Valorant Making Anti-Cheat Changes Following Major Ban Wave

Summary

• Valorant is combating a recent surge in cheaters by introducing ranked rollbacks. This means players will have their rank adjusted if a match was compromised by cheating.
• These new measures aim to punish cheaters and ensure fair gameplay for all Valorant players.
• Players who were teamed with cheaters will retain their rank rating, preventing unfair penalties.

Valorant is taking a significant step in its ongoing battle against cheaters with the implementation of ranked rollbacks. Following a recent increase in hacking activity, Valorant's head of anti-cheat addressed the situation, promising stronger action and outlining the new system.

Online gaming frequently grapples with the disruptive presence of cheaters seeking unfair advantages. While many companies employ various anti-cheat strategies, persistent cheaters often find ways to circumvent them. Despite boasting a highly effective anti-cheat system, Valorant has recently experienced a rise in hacking, negatively impacting player experience. This has prompted Riot Games to introduce stricter penalties.

Riot Games' head of anti-cheat, Phillip Koskinas, publicly acknowledged the problem on Twitter, reassuring players of the studio's commitment to a solution. A key element of this solution is the upcoming implementation of ranked rollbacks, reversing player rank progression if a match was unfairly lost due to cheating. Koskinas shared data illustrating the number of cheaters banned by Riot's Vanguard system 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—a situation unfair to both the opposing team and those playing alongside the hacker—Koskinas clarified that players teamed with cheaters will keep their rank. The opposing team, however, will have their rank adjusted to compensate. Koskinas acknowledged the potential inflationary effect of this measure but expressed confidence in its overall effectiveness.

Valorant's Vanguard system, utilizing kernel-level security on PCs, has proven highly effective in detecting and banning cheaters. Its success has even inspired similar systems in other games like Call of Duty. Despite past successes in driving out cheaters, the ongoing struggle highlights the persistent challenge of maintaining fair play.

Valorant has already banned thousands of players, offering hope to those frustrated by persistent hacking in ranked matches. Riot Games' demonstrated commitment to resolving this issue and curbing the recent wave of cheating activity is encouraging. The long-term effectiveness of the new ranked rollback technique, however, remains to be seen.