CS2‘s anti-cheat system, the Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC), seemingly can’t stay out of the news. Long-time CS pro ropz has called it out for poor performance, as cheaters can run rampant without fear of repercussions. Today, he shared a video on Twitter featuring a cheater using a variety of weapons to dominate players on Dust 2. The player is seen walking around unfazed, headshotting and aim-locking to others no matter their position.
“The current anti-cheat is a joke,” claimed ropz, adding fuel to the scorching criticism of Valve’s anti-cheat system. The CS community on Reddit also voiced their opinions following ropz’s post. Most carried the sentiment that VAC, or VAC Live (the new and upgraded CS2 version of VAC), generally cannot prevent cheating at any meaningful rate. According to some, this may lead to CS2‘s Premier mode being drained in favor of alternative matchmaking and anti-cheat platforms like Faceit and ESEA.
One user in particular described VAC Live as “the non existent anti cheat we have had since CS:GO was released.” Others still have some semblance of hope that Valve may fix their matchmaking and eradicate cheating players. This comes in part due to Valve apparently trying to combine professional and casual play through Premier, leading to influential voices like ropz highlighting potential issues.
“I’m just glad Valve made Premier mode in CS2 meant to be played by pros and casuals alike. Because of that, pros are finally playing mm and finding out how bad it is. And because of that perhaps CS2 will be far better than CS:GO ever could be. The only question is: when?” one user wrote.
This isn’t the only controversy to appear recently regarding Valve’s anti-cheat. AMD users were hit by a wave of inexplicable VAC bans, only to find out their drivers were the cause. Valve has since come out to explain the issue, claiming that AMD’s latest Anti-Lag+ driver feature is getting people VAC-banned. With mounting pressure, Valve may have to rethink their approach to anti-cheating measures to ensure their game’s future, especially in an official sense.
