Cheating seems to be more of a problem in gaming than it once was, meaning that either the downloads and enhancements are becoming more advanced and readily available, or developers are slacking when it comes to security. There has been a lot of talk about the upcoming releases of Battlefield, Halo and the Caldera map on Warzone, and whether the developers are going to be able to keep their games free of aim bots, wall hacks and whatever else cheaters throw at us next!
This prompted us to do some research about cheaters in gaming, as we wanted to find out which game has the most cheaters. Is it Warzone, a game notorious for having a huge hacking problem over the last year? Or maybe it’s Minecraft, a game less associated with cheating that has a huge player base.
We used global search volume for keywords specific to each individual game and measured this against the total number of players to get our answer. The data was collected over the last 12 months, and it allowed us to estimate the percentage of players cheating on each game. Here is what we found:
8. Fortnite: 939,600 Cheaters
Total Players: 350,000,000
% Cheaters: 0.27%
Fortnite was released in 2017 and fast became one of the most successful games of all time. Thanks to regular new content and updates from developer, Epic Games, it is still extremely popular three years on and has had a total of 350,000,000 players during that time.
Since the release of chapter 2, there has been a lot of conversation about hacking in Fortnite. As cheats become more advanced, players are finding ways past the anti-cheat software to use enhancements such as aim bots and wall hacks to ruin the experience for everyone else.
According to our research, 939,600 players have searched online for Fortnite-specific cheats over the last 12 months. This is 0.27% of the total player base and highlights a huge problem for Epic Games. Despite these figures, Fortnite only comes in at eighth on our list of the worst games for cheating.
7. Apex Legends: 368,400 Cheaters
Total Players: 100,000,000
% Cheaters: 0.37%
The success of Fortnite and PUBG led to the creation of a number of other battle royale games. One that did extremely well and continues to do so today is Apex Legends. Apex has grown a player base of 100 million since its initial release in February 2019.
Apex Legends’ anti cheat has recently come under scrutiny after clips of hackers ruining public lobbies went viral on Reddit. The game is also said to have extended server issues since its latest update (10.3). Our research doesn’t provide any reassurance to an already frustrated player base.
Over the last 12 months, there has been 368,400 different searches for cheats and hacks on Apex Legends. This accounts for 0.37% of total players, so if most of them were successful, there is a pretty good chance you’ll run into a hacker at some point during a session on Apex.
6. Minecraft: 2,628,000 Cheaters
Total Players: 600,000,000
% Cheaters: 0.40%
Created and developed by the Swedish video game developer Mojang Studio, Minecraft has had 600,000,000 players since its release in 2011. The beautiful simplicity of the game has seen it become so popular it even makes other games on this list seem small. While the infinite worlds have so much to offer players, some still download additional mods to add a different dimension to their Minecraft experience.
These mods can be harmless when playing on your own, but on a multiplayer server, it can become a real frustration for other players trying to enjoy the game. Our research suggests that 2,628,000 players have searched online for mods, cheats and hacks for Minecraft over the last 12 months, the third highest on our list of games. This only makes up for 0.40% of the player base though, which sees it drop to 6th overall when it comes to the games with the most cheaters.
5. Call of Duty: Warzone: 762,000 Cheaters
Total Players: 100,000,000
% Cheaters: 0.77%
Anyone who has played Call of Duty: Warzone might be surprised to see it ranked so low. Unlike many other games, Warzone has no official anti-cheat, which has made it very easy for PC players to download the likes of wall hacks and aim bots and corrupt fair play on this highly popular battle royale game.
However, a total of 762,000 players have searched for cheats and hacks for Warzone in the last 12 months, making up 0.77% of the total player base. Since there are also 150 players in a single game of Warzone, our data suggests there could be a hacker in almost every single game. Activision’s announcement for their new anti-cheat initiative ‘RICICHET’ could provide some relief for players who are desperate to see Warzone return to what it once was.
4. Among Us: 5,317,200 Cheaters
Total Players: 500,000,000
% Cheaters: 1.06%
Very few games have seen growth quite like Among Us, which fast became the game everyone was playing in 2020, two years on from its initial release in 2018. The game sees a group of players board a ship, with one or two crew members selected as imposters who are tasked with killing everyone onboard without being detected.
Since it’s huge spike in popularity, the game has become ‘a playground for hackers’. Players are downloading cheats that allow them to teleport, walk through walls and even impersonate other players. Our research also suggests hacking is a big problem for Among Us, with over 5 million searches for cheats over the last 12 months! Among Us is set to release for console later this year, with players hoping a shift away from PC could put a stop to all the cheating.
3. Dota 2: 169,200 Cheaters
Total Players: 13,000,000
% Cheaters: 1.30%
Dota 2 is a multiplayer online battle arena game that was released back in 2013. Despite coming out almost 10 years ago, it still has 13,000,000 players worldwide and some of the biggest esports prize pools in the business. Over the years though, Dota 2 has been linked to major problems with hacking, and our data says no different.
There have been 169,200 online searches for cheats specific to Dota 2 over the last 12 months, which shows the hackers aren’t letting up any time soon. This makes up 1.30% of the global player base and earns Dota 2 a place in the top three worst games for cheaters.
2. Counter Strike: Global Offensive 988,800 Cheaters
Total Players: 43,000,000
% Cheaters: 2.30%
Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) comes in at second. Another game predominantly played on PC with a large competitive following. Cheaters have always been a nuisance in CSGO, but there has been a recent surge reported by several casters of spin bot users, wall hacks, trigger shots and other advanced hacks that ruin the integrity of the game.
Our data shows that 988,800 users have used Google to find enhancements for CSGO over the last 12 months, making up 2.47% of total players. With one in 50 players actively trying to cheat, there is a very good chance that casual players are going to encounter their fair share of hackers during their games. Developers, Valve, are working on fixing bugs and exploits to improve the security of the game.
1. GTA V: 16,296,000 Cheaters
Total Players: 140,000,000
% Cheaters: 11.64%
GTA V has consistently remained one of the most popular multiplayer games on Xbox, PlayStation and PC since its release in September 2013, with a huge 140,000,000 players. Although it’s player base might not be the biggest out of the games included in our study, it comes out far ahead when it comes to number of cheaters.
An estimated 16,296,000 users looked for GTA V cheats and hacks over the last 12 months, making up 11.64% of the player base! The problem has become so bad that other players have started to crack down on cheaters themselves because they believe developers, Rockstar, are not doing enough.
Even though they risk account suspension, over 1 in 10 GTA V players are looking for mods that allow them access to a range of enhancements that has caused unfairness to run rampant in the game.
