Riot has already banned over 8,500 cheaters from VALORANT

“Located a VALORANT universe where there were 8,873 less cheaters and moved us all into it, please be careful as your bones may've shifted during dimensional travel."
Image via Riot Games

Riot Games isn’t messing around when it comes to cheaters.

Recommended Videos

The developers of VALORANT have banned a total of 8,873 cheaters just over a month after the game’s closed beta launched, according to Riot anti-cheat data engineer Phillip Koskinas.

“Located a VALORANT universe where there were 8,873 less cheaters and moved us all into it, please be careful as your bones may’ve shifted during dimensional travel,” Koskinas said today

Riot’s anti-cheat detection tech, Vanguard, has been a topic of controversy following the release of VALORANT. It was meant to provide impenetrable protection, stopping malicious software in its tracks. But it’s caused a slew of other issues. Frequent disconnects, driver problems, and frame drops have led to outrage in the community. 

But despite the negative feedback, it’s quite clearly doing its job. It uses Fog of War and server authoritative movement netcode along with player reports, data analysis, and machine learning research to single out cheaters and ban and remove them from the game. These first 8,873 bans are only the start, according to Riot’s K3o

Cheating is a big issue in tactical shooters like VALORANT and Counter-Strike. If Riot can straighten Vanguard and steer it in the right direction, VALORANT will only be better for it.

VALORANT is in its closed beta in North America, Europe, Brazil, LATAM, and Korea, but Riot is looking to extend to other regions in the weeks and months to come. The full game is expected to officially release this summer.


Dot Esports is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more
related content
Read Article All VALORANT knife skins and how to get them
A lineup of the four VCT LOCK//IN melee skins from VALORANT.
Read Article All weapon skin bundles in VALORANT
A VALORANT skin bundle including a Vandal, Operator, Ghost, and Spectre.
Read Article Best agents in VALORANT: Ranked tier list
A picture of VALORANT's logo with a blue background
Related Content
Read Article All VALORANT knife skins and how to get them
A lineup of the four VCT LOCK//IN melee skins from VALORANT.
Read Article All weapon skin bundles in VALORANT
A VALORANT skin bundle including a Vandal, Operator, Ghost, and Spectre.
Read Article Best agents in VALORANT: Ranked tier list
A picture of VALORANT's logo with a blue background
Author
Jerome Heath
Jerome Heath is a senior editor at Dot Esports.