Outriders is all the rage right now, but it also happens to be the cause of quite a bit of actual rage as well. Since the game launched at the start of April, it has been experiencing almost non-stop server issues. As a result, some players have found themselves unable to log in, play with friends, or even complete certain missions without being kicked from the game. This has brought up a good bit of discourse about online only single player games and their place within the industry, but also spawned a hilarious yet heartbreaking moment during a livestream with CohhCarnage.
These server issues have been plaguing Outriders players, forcing them to restart missions multiple times and sometimes even blocking them from playing the game entirely. A recent server reset that developer People Can Fly referred to as "the mother of all turn it off and on agains" fixed the issues for many, but some are still having problems.
While streaming Outriders' story mode, CohhCarnage was kicked from the game due to server issues at the worst possible time. A major story reveal was unfolding, and both CohhCarnage and the viewers were finally about to get some answers to many of the questions the game leaves them with up that point, but then it happened. The all too familiar error appeared on the screen, explaining to CohhCarnage that there was an internet connection error and that he couldn't connect to the Outriders server.
For those still playing through the main story of Outriders, the clip above does have some major spoilers. Even so, because of the inopportune time that the server issues kicked CohhCarnage, it's hard to really tell what's going on. The whole incident is hilarious in the worst way, and the Twitch chat explodes with laughter when it happens, but it also does showcase a major flaw in Outriders' core design. Online only single player games like this put unnecessary requirements on players, servers, and systems. If CohhCarnage or anyone else for that matter just wants to play the game and experience its story, why should they need to connect to the servers?
The main reason this was done was to avoid piracy, cheating, and other foul play, but many have already found ways around the online only restrictions in order to do these nefarious deeds anyway. It's unlikely that this online model will ever change, but the Outriders servers seem to be getting better as time goes on.
Outriders is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
