Valorant Updates Anti-Cheat After Major Ban Wave

Summary

• Valorant is implementing ranked rollbacks to combat hackers, reversing progress or rank if a match is affected by cheaters.
• These measures aim to penalize cheaters and ensure fair play for all Valorant players.
• Players on the same team as hackers will retain their rank rating to prevent unfair losses.

Valorant is taking a strong stance against the recent surge of hackers by introducing ranked rollbacks. This initiative is designed to counteract the unfair advantages gained by cheaters and restore integrity to the game. Valorant's head of anti-cheat, Phillip Koskinas, has publicly addressed the issue, emphasizing Riot's enhanced capabilities to tackle cheating and detailing the new system.

Cheating remains a persistent challenge across many online games, with companies continually seeking effective solutions. Despite Valorant's reputation for having one of the best anti-cheat systems, the game has recently experienced an uptick in hacking incidents, prompting Riot Games to implement more stringent measures.

Koskinas used Twitter to highlight Riot's ongoing efforts to curb cheating in Valorant. The introduction of ranked rollbacks means that if a match is compromised by a cheater, the affected players' ranks will be adjusted accordingly. He also shared data illustrating the effectiveness of Riot's Vanguard system, which banned a significant number of cheaters in January, peaking on January 13.

Riot Games' Future Valorant Bans Will Include Ranked Rollbacks

Addressing concerns about fairness when a player wins a match with a cheater on their team, Koskinas clarified that those players would retain their rank rating. Conversely, the opposing team would have their ranks restored. He acknowledged the potential for this approach to be inflationary but expressed confidence in its overall effectiveness.

Valorant's Vanguard system, known for its kernel-level security on PCs, has set a high standard in the fight against cheating. Other popular titles, such as Call of Duty, have followed suit by adopting similar anti-cheat technologies. Despite these efforts, hackers continue to find ways to circumvent these systems.

The community remains hopeful as Riot Games has a track record of banning thousands of cheaters. Their commitment to tackling the latest wave of hackers through ranked rollbacks is a testament to their dedication to maintaining a fair gaming environment. The effectiveness of this new strategy will be closely monitored in the coming months.