Summary

• Valorant is implementing ranked rollbacks to combat hackers by reversing progress or rank if a match is affected by cheaters.
• These measures aim to penalize cheaters and ensure fair play for all Valorant players.
• Players on the same team as hackers will retain their rank rating, avoiding unfair losses.

Valorant is taking decisive action against the recent surge of hackers with the introduction of ranked rollbacks. This initiative is part of Riot Games' broader strategy to maintain integrity and fairness within the game. Phillip Koskinas, Valorant's head of anti-cheat, emphasized the severity of the new measures on Twitter, stating that Riot can now "hit so much harder" against cheaters.

Cheating remains a pervasive issue across many online games, where players seek unfair advantages. Despite Valorant boasting one of the most robust anti-cheat systems in the industry, the game has faced a notable increase in hacking incidents that have marred the player experience. In response, Riot Games is intensifying its efforts to penalize those who disrupt fair play.

Koskinas shared a chart illustrating the effectiveness of Riot's Vanguard system, which banned a significant number of cheaters in January, peaking on January 13. The introduction of ranked rollbacks means that if a match is lost due to the presence of a cheater, the affected players' progress or rank will be reversed.

Riot Games' Future Valorant Bans Will Include Ranked Rollbacks

Addressing concerns about fairness, Koskinas clarified that players who win matches with a cheater on their team will not lose their rank rating. This ensures that players are not unfairly penalized for being matched with hackers, although it may lead to slight inflation in rank ratings. The enemy team, however, will have their ranks restored.

Valorant's Vanguard system operates at a kernel-level security clearance on PCs, making it highly effective at detecting and banning cheaters. The success of this system has inspired other games, like Call of Duty, to implement similar anti-cheat measures. Despite the ongoing battle, cheaters continue to find new ways to circumvent these systems.

Riot Games has a strong track record of banning thousands of cheaters, demonstrating their commitment to tackling this issue. The effectiveness of the new ranked rollback system will be closely monitored as Riot continues its fight against the latest wave of hackers in Valorant.