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

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.