Sponsored By

Valve dished out a record 600k VAC bans after CS:GO went free-to-play

Valve issued over 600k VAC bans in the same month that it made its popular shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive fully free-to-play, a modest 500k more than the preceding month.

Alissa McAloon, Publisher

January 7, 2019

1 Min Read
Game Developer logo in a gray background | Game Developer

Just over 600,000 Steam accounts were banned in the month of December, a new monthly ban record.

The punishment spike coincidentally falls in the same month that Valve made its popular first-person shooter Counter-Strike: Global Offensive a free-to-play game, offering a look at both how the swap boosted player (and cheater) counts and how Valve stepped up its enforcement during that first month. 

Data spotted by Nors3 on Twitter shows that Valve issued 609,373 VAC (Valve Anti-Cheat) bans in the month of December, a modest 500,000 increase from November’s numbers (according to the third-party tracker SteamDB) and what looks to be new all-time record.

SteamDB’s count for the month is a little bit higher at 611,497, but its week-by-week breakdown shows that the bans hit in 5 waves throughout December, with each giving between  56,000 and 85,000 accounts the ax. 

About the Author

Alissa McAloon

Publisher, GameDeveloper.com

As the Publisher of Game Developer, Alissa McAloon brings a decade of experience in the video game industry and media. When not working in the world of B2B game journalism, Alissa enjoys spending her time in the worlds of immersive sandbox games or dabbling in the occasional TTRPG.

Daily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inbox

You May Also Like