Riot has already banned over 8,800 cheaters from Valorant

Olivia Richman Published 13/05/2020

Valorant’s anti-cheat software, Vanguard, hasn’t been too popular with the gaming community but it seems to be doing its job well. 

Riot anti-cheat data engineer Phillip Koskinas revealed on Twitter that 8,873 cheaters have been banned already. 

“Located a Valorant universe where there were 8,873 less cheaters and moved us all into it,” Koskinas joked. “Please be careful, as your bones may have shifted during dimensional travel.” 

Cheating is a major issue in FPS titles like Valorant and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. A lot of players utilize jump hacks, wall hacks, and aimbots, giving them better movement and unfair advantages over unsuspecting opponents. Vanguard uses Fog of War alongside player reports to target cheaters and remove them from the game. Not only that, but any computer caught using these hacks will be banned, meaning cheaters can’t simply create a new account. 

Valorant community still unhappy with Vanguard

While Valorant’s strict anti-cheat software seems to be doing its job, there’s been a lot of controversy surrounding the software. One common concern is that Vanguard kills the driver processes of several CPU cooler brands, leaving players no choice but to turn their coolers on and shut down Vanguard. Vanguard has also been one of the reasons some players keep getting disconnected. Some players have also reported frame drops that force them to uninstall the game entirely.

On top of this are a slew of security concerns stemming from the amount of control Riot has users’ PCs through Vanguard. 

Despite the growing list of concerns regarding Vanguard, Riot is pleased with the anti-cheat software overall. One Riot developer even said on Reddit that “this is only the beginning,” meaning more cheaters will likely be kicked out of the game permanently in the near future. 

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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