Vanguard, Riot Games’ anti-cheat software, has dealt a significant blow to cheaters in League of Legends, resulting in the expulsion of nearly 50,000 scripters in a month. Despite this, player engagement remains robust, with daily activity levels showing no signs of decline, Riot says.
At the beginning of the year, Riot announced its ambitious plans to fortify League’s defense against cheaters with the implementation of Vanguard, its anti-cheat software. Fast forward to the present and the fruits of its labor are beginning to materialize with impressive numbers.
In a recent dev blog released by the League team, it was revealed that since Vanguard’s inception in May 2024—just a month ago—an astonishing 47,000 accounts associated with scripting have been banned. Over six percent of these bans were handed out in games of Diamond rank or above, which equates to over 2,000 cheaters in four percent of the League player base.
Moreover, Riot disclosed a monumental decline in bot activity since Vanguard’s deployment, with bot hours plummeting from over one million to under 50,000 per day. This massive decrease serves as a testament to Vanguard’s formidable capabilities in deterring malicious behavior and upholding the integrity of competitive play within the League community.
Vanguard is Riot’s proprietary anti-cheat system that initially gained acclaim for its resolute stance against cheating in VALORANT, the company’s tactical first-person shooter, and will soon reach the console version of the FPS. Since its inception in 2020, Vanguard has remained an indispensable tool in safeguarding fair play, regardless of the tactics employed by cheaters.
Despite its success, the integration of Vanguard into League has not been without its challenges. Concerns regarding the software’s potential impact on players’ computer systems sparked widespread apprehension, prompting Riot to address these fears and clarify that only 0.03 percent of League players have reported issues related to Vanguard, underscoring its overall compatibility and effectiveness.
In today’s dev blog, Riot dispelled any notions of diminishing player engagement after Vanguard’s implementation, asserting that there’s been “no discernible change in daily player numbers.” In fact, the publisher highlighted an increase in actual human hours, indicating sustained interest in the game even in the aftermath of the new anti-cheat.
