New CS2 ban wave to wipe 100,000 smurfs off FACEIT

William Davis Published 26/11/2024

A new ban wave has rippled through FACEIT, and CS2 players rejoice.

Cheating is such a problem in Counter-Strike 2 that many players look to third-party matchmakers to help. When Valve doesn’t cut it, anti-cheats like the ones from FACEIT can help. However, even paid options aren’t infallible, and plenty of smurfs, cheaters, and toxic players still exist on the platform. That’s something the platform is actively looking to tackle with FACEIT 2.0, and the latest update came with a tidal wave of bans for alt accounts, aimbotters, and more.

Here’s how FACEIT launched a 40,000-strong ban wave in CS2 and why cheaters are saltier than ever.

How big was the last FACEIT ban wave?

FACEIT’s last big ban wave in late 2024 took out over 40,000 cheaters right after launch, and the company expects more than 100,000 total bans.

These numbers come from FACEIT’s official social media. It publicized the numbers early on November 26, 2024. 40,000 cheaters were allegedly banned within two hours of the wave, but there are still plenty of accounts left to get rid of.

This ban wave is part of FACEIT 2.0, a platform refresh initiative that adds new features, refreshes the anti-cheat, and streamlines match access. 2.0 also makes the start of a new FPL season as well as an Elo reset for Level 10 players. Some of the features require premium membership, but all players stand to benefit from a reduced amount of cheaters.

The latest FACEIT ban wave comes after months of complaints about cheating in Valve servers. The release of CS2 was a fresh start for players, but bad actors quickly caught up in the arms race against Valve. Players on social media continue to claim the official servers are filled with cheaters, and Valve’s VACNet system isn’t enough to keep up. If Valve continues to lag behind, more and more players may switch to an external matchmaker.

Read Also

Counter-Strike

IEM Cologne Major 2026 CS2 Stage 3 Pick’Em Predictions Owen Harsono It’s that time of the year again, as the next Counter-Strike 2 Major is right around the corner. The IEM Cologne 2026 Major is set to start on June 2, meaning you still have some time to lock in your Pick’Em predictions. The Pick’Em Challenge is one of the most exciting parts of the CS2 Majors, as it allows you to test your knowledge and predict which teams make it ...

Counter-Strike

Team Spirit concede just 10 rounds in Stage 2 of the IEM Cologne Major Owen Harsono It was pretty weird seeing Team Spirit having to start the IEM Cologne Major from Stage 2, but they quickly proved why that was a mistake. With donk shooting on all fronts, the Eastern Europeans speed ran the competition to book their spot in Stage 3. With how they’ve been playing, it’s hard not to wonder whether they can actually win the entire thing. These boys can sometimes be known ...

Counter-Strike

BIG pull off 0-12 comeback to stay alive – IEM Cologne Major Stage 1 recap Owen Harsono We’ve just witnessed arguably the worst choke in Counter-Strike Major history, and we’re only on the first stage of the IEM Cologne Major. If you didn’t tune into the Stage 1 matches, here’s what you need to know heading into Stage 2. Many fans tend to underestimate Stage 1 teams for fair reasons, but some survivors in this tournament look extremely promising. Two Eastern European teams, BetBoom Team and B8, ...

Counter-Strike

Who will win the IEM Cologne Major 2026? Owen Harsono If you’re looking to play it safe and back one team at the Counter-Strike 2 IEM Cologne 2026 Major, traders prediction markets platforms have a clear frontrunner – it’s Team Vitality. But if it’s not meant to be, there are a few other candidates that could lift the trophy. Here’s what traders on Polymarket and Kalshi think. If you haven’t been watching CS2 this year and are only jumping on ...

Counter-Strike

The 10 best CS2 players who have never won a Major Owen Harsono In Counter-Strike, winning a Major immediately puts you into legend status. It’s an achievement that proves you won the game’s biggest trophy. However, there have been some really good players that could never get their hands on the biggest trophy that Counter-Strike esports has to offer. Here is WIN.gg's list of best CS2 players who have never won a Major. ScreaM is one of Counter-Strike's most famous players for one ...

Counter-Strike

IEM Cologne Major 2026: All the teams, favorites, and outright betting odds Owen Harsono Mark your calendars, as the IEM Cologne Major kicks off on June 2, 2026. We’re going to see the best teams in the world compete, but which ones are actually favored to take the title? This will be the first time in 10 years that IEM Cologne will return as a Counter-Strike Major, so the stakes this year are much higher than they’ve been in a decade. In this guide, ...

Esports Betting

All IEM Cologne winners and rosters in Counter-Strike history Owen Harsono IEM Cologne is one of Counter-Strike’s biggest events, happening every single year. Some seasons, the event is labeled as one of Valve’s two Counter-Strike Majors of the year, but if not, still stands as one of the big events every player chases to win. With the IEM Cologne 2026 Major right around the corner, let’s take a trip down memory lane and check out every single winner of the tournament, ...