Dev Reveals New Anti-Cheat Measures Against Cheaters

Riot Games is stepping up its fight against hackers in Valorant, with a major update on the way to tackle the growing issue.

When Valorant first launched, Riot proudly introduced Vanguard, their advanced anti-cheat system. They even encouraged players to find and report vulnerabilities in exchange for rewards.

But despite Vanguard’s strength, cheaters have still found ways to sneak through, and Riot has had to ban millions of accounts over the years.

Recently, during the holiday season, there was a noticeable uptick in cheaters, leading to frustration among players and calls for action. Now, with the start of 2025, Riot has responded to those concerns.

A Surge in Cheaters Over the Holidays

Phillip Koskinas, Riot’s head of anti-cheat, shared that nearly 100,000 cheaters have already been banned this year. “We noticed a surge in cheaters during the holidays, but we’re back at it and taking care of them,” 

He also teased a big change in how bans will affect ranked games. “Cheaters don’t take breaks, so thanks for letting us get one—we’re hitting back even harder now. Soon, future bans will include ranked rollbacks,” he added.

How Ranked Rollbacks Will Work

When asked how the rollback system would function, Koskinas clarified that if a player unknowingly benefited from having a cheater on their team, they’d keep their points, while the opposing team would have theirs restored. “It’s a bit inflationary, but we’ve run the numbers, and it’ll be fine,” he explained.

Community Reactions

Players have expressed relief that Riot is taking action. One user commented, “So basically, everyone was right—there were tons of cheaters during the holidays.” Koskinas also noted that hackers come in many forms, but the number of repeat offenders being dealt with is significant.

This latest update signals Riot’s ongoing commitment to keeping the game fair and enjoyable for everyone.