Valorant's Anti-Cheat Measures: Ranked Rollbacks to Combat Cheaters
Valorant is escalating its fight against cheaters with a new strategy: ranked rollbacks. This means that if a ranked match is compromised by cheating, player ranks will be adjusted to undo any unfair gains or losses. This initiative aims to create a fairer gaming environment for all players.
The recent surge in cheating activity prompted Riot Games to take decisive action. Phillip Koskinas, Riot's head of anti-cheat, confirmed the increased cheating and assured players that Riot's capabilities to combat this have significantly improved. He highlighted the substantial number of cheaters banned through Valorant's Vanguard anti-cheat system, particularly a peak on January 13th.
The new ranked rollback system addresses concerns about fairness for both teams involved in matches affected by cheaters. Players teamed with hackers will retain their rank, preventing unjust penalties. Conversely, players on opposing teams affected by cheating will have their rank adjusted to compensate for the unfair loss. While this approach might temporarily inflate ranks, Riot believes the benefits outweigh the potential drawbacks.
Valorant's Vanguard system, utilizing kernel-level access for enhanced detection, has been a benchmark for anti-cheat technology in the gaming industry. Its success has inspired other games to adopt similar approaches. Despite past successes in banning thousands of cheaters, the persistent nature of cheating necessitates ongoing efforts. The effectiveness of ranked rollbacks remains to be seen, but Riot Games' commitment to a fair and cheat-free Valorant experience is clear.
