Valorant Introduces Anti-Cheat Updates After Ban Wave

Summary

• Valorant is implementing ranked rollbacks to counteract the recent increase in hackers, reversing any progress or rank affected by cheaters.
• These new measures aim to penalize cheaters and ensure a fair gaming environment for all Valorant players.
• Players teamed with hackers will retain their rank rating, preventing unfair rank losses.

Valorant is taking significant steps to address the recent surge in hackers by introducing ranked rollbacks. This system will reverse any progress or rank changes if a match is impacted by cheating. Riot Games' head of anti-cheat, Phillip Koskinas, emphasized the studio's commitment to tackling this issue, stating that Riot now has the ability to "hit so much harder" against cheaters.

Cheating remains a persistent challenge across many online games, with various companies deploying different strategies to combat it. Despite Valorant boasting one of the best anti-cheat systems in the industry, the game has recently experienced an uptick in hacking incidents that have disrupted player experiences. In response, Riot Games is implementing stricter penalties to deter cheaters.

Koskinas used Twitter to address the community, acknowledging the cheating problem and outlining the new strategy of ranked rollbacks. He also shared a chart detailing the number of cheaters banned by Valorant's Vanguard system in January, with the peak occurring 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 those unknowingly playing with hackers. In response, Koskinas clarified that players on the same team as a cheater will keep their rank rating, while the opposing team will have theirs 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 even inspired other popular games, like Call of Duty, to adopt similar anti-cheat measures. Despite ongoing efforts by game studios to eliminate cheating, hackers continually find ways to circumvent these systems.

With thousands of bans already issued, Valorant has demonstrated a strong commitment to eradicating cheating from its ranked matches. The effectiveness of the new ranked rollback system will be closely watched as Riot Games continues its battle against hackers.