Steam's Anti-Cheat Tool Divides Opinions

Steam now requires all developers to indicate whether their game utilizes the polarizing Kernel mode anti-cheat system. Delve deeper to garner insights into Steam’s platform adjustments and Kernel Mode Anti-cheat.

Steam Unveils Novel Tool for Delineating Anti-Cheat in GamesKernel Mode Anti-Cheat Must Be Disclosed, Steam Proclaims

In a recent update on the Steam News Hub, Valve announced a new feature for developers to disclose the use of anti-cheat systems in their games, aiming to address both developer needs and player transparency. This new option, available in the "Edit Store Page" section on the Steamworks API, allows developers to indicate whether their games use any form of anti-cheat software.

For client or server-based anti-cheat systems that aren’t kernel-based, this disclosure remains entirely optional. However, games using kernel-mode anti-cheat must indicate its presence—a step likely intended to address growing community concerns about these systems' intrusiveness.

Kernel-mode anti-cheat software, which detects malicious activity by examining processes directly on a player’s device, has been a controversial topic since its introduction. Unlike traditional anti-cheat systems that monitor for suspicious patterns within a game environment, kernel-mode solutions access low-level system data, which some players worry might affect device performance or compromise security and privacy.

Valve’s update appears to be a response to ongoing feedback from both developers and players. Developers have been looking for a straightforward way to communicate anti-cheat details to their audience, while players have called for greater transparency on anti-cheat services and any additional software installations required by games.

In an official statement on the Steamworks blog post, Valve explained, "We’ve heard from numerous developers recently that they’re looking for the optimal way to share anti-cheat information about their game with players. At the same time, players have been requesting greater transparency around the anti-cheat services used in games, as well as the existence of any additional software that will be installed within the game."

This change not only simplifies communication for developers but also reassures players, offering them more insights into the software practices employed by games on the platform.

Initial Comments are as Divisive as Kernel Mode Anti-Cheat

The announcement of Steam’s latest feature update, which rolled out on October 31, 2024, at 3:09 a.m. CST, is now live and in action. Counter-Strike 2's Steam page, pictured above, now prominently displays its use of Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) to reflect this change.

Community reactions have been largely positive, with many users praising Valve for its "pro-consumer" approach. However, the update’s rollout hasn’t been without its critics. Some community members took to the comments to nitpick grammar inconsistencies in the field’s display and found Valve’s wording—particularly the use of "old" to describe past games that might update this information—unwieldy.

In addition, some players raised pertinent questions about the feature, inquiring how anti-cheat markers will manage language translations or what defines "client-side kernel-mode" anti-cheat. PunkBuster, an oft-debated anti-cheat remedy, was a conspicuous illustration. Others embraced the juncture to deliberate the persistent apprehensions encompassing kernel-mode anti-cheat, a SCHEME still regarded by some as excessively invasive.

Notwithstanding this initial response, Valve appears to be devoted to perpetuating their pro-consumer platform modifications, as epitomized by their transparency respecting a late law ordained in California designed to safeguard consumers and battle mendacious and misleading advertisements of digital commodities.

Whether this will mitigate the community's apprehension at the sustained use of kernel mode anti-cheat remains to be ascertained.