CSGO players claim there are more cheaters after Trusted Mode update

Alan Bernal

Valve’s new anti-cheat system in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is apparently having an adverse effect on matchmaking, as more players are reporting a spike in hackers after the Trusted Mode update.

The launch of CSGO’s Trusted Mode had a lot of people optimistic that it would be the first step in cleaning up the game’s servers from all of its notorious aimbotters, wall-hackers, and other malicious players that can appear in lobbies.

Along with it is a ‘Trust score’ tied to each account that puts people in matches with players of a similar level, with the worst scores usually depicting those who would either cheat or grief in a game.

While the initial launch was rocky due to complications with Trusted Mode and regular third-party apps, now people are saying that hackers are starting to show up in more numbers than before.

CSGO players are reporting an influx of cheaters since the Trusted mode update.

“Since the ‘Trusted’ launch update I have been experiencing much more cheaters in high Elo than before,” user ‘vule25’ said. “People just overall have less badges and medals and newer accounts. This caused a lot of boosted players or players with bought accounts, and with them came the cheaters.”

Valve intended for their Trusted Mode to “significantly restrict the types of programs and files that can interact with the game” in an attempt to weed out cheaters using third-party apps.

Unfortunately, players are saying that the situation against blatant hackers has actually gotten worse since the update.

“He reconnected and basically started to cheat really obviously,” ‘johnvonbieten’ said. “Not the first time this has happened. It’s just not fun anymore to play this way.”

Since it’s July 8 release, Trusted Mode has had two separate updates to its system, each tinkering with interactions pertaining to third-party systems. Even as Valve is making progress on the new anti-cheat measure, it’s not yielding the results many were hoping for.

“I literally keep getting matched against blatant cheaters match after match,” ‘NiccoloZaza’ said after playing games with a low Trust Factor. “It is literally impossible to deal with that type of gameplay.”

Developers are investing more into proprietary anti-cheat programs like Riot’s Vanguard for Valorant, which takes an aggressive approach to cheaters in their game.

Seeing how unapologetic that system can be toward hackers, there’s a demand among CSGO players for an effective way to keep malicious members of the community out of matchmaking.

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About The Author

Alan is a former staff writer for Dexerto based in Southern California who covered esports, internet culture, and the broader games/streaming industry. He is a CSUF Alum with a B.A. in Journalism. He's reported on sports medicine, emerging technology, and local community issues. Got a tip or want to talk?