Valve unleashes first big CS2 ban wave of the year, and not even Premier’s best player was safe

Valve has returned from the holiday break and immediately taken aim at cheaters in Counter-Strike 2. On Jan. 3 and 4, the game was hit with a massive ban wave, and even the best Premier player got caught in the crossfire.

Aquaris and Gave Follower, two big names in the community, reported the ban wave on X (formerly Twitter). The No. 1 player on Premier’s leaderboard fell victim to VAC.

Cheaters have been a big problem in CS2 since the game released in September. While the game has been plagued by multiple issues like lackluster tick rate, odd matchmaking, and game-breaking bugs, cheaters running rampant have been arguably the worst of the bunch.

Valve is certainly working on improving the anti-cheat system in CS2, but that doesn’t always produce the desired results. In December, players reported they had been “falsely VAC banned,” meaning they received a suspension even though they didn’t cheat. This has led to players being cautious with ban waves and those who fall victim.

The developers are also likely looking over technical difficulties players have been experiencing since release. The first CS2 Major is slowly approaching, with Copenhagen hosting the tournament in March. The qualifiers start this month.