Valorant Rolls Out Anti-Cheat Update After Ban Wave

Valorant is rolling out ranked rollbacks to counteract the recent surge in hacking incidents. The head of Valorant's anti-cheat division addressed the current cheating epidemic, cautioning offenders that Riot now possesses enhanced capabilities to take severe action, while detailing what these updates involve.

Many competitive online games struggle with cheaters attempting to secure illegitimate advantages. Developers employ various tactics to eliminate them, yet hackers frequently devise new methods to disrupt fair gameplay. Although Valorant is recognized for having one of the most robust anti-cheat systems, it has recently experienced an increase in hackers negatively impacting player experiences. This has prompted Riot Games to implement stricter penalties for violators.

Phillip Koskinas, Riot Games' head of anti-cheat, publicly acknowledged Valorant's ongoing cheating issue on Twitter, reassuring players that the studio is actively developing solutions. As part of this renewed effort, Riot will soon deploy ranked rollbacks, allowing them to revert player progress or rank when matches are compromised by cheating. Koskinas shared data revealing the volume of cheaters banned by Riot's Vanguard system in January, with peak activity occurring on January 13.

Riot Games' Future Valorant Bans Will Include Ranked Rollbacks

One community member questioned how the system handles victories involving a cheater on their team, noting this creates unfairness for both opponents and the cheater's teammates. Koskinas clarified that players grouped with hackers will maintain their rank rating, while the opposing team will have their ratings restored. He acknowledged this approach might cause some rank inflation but expressed confidence in moving forward with the strategy.

Valorant's Vanguard system has demonstrated remarkable effectiveness in identifying and banning cheaters through its kernel-level PC security access. Other major titles like Call of Duty have adopted similar anti-cheat frameworks to combat hacking. Despite developers' continuous efforts to purge cheaters from their games, perpetrators consistently find new ways to return.

Having previously banned thousands of accounts, Valorant's track record offers hope to players enduring hacker interference in ranked matches. Riot Games has demonstrated unwavering commitment to resolving this issue and curbing the latest hacking wave. The effectiveness of the new ranked rollback system will become clearer with implementation.