CS2 gets plagued with cheaters, players call for VAC overhaul

CS2, which recently hit an all-time high player count on Steam, remains one of the biggest esports titles in the world. Despite the success, however, players have been making constant complaints about various issues for almost a decade now. Many players expected that the most prominent issue, cheating, would be fixed with the release of Counter-Strike 2, but the complaints just continue to grow.

Recently, a CS2 player named @DEFINEGG shared a post on X, expressing their disappointment with the game’s punishment system. They recounted how they got an eight-day griefing cooldown after being mass-reported by a full five-stack of cheaters and even shared screenshots of his match history. He ended his post by calling out VAC (Valve Anti-Cheat):

"@CounterStrike fix ur automatic griefing cooldown system! The cheaters dont get punished, but the legit players are!"

Many players agreed with the post, arguing that cheaters remain completely unchecked in CS2. @Deanaznb replied to the post and pointed out that these issues have been in the game for years, and things are unlikely to change. Another user, @sepukkusaga, shared that they had experienced a similar griefing ban that lasted 12 days. @KrokettenKarl mocked Valve, saying cheaters could do whatever they wanted without punishment while legitimate players were banned.

@IwnlBV doubted that Valve would ever address the problem, joking that begging that one developer working on the game might result in a fix within the next decade. @donkeydain sarcastically suggested that @DEFINEGG just enjoy the game, no matter what problems they face.

Comments from the community (Image via X || @DEFINEGG)

Apart from criticizing the anti-cheat system, some players suggested alternatives to avoid cheaters altogether. @William83775296 advised playing on FACEIT servers, while @Crunch4K suggested mass reporting cheaters for griefing and avoiding solo queue.

Meanwhile, @BigBodyHarry went off on a completely different tangent, wondering why the Redditor who posted about this (@DEFINEGG) only played Mirage.

More comments from the community (Image via X || @DEFINEGG)

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How to avoid cheaters in CS2?

One of the best ways to avoid cheaters in CS2 is by playing on FACEIT servers, which is widely considered the most reputable third-party matchmaking platform. It has a different anti-cheat system, one which many popular high-tier tournaments use as well.

Another option is to avoid Premier mode, as it has the most complaints regarding hackers. Playing in Competitive or Casual lobbies can sometimes offer a better experience with fewer cheaters. Additionally, a complete five-stack queue is a good idea. Very often, it is found that the cheaters either solo queues or are queuing with just 1-2 additional players to carry them.

Of course, getting rid of cheaters in CS2 completely is nearly impossible. However, never hesitate in reporting blatant cheaters.

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