Valorant Implements Anti-Cheat Updates After Major Ban Wave

Summary

• Valorant is cracking down on hackers by implementing ranked rollbacks to reverse progress or rank if a match is affected by cheaters.
• The new measures are designed to penalize cheaters and promote fair play for all Valorant players.
• Players on the same team as hackers will keep their rank rating to avoid any unfair losses.

Valorant is taking decisive action against the recent surge of hackers by introducing ranked rollbacks. This new system aims to reverse any progress or rank changes if a match is compromised by cheating. Phillip Koskinas, Valorant's head of anti-cheat, has publicly addressed the issue, emphasizing Riot Games' enhanced capabilities to combat cheaters and detailing the upcoming changes.

Cheating remains a persistent challenge in online gaming, with many developers employing various strategies to curb it. Despite Valorant's renowned anti-cheat system, the game has recently experienced an increase in hacking incidents, disrupting the experience for many players. In response, Riot Games is implementing stricter measures to penalize those who cheat.

Koskinas used Twitter to acknowledge the cheating problem and reassure the community that Riot Games is actively working on solutions. The introduction of ranked rollbacks is a key part of this strategy. If a match is lost due to cheating, the affected players' ranks will be rolled back. Koskinas also shared data showing the effectiveness of Riot's Vanguard system, which banned a significant number of cheaters in January, with a peak on January 13.

Riot Games' Future Valorant Bans Will Include Ranked Rollbacks

A player raised concerns about the fairness of winning a match with a cheater on their team, highlighting the injustice to both the opposing team and teammates of the hacker. Koskinas clarified that in such cases, players on the same team as the hacker will retain their rank rating, while the opposing team will have their rank restored. He acknowledged that this approach might lead to some inflation in rankings but expressed confidence in moving forward with this strategy.

Valorant's Vanguard system, known for its kernel-level security on PCs, has been highly effective in detecting and banning cheaters. Its success has inspired other games, such as Call of Duty, to adopt similar anti-cheat measures. Despite these efforts, cheaters continue to find ways to return to the game.

Riot Games has already banned thousands of players, demonstrating their commitment to addressing the issue and reducing the impact of hackers in ranked matches. The effectiveness of the new ranked rollback system will be closely watched by the community.