Guilty Gear Strive is currently under attack by malicious actors that are using a data exploit that causes the game to become unplayable. This exploit uses the R-Code system to gather information from players and prevent them from connecting to play online matches, change their details mid-game, and even crash the game mid-match while creating memory leak problems.
This is explained by professional player Hotashi. As you can see below, the exploit can slow the game down to a crawl and will happen so long as the game client is online, so it can affect most of Strive's modes, including Arcade, Dojo, Training, and other modes that require an online connection.
whoever is using this r-code exploit can now use this vulnerability to cause the GGST client to have some sort of leak, slowing the game to an unplayable crawl
this occurs even in training mode, and doesnt happen with steam in offline mode
— Moist | Hotashi (@hotashis) January 2, 2023
And before you start thinking that this issue is exclusive to the PC version of Guilty Gear Strive. The exploit also affects the PlayStation version of the game. The problem is that it messes with the R-Code system. As such, it's independent of the platform the game is played on, and it rather targets the R-Codes themselves.
The problem becomes worse once you realize that on PC, this issue can cause memory leak issues. Essentially, it can crash your game or even make your entire PC crash with a black screen of death. Hotashi also said that while you’re more likely to be targeted by this exploit if you’re a prominent personality in the community, the issue isn’t relegated to just streamers on PC.
Sajam, a prominent FGC figure, has recently discussed the exploit on his YouTube channel. He believes that discussing this exploit and a prompt fix should be the highest priority.
Kotaku tried to reach out to Arc System Works regarding this R-Code exploit but they didn't receive a reply. However, Zack “Shini” Tan, an Arc System Works producer, said on Twitter that he’s “back in the office” and looking at the reports. So, perhaps this exploit will be fixed in a quick manner before another RCE situation surfaces.
Guilty Gear Strive is currently available on PlayStation 4/5 and PC.
