Home
Anti-cheat

PUBG's War on Cheaters: Inside the Anti-Cheat System and Ban Waves

Last Updated: November 14, 2025

PUBG Battlegrounds anti-cheat system in action.

In the hyper-competitive world of PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, the war on cheating is a relentless, high-stakes campaign. Krafton continues to reinforce its zero-tolerance policy against unfair play, leveraging a sophisticated, multi-layered defense system to protect the integrity of the game. Massive, regular ban waves are not just isolated events but a core component of a constantly evolving strategy to ensure that skill, not software, determines the winner of a Chicken Dinner.

This commitment is demonstrated through transparent and consistent action. The PUBG Anti-Cheat Team works around the clock, issuing permanent bans to hundreds of thousands of accounts every month. These systematic purges are crucial for maintaining the health of the iconic battle royale and reassuring the dedicated player base that their reports and feedback are a vital part of the solution.

The Sheer Scale of the Fight: Millions Banned

While specific numbers fluctuate, the scale of Krafton's anti-cheat operation is immense. It's not uncommon for the developer to ban over 100,000 accounts in a single week for using unauthorized third-party software. Annually, this figure climbs into the millions, representing a staggering number of cheaters removed from the ecosystem.

These bans are not arbitrary. They are the calculated result of advanced detection methods, deep-learning algorithms analyzing gameplay patterns, and diligent investigation by a dedicated global team. Each ban wave serves a dual purpose: it acts as a powerful deterrent to would-be cheaters and builds trust within the community by demonstrating a tangible commitment to a level playing field, particularly in the game's fiercely competitive Ranked mode.

The Modern Cheater's Toolkit: Common Violations Targeted

The battle against cheat developers is a perpetual arms race. As anti-cheat systems become more sophisticated, cheat programs become more complex. Krafton's systems are designed to identify and neutralize the most disruptive violations, including:

  • Illegal Aiming Software (Aimbots): The most blatant form of cheating, these programs automatically lock a player's aim onto opponents, eliminating the need for skill. Advanced versions even attempt to mimic human-like mouse movement to avoid detection.
  • Enhanced Sensory Perception (ESP/Wallhacks): This category provides users with unfair information, such as seeing enemy outlines through walls, tracking their movements, viewing their health and equipment, and knowing their exact location on the map.
  • Recoil Manipulation (No-Recoil Scripts & Macros): Using third-party software or specialized hardware, these cheats completely negate a weapon's recoil, allowing for impossibly perfect accuracy during sustained automatic fire.
  • Movement & Character Model Exploits: This includes cheats that dramatically increase a player's movement or vehicle speed, enable them to fly, or make them immune to damage.

Krafton's Arsenal: A Multi-Layered Defense System

The weekly ban notice is just the tip of the iceberg. Krafton's anti-cheat philosophy is built on a comprehensive, proactive, and multi-faceted strategy.

  1. Zakynthos - The Proprietary Shield: At the core of the defense is "Zakynthos," PUBG's proprietary anti-cheat solution. This program works at a deep level to detect unauthorized software, memory editing, and other illicit modifications in real-time. It is constantly updated to recognize and counter new cheat programs as they emerge.
  2. AI and Deep Learning Analysis: Beyond signature-based detection, Krafton heavily utilizes machine learning and deep learning. These advanced systems analyze immense volumes of player data—from aiming patterns and movement telemetry to kill rates and accuracy statistics. They are trained to identify behavior that is statistically impossible for a human player, flagging suspicious accounts for further review or automatic banning.
  3. Hardware (HWID) Bans: Recognizing that PUBG is free-to-play, a simple account ban is not always enough. A Hardware ID (HWID) ban is a critical measure that blacklists the unique identifiers of a cheater's PC components (like their motherboard and storage drives). This makes it significantly more difficult for a persistent offender to simply create a new account and return to the game on the same machine.
  4. PUBG Shield - Empowering the Community: In a move to further involve the community, Krafton launched "PUBG Shield." This is a review system where trusted and vetted players can watch gameplay clips of suspected cheaters and vote on whether a violation occurred. This human element complements the automated systems, helping to catch subtle cheaters that an algorithm might miss.

Frequently Asked Questions About PUBG Anti-Cheat

How does PUBG detect cheaters?PUBG employs a robust, multi-layered approach. This includes its proprietary anti-cheat program "Zakynthos," advanced AI and deep learning systems that analyze gameplay for anomalous behavior, proactive monitoring of cheat development communities, and a crucial review of in-game reports submitted by players and vetted through the PUBG Shield program.

Are all bans in PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS permanent?For severe infractions like using third-party cheat software (aimbots, wallhacks, etc.), the ban is almost always permanent and often includes a HWID ban. Krafton maintains a strict zero-tolerance policy for these violations to protect the game's integrity. Lesser offenses, like exploiting minor bugs or unsportsmanlike conduct, may result in temporary suspensions.

What is the best way to report a suspected cheater?The most effective method is the in-game reporting tool. You can access it from the death screen or through the match replay viewer. This system provides the Anti-Cheat Team with the necessary data, including the server replay and player identifiers, for a swift and accurate investigation.

Can using a VPN or network optimizer get me banned?This is a complex issue. While not explicitly forbidden, some third-party programs that modify network packets or interact with the game files—even for legitimate purposes like optimizing latency—can be mistakenly flagged by anti-cheat systems. Software that alters or obscures data packets can sometimes behave similarly to cheat programs, creating a risk of a false positive. Players should use such software at their own discretion and be aware of the potential for triggering a ban.