Valorant Anti-Cheat Chief: Cheaters Are Inevitable, But Bans Break Records
Valorant anti-cheat Vanguard bans cheaters at record pace, yet ~1% of ranked games still face hackers; Ranked Rollback protects honest players.
In the eternal cat-and-mouse game between cheaters and anti-cheat systems, Valorant's head of anti-cheat, Phillip Koskinas, has a sobering message: you will eventually run into a cheater. Despite Vanguard being one of the most robust anti-cheat systems in all of gaming, Koskinas admitted in early 2025 that it is "inevitable" for players to encounter hackers from time to time. And as we move through 2026, that reality hasn't changed—though Riot Games is still swinging harder than ever. The developer has been handing out bans at a record-setting pace, but the fundamental challenge remains: free-to-play games have almost no barrier to entry, and determined cheaters always find a way back in. You know how it is—you build a wall, they bring a ladder. ... But Riot keeps building taller walls.
Record Ban Velocity, But Cheaters Persist
Koskinas took to X (formerly Twitter) to share some staggering numbers. The weekend of January 10th to 13th, 2025, marked the highest sustained ban velocity on record for Valorant, with almost 7 suspensions occurring every minute. That's a lot of cheaters getting the boot—roughly 10,000 bans per day during that stretch. Yet, even with such aggressive enforcement, Koskinas was candid about the limitations. "Ultimately, it is inevitable that you will encounter a cheater eventually," he said, "but we will just keep banning them all, over and over again, until they finally work up the courage to run the uninstaller." It's a colorful way of saying: we won't stop, even if they won't either.
The data backs up the inevitability. According to Koskinas, around 1% of ranked games have cheaters in them. That might sound small, but in a game with millions of players, it means thousands of matches are affected every day. And sometimes, things get worse. In Brazil, that number spiked to 10% due to a wave of pixelbots—automated programs that use tiny pixel movements to gain an unfair advantage. The regional surge was a stark reminder that cheaters are always innovating, and anti-cheat teams must constantly adapt.
Why is it so hard to keep them out? Koskinas pointed to two key factors: Valorant is free-to-play, and there's no such thing as a truly "permanent" ban. "Even with the best hardware fingerprinting in this universe at its disposal, Vanguard can only keep a determined cheater out for a little while—they will eventually get back in," he explained. Let's be real: when the game costs nothing, creating a new account is trivial. Hardware bans help, but they're not foolproof. Cheaters can spoof hardware IDs, use VPNs, or simply buy new components. It's a never-ending arms race.
Ranked Rollback: A Safety Net for Honest Players
Amid the gloomy news, there's a silver lining for legitimate competitors. Starting in Act 2 (which rolled out in 2025), Riot introduced a Ranked Rollback system designed to protect your rank if you accidentally end up in a game with a hacker. Here's how it works:
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Accidental placement with a cheater | Your rank is protected—no loss of RR or MMR from that match. |
| Queuing alongside a cheater | Both you and the cheater get banned. No exceptions. |
| Detection method | Vanguard and post-game analysis identify suspicious accounts. |
This system is a welcome relief for players who have suffered from unfair losses. It also sends a clear message: if you knowingly party up with a hacker, you're just as guilty. The rollback feature has been live for over a year now, and according to community feedback, it has helped restore faith in ranked integrity—though it's not a cure-all. Will it ever be perfect? ... Probably not, but that won't stop Riot from trying.
The Unseen War: Vanguard's Quiet Victories
While cheaters make headlines, it's worth remembering that Vanguard shuts down matches when it detects infiltration, denying hackers the chance to ruin your rank. Riot has even offered bounties to hackers who can expose serious flaws, turning would-be adversaries into reluctant allies. The system isn't perfect, but it's one of the most proactive in the industry. As Koskinas put it, the goal isn't to eliminate cheating entirely—that's impossible—but to make it so inconvenient that most cheaters eventually give up. "We will just keep banning them all," he said, "over and over again." That's the kind of stubbornness you want from your anti-cheat team. 🛡️
So, what's the takeaway for players in 2026? Stay vigilant, report suspicious behavior, and don't queue with strangers who seem too good to be true. And if you do run into a cheater—well, that's just the way it goes sometimes. The war continues, but at least Riot is fighting with everything it's got. 🎮