The code of honor is very important for gamers, be it the ones who participate in the Olympics or the ones who participate in computer gaming competitions. Gaming has quickly escalated into a profession, and it becomes important to make sure that gamers don’t cheat. You may remember how some of us used cheat codes in the single-player mode just for the fun sake. However, doing so in multiplayer gaming leagues will cause a lot of reputation and financial damage for the competitors.
Anti-Cheat software for Windows 11/10
Since the beginning, most game providers, including Valve, have offered anti-cheat solutions. Anti-cheat software ensures that players don’t resort to unethical means to ensure their victory. The anti-cheat software can be integrated both on the gaming vendor side and on the user’s end. Let us take a look at some of the best anti-cheat freeware available for Windows PC.
1] Battle Eye
Battle Eye is already offering its anti-cheating protection on an exhaustive gaming catalog. The company promises to hunt down hackers and make hacking increasingly difficult. Battle Eye will also protect the games round the clock, 24 x 7, 365 days a week. The team behind Battle Eye also promises that their gaming software will not interfere with the usual gameplay until and unless someone is caught playing foul.
Apart from the features mentioned above, BattleEye will also ban the players globally, and this ban is always better and harsher in nature than the SteamID/account ban. Apart from instantly kicking out the players, the Battle Key also offers a full Rcon administration interface to help admins keep control of their servers. Reliability is also relatively high since the architecture is independent of third-party network connections.
2] Punkbuster from Even Balance
Punkbuster has been in the anti-cheat business for the last 15 years and supports a majority of gaming titles. It employs game-specific cheat research and detection alongside real-time continuous memory scanning during gameplay. The updates are done in the background, and Punkbuster also offers administrative tools like screenshots and ban lists.
The only downside that I can see as of now is that the Punkbuster seems to be slow in adding support for the newer gaming titles. The Punkbuster on the Windows operating system requires two running services (PnkBstrA and PnkBstrB) both of which need to be installed manually.
3] VAC (Valve Anti-Cheat System)
The Steam platform from Valve is one of the most popular multiplayer gaming platforms. It was with the help of Steam that games like Counter-Strike were so popular. The Valve Anti-Cheat System bans are permanent and non-negotiable, and they cannot be revoked even by Steam Support. However, players can still appeal against a certain VAC ban.
The makers of VAC clearly caution us against the use of custom skins or any game modification as it might raise the red flag. One should also be careful while playing on public computers as someone else may have installed cheat software. In most cases, hackers maliciously disguise cheats in order to get others banned.
TruPlay Anti-Cheat System in Windows 11/10
Microsoft included their very own TruePlay anti-cheat feature tool starting from Windows 10. The tool collects the data within games and generates alerts if something is wrong. The information is then sent to the developer, and the account is banned immediately. Microsoft has already started making the API available to developers, and it is enabled by default for all the games on the Microsoft Store games.
Related: What is EasyAntiCheat.exe?
What is anti-cheat software?
Anti-cheat software detects and prevents the use of unauthorized third-party tools that give players unfair advantages in online games. It operates in a secure manner to ensure a fair gaming environment and is crucial in maintaining game integrity.
What is the best anticheat system?
The best anti-cheat system is subjective, but VAC, PunkBuster, Battle-Eye, and Denuvo Anti-Cheat are highly regarded for their effectiveness. It works across PC, mobile, and console platforms, implementing quickly while maintaining top security. Most effectively catche cheats, exploits, and problematic game mechanics, preventing re-offending by sanctioned players.
