Valorant Enhances Anti-Cheat Measures After Banwave

Valorant's New Anti-Cheat Measures: Ranked Rollbacks to Combat Cheaters

Valorant is escalating its fight against cheaters with the introduction of ranked rollbacks. This new system will reverse a player's rank or progress if their match was compromised by hackers. The goal is to deter cheating and ensure fair gameplay for all Valorant players. Importantly, players who were on the same team as a cheater will retain their rank rating, preventing unfair penalties for those who were unwittingly partnered with a hacker.

The recent surge in cheating activity prompted Riot Games to take decisive action. Phillip Koskinas, Riot's head of anti-cheat, publicly acknowledged the problem and outlined the new rollback strategy. He emphasized Riot's enhanced ability to combat cheating, highlighting a significant number of bans issued through the Vanguard anti-cheat system in January alone (with the peak on January 13th).

This new approach addresses concerns raised by players about the unfairness of winning a match with a cheater on their team. Koskinas clarified that while the opposing team will have their rank rating restored, players who played alongside cheaters will not be penalized. Although this might lead to some rank inflation, Riot believes the benefits of this strategy outweigh the potential drawbacks.

Valorant's Vanguard system, known for its kernel-level security, has been instrumental in banning thousands of cheaters. Its effectiveness has even inspired other games, like Call of Duty, to adopt similar anti-cheat technologies. Despite past successes, the persistent challenge of combating cheaters remains. The long-term effectiveness of the ranked rollback system remains to be seen, but Riot's commitment to a fair and cheat-free Valorant experience is evident.