Valve bans over 300,000 CSGO hackers in a massive VAC wave

Valve is cracking down on nefarious actors in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, removing over 300,000 cheaters in a VAC ban wave.

CSGO is a classic shooter game that has roped in millions of players. However, increasing popularity spells hackers and cheaters who disrupt the experience. Paired with CSGO’s free-to-play status, the game has become infested with cheaters with Valve consistently glossing over the issue. However, the developer is now cracking down on bad actors, banning thousands of hackers. 

A recent report by CSGOstats.gg has revealed that the developer has banned over 304,000 cheaters in just three months. This is one of many huge culling of hackers from the game.

CSGO VAC ban removes 300,000 cheaters

CSGO has a serious cheating problem that often goes unnoticed. Consequently, the number of hackers in CSGO has seemingly risen over the years. Valve is finally taking action, according to Steam statistics. 

According to CSGO stats, the developer has been banning as many as 9,000 hackers per day. The consistent pace has led to about 304,655 bans in the past three months. That’s quite a big number considering CSGO’s player base that has taken a hit in 2022. While many have moved on to other games, those who still enjoy CSGO are forced to leave due to blatant cheaters. 

The report showed a surge in the months of July and September, with bans almost touching 10,000 in a single day. VAC bans being distributed generously would surely impact the game experience for the next few months. The positive change may convince players to give matchmaking another shot after many have opted for third-party services like FACEIT and ESEA. 

In 2017, Valve introduced Trust Factor, which looks at players’ past experience in CSGO in matchmaking. Typically, CSGO matchmaking heavily relies on this tool to sift out the hackers, which is why the bad actors are never completely gone from the game. They just continue to infest low-Trust Factor lobbies. 

However, the recent VAC ban wave will deliver harsh punishments as these bans are permanent, non-negotiable, and are almost never removed. Ideally, players will encounter fewer hackers in the next few months.