Valorant Making Anti-Cheat Changes Following Major Ban Wave

Summary

• Valorant is combating cheaters with a new ranked rollback system. This reverses rank progression if a match is compromised by hackers.
• The goal is to punish cheaters and ensure fair play for all Valorant players.
• Players on the same team as a hacker will retain their rank, preventing unfair penalties.

Valorant is implementing ranked rollbacks to address a recent surge in hacking. Valorant's head of anti-cheat has commented on the situation, warning cheaters and outlining the new system's impact.

Many online games struggle with cheaters seeking unfair advantages. While various anti-cheat strategies exist, cheaters often find ways around them. Despite Valorant's generally strong anti-cheat reputation (Vanguard), a recent increase in hacking has negatively impacted player experience. This prompted Riot Games to take stronger action against cheaters.

Riot Games' head of anti-cheat, Phillip Koskinas, publicly acknowledged the problem on Twitter, assuring players of active efforts to resolve it. A key element of this strategy is the upcoming ranked rollback system. This will reverse rank changes for matches negatively affected by cheating. Koskinas shared data illustrating the number of cheaters banned by Vanguard in January, highlighting a peak on January 13th.

Riot Games' Future Valorant Bans Will Include Ranked Rollbacks

Addressing concerns about players winning matches with cheaters on their team (unfair to both opposing teams and teammates), Koskinas clarified that players teamed with hackers will keep their rank rating. The opposing team, however, will have their rank adjusted to undo the unfair loss. Koskinas acknowledged potential inflationary effects but expressed confidence in the strategy.

Valorant's Vanguard system, leveraging kernel-level access, has proven effective in detecting and banning cheaters. Other games, such as Call of Duty, have adopted similar approaches. While studios successfully deter cheaters, they persistently find new methods to circumvent these measures.

Valorant has already banned thousands of players, offering hope to those frustrated by in-game hacking. Riot Games' commitment to resolving this issue and reducing the recent wave of cheating is evident. The long-term effectiveness of the new ranked rollback remains to be seen.