Valorant's Anti-Cheat Measures: Ranked Rollbacks to Combat Cheaters
Valorant is escalating its fight against cheaters by introducing ranked rollbacks. This new anti-cheat measure reverses player rank or progress if a match is compromised by hackers. The goal is to penalize cheaters and ensure fair gameplay for all Valorant players. Importantly, players who were on the same team as a hacker will retain their rank rating, preventing unfair penalties for victims of cheating.
The recent surge in cheating activity prompted Riot Games to take stronger action. Phillip Koskinas, Riot's head of anti-cheat, publicly acknowledged the problem and outlined the new ranked rollback system. He emphasized Riot's increased ability to combat cheating, highlighting a significant number of bans issued through the Vanguard anti-cheat system in January alone (data showing a peak on January 13th was shared).
Addressing concerns about players winning matches with cheaters on their team, Koskinas clarified that those players will keep their rank, while the opposing team will have their rank adjusted to compensate for the unfair advantage. While acknowledging potential inflationary effects, Riot believes this strategy is the best path forward.
Valorant's Vanguard system, utilizing kernel-level security, has a proven track record of success against cheaters. Its effectiveness has even led other games, such as Call of Duty, to adopt similar anti-cheat approaches. Despite past successes in banning thousands of players, the persistent nature of cheating necessitates ongoing efforts. The effectiveness of the new ranked rollback system remains to be seen, but Riot's commitment to fair play is evident.
