Valorant Making Anti-Cheat Changes Following Major Ban Wave

Summary

• Valorant is combating cheaters with a new ranked rollback system. This reverses rank or progress if a match is compromised by hackers.
• The goal is to punish cheaters and ensure fair gameplay for all Valorant players.
• Players teamed with hackers will retain their rank rating, preventing unfair penalties.

Valorant is implementing ranked rollbacks to combat a recent surge in hackers. Valorant's head of anti-cheat addressed the issue, warning cheaters of stricter measures and outlining the new system.

Online games frequently struggle with cheaters seeking unfair advantages. While many companies employ various anti-cheat strategies, cheaters persistently find ways to disrupt fair play. Despite Valorant's generally strong anti-cheat reputation, a recent increase in hacking prompted Riot Games to take decisive action.

Riot Games' head of anti-cheat, Phillip Koskinas, publicly acknowledged the problem on Twitter, assuring players of ongoing efforts to resolve it. A key element of this strategy is the upcoming implementation of ranked rollbacks, reversing player rank or progress in matches affected by cheating. Koskinas shared data illustrating the number of cheaters banned by Riot's Vanguard system in January, peaking 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 on the same team as a cheater will retain their rank. The opposing team, however, will have their rank adjusted. While acknowledging potential inflationary effects, Koskinas expressed confidence in this approach.

Valorant's Vanguard system, utilizing kernel-level security on PCs, has proven highly effective in detecting and banning cheaters. Other popular games, such as Call of Duty, have adopted similar systems. Despite past successes in driving cheaters out, they consistently find ways to return.

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