What Is Ranked Rollback? VALORANT’s Game-Changing Fix to Stop Innocent Players from Suffering Anti-Cheat Injustice

Cheating has plagued competitive online games for years, and Valorant is no exception. Despite Riot Games’ advanced Vanguard anti-cheat system, the game still sees some cheaters that disrupt games. While users have complained about the kernel-level access that Vanguard has, Riot has continually improved on it.

And now we’re getting even more anti-cheat features with the newly announced Ranked Rollback feature. This new system will refund lost Ranked Rating (RR) to players who get a cheater banned during the game. This will aim to help those whose game and experience are ruined by these cheaters.

Valorant’s Anti Cheat Has Evolved a Lot Since Release

Valorant’s Vanguard anti-cheat system was released four months after the game’s launch in 2020. Since then, it has been highly effective, banning 3.6 million accounts. According to the latest report via a post on X, Riot also delays bans to avoid giving cheat developers feedback on what triggers the detection systems, but this also means that some players suffer during the delay.

Valorant is adding a new system called Ranked Rollbacks

If a cheater is banned but not during your match, you will get the full RR back! pic.twitter.com/1StjliVvxl

— Valorant Updates (@ValorantUpdated) September 20, 2024

The Ranked Rollback feature is Riot’s answer to this. When a cheater gets caught after a match, any RR lost by the innocent players will be refunded. This doesn’t apply if the cheater is banned mid-match, but it ensures players aren’t penalized for competing against a cheater who is only detected afterward.

Another challenge Vanguard faces is the rise of more complicated cheats, such as those using Direct Memory Access (DMA). DMA allows cheaters to manipulate memory using external devices, making it harder for Windows and Vanguard to detect.

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Riot is researching ways to combat these advanced tactics, exploring methods like enforcing hardware-level protections that make it harder for malicious tools to access game data. Riot is also exploring other ways to better player experience. This includes the ongoing battle against toxicity and possible hardware bans for repeat offenders.

Whatever Riot Is Doing Is Working, and Players Agree

The reaction from the Valorant community to the Ranked Rollback feature has been very positive. Players have been asking for a solution to the issue of cheaters ruining ranked matches for a long time and help has arrived. But of course, there are still complaints to be had, like Vanguard’s kernel-level access. But that’s a topic for another time.

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The question remains whether Ranked Rollback could be expanded to address other forms of disruptive behavior, such as toxic players or match throwers. While the current focus is on cheating, some players have suggested that the system could be adapted to address these other issues as well.

Riot has also been exploring new security measures like Virtual-Based Security (VBS) and Hypervisor-Protected Code Integrity (HVCI). These will aim to detect even more vulnerabilities in the future, especially for Windows users. Though Ranked Rollback helps in cases where cheaters slip through the cracks, Riot is always working to enhance its cheat detection methods.

While the battle against cheating is far from over, Riot’s approach shows that they are committed to protecting the integrity of their competitive ecosystem. With each new system and update, they aim to make cheating more difficult and less rewarding, ensuring that the focus remains on fair competition.

What do you think of Riot’s efforts at improving the Vanguard anti-cheat? Let us know in the comments!