and Epic Games Store reported outages during Christmas
- Downdetector logged thousands of user complaints, mainly from the US
- Users blamed an alleged AWS outage on social media
- AWS officially denied any disruption to its infrastructure
- Multiple other games and services were also reported down
- Users speculated about cyberattacks and third-party service failures
Multiple Games Go Down During Christmas Period
Gamers worldwide reported that several online games and platforms stopped working mid-play on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Titles affected included ARC Raiders and Fortnite, with players unable to log in or continue gameplay across PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox.
In addition to these games, users reported outages affecting Steam, the Epic Games Store, Call of Duty, Rust, Marvel Rivals, and EA services, suggesting a broader disruption across the gaming ecosystem.
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Downdetector Shows Spike in User Reports
According to Downdetector, more than 4,000 users reported issues around 9:30 PM EST on Wednesday, with the majority of complaints coming from the United States.
Earlier data also showed that ARC Raiders alone saw tens of thousands of reports, with one viral social media post claiming that 346,000 ARC players were affected during the outage.
The volume and timing of reports indicated a widespread issue rather than isolated user-side problems.
Netizens Blame Alleged AWS Outage
As multiple platforms appeared to go down simultaneously, social media users blamed Amazon Web Services, accusing the cloud provider of repeated failures during critical periods.
One user said gamers should not have to rely on “servers that get attacked every 2 weeks.” Another wrote, “Ah. AWS down again! Gotta dem it! What’s Jeff Bezos doing with our subscriptions?”
A Fortnite player asked whether users would be compensated, posting, “Not playing Fortnite, AWS servers are down, are you all going to compensate players that can’t open presents?”
Criticism of Third-Party Dependencies
One gamer responding to posts about Epic Online Services said it was “ridiculous” that players were “dead in the water because Epic is down,” adding that games launched via Steam but running on AWS should not be blocked by a single third-party bridge service. The user argued that when one dependency locks out the entire player base, “the system is flawed” and requires a permanent fix.
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These reactions highlighted growing frustration over how interconnected services can amplify outages.
Cyberattack Speculation Surfaces Online
Some users speculated that the outage could be linked to hacking attempts during the holiday season. One gamer wrote that similar incidents had happened before, claiming hackers try to spoil gaming during Christmas and adding that it would not be shocking if something similar had occurred again.
Another viral post described the situation as a “server apocalypse,” claiming that multiple major games were down simultaneously with no estimated time of restoration.
AWS Denies Any Service Disruption
In response to the claims, AWS categorically denied experiencing any outage. Posting from its official AWS Newsroom account on X, the company stated:
“No, that’s false. AWS services are operating normally today, but an event elsewhere on the internet has prompted some inaccurate speculation on social media.”
AWS also clarified that the AWS Health Dashboard is the only reliable source for checking the operational status of its services.
Steam Store Also Faces Separate Issues
Earlier the same day, the Steam Store was reported down for thousands of users in the United States. The issue was marked by a “Bad Gateway” error, which was attributed to overloaded Valve servers or content delivery network (CDN) failures.
This incident added to the perception of a broader online services disruption during the Christmas period.
Confusion Linked to External Network Events
While AWS did not specify what caused the confusion, such disruptions often occur when third-party services or regional network providers experience technical issues. These problems can indirectly affect access to games and platforms, creating the impression of a large-scale cloud outage even when core infrastructure remains operational.
Interconnected Systems Under Scrutiny
The Christmas outage highlighted the fragility of modern gaming ecosystems, where multiple dependencies, including cloud services, authentication systems and third-party platforms can collectively impact availability. The incident triggered renewed debate among players over redundancy, resilience and reliance on shared infrastructure during peak usage periods.
Technology, Time, and Life’s Purpose
The recent disruption of online games during a peak holiday period has also prompted reflection on how people choose to spend their limited free time. In an era where online gaming and digital entertainment have become common ways to pass leisure hours, moments of interruption remind many that technology itself was not created merely for recreation. According to the spiritual perspective shared by Tatvdarshi Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj, technology exists so that human beings can seek higher understanding and recognise the true purpose of life.
He explains that human life is rare and meaningful, and its central aim is true devotion and liberation. He teaches that people should use available time wisely to reflect on who they are, where they come from, and where they will go after death, rather than allowing valuable moments to be lost without purpose. His Knowledge emphasises that true devotion brings inner peace and leads to a state from which there is no return to suffering.
For more information visit our
- Website: www.jagatgururampalji.org
- YouTube: Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj
- Facebook: Spiritual Leader Saint Rampal Ji
- X (Twitter): @SaintRampalJiM
FAQs on AWS Christmas Outage and Gaming Disruptions
1. Which games were affected during the Christmas outage?
ARC Raiders, Fortnite, Steam, Epic Games Store, Call of Duty, Rust, Marvel Rivals and EA services were reported affected.
2. What did Downdetector report?
Downdetector recorded over 4,000 reports around 9:30 PM EST, mainly from the US.
3. Did AWS confirm an outage?
No. AWS stated its services were operating normally and denied any outage.
4. What error did Steam users face?
Steam users encountered a “Bad Gateway” error linked to overloaded servers or CDN failures.
5. What caused the confusion about AWS?
Third-party or regional network issues may have created the impression of a wider outage.
