Building an ARC Raiders external tool for performance analysis

If you’ve spent any time digging into Unreal Engine 5 titles, you know that standard internal hooks are a recipe for disaster. Most developers trying to build an ARC Raiders external tool quickly realize that injecting DLLs into a modern anti-cheat environment is a fast track to a ban. Instead, the most robust way to monitor game state—whether for performance profiling or entity tracking—is through external memory reading.

By utilizing a D3D11 overlay that sits on top of the game window, you can pull data directly from the process memory without ever modifying the game’s executable code. This "no-injection" approach is the gold standard for developers who want to analyze entity positions or frame-time consistency without triggering integrity checks.

Why external memory reading wins

Most guides get this wrong by suggesting you should hook into the game's render loop. That’s outdated advice. When you use an external RPM (ReadProcessMemory) utility, you are essentially acting as a passive observer. You aren't changing the game's behavior; you're simply reading the memory addresses where the UE5 engine stores its object lists.

Here is what you need to keep in mind when building your own implementation:

• Memory Offsets: UE5 updates frequently. Your tool must be able to dynamically scan for base addresses rather than relying on hardcoded offsets that break every patch.
• Overlay Latency: Using D3D11 for your overlay is efficient, but if your render loop isn't synchronized with the game's frame rate, you’ll see significant stuttering.
• Data Sanitization: Always filter your entity list. Trying to render every single object in a complex scene will tank your own performance, not just the game's.

This next part matters more than it looks: how do you handle the data once you have it? Most people dump everything to the screen, but a clean UI is what separates a professional utility from a cluttered mess. Using a library like ImGui allows you to create a high-performance, transparent interface that doesn't interfere with your input handling.

Avoiding common failure modes

The biggest mistake I see in these projects is failing to handle the "offline-only" constraint correctly. If you are building a tool for game performance monitoring, you must ensure your memory reading logic doesn't accidentally trigger a heartbeat check from the game's anti-cheat.

Why does the game crash when you attach your debugger? Usually, it’s because the game detects an external handle being opened to its process. To avoid this, you need to be extremely careful with your process access rights. Requesting PROCESS_VM_READ is usually sufficient, but requesting full access will get you flagged immediately.

Are you struggling with frame drops while running your overlay? Check your memory polling frequency. You don't need to read the entire entity list 144 times per second. Dropping your polling rate to 30Hz or 60Hz is often enough to keep your radar or performance stats feeling responsive while drastically reducing CPU overhead.

Building an effective ARC Raiders external tool requires a deep understanding of how UE5 manages its object arrays. By keeping your logic external and your memory access minimal, you create a stable environment for your own training and analysis. Try this today and share what you find in the comments.