UPDATE: An Activision Spokesperson has passed along the following statement regarding the study that suggests Call of Duty players are the biggest cheaters:
Cheating is an industry-wide issue, and a challenge we take on around the clock.
But this study isn’t about cheating, it’s about searching, and doesn’t include any real cheating data or input from the games it references.
Protecting player experience requires accurate data, sustained enforcement, and players continuing to report suspicious behavior. Sensational headlines don’t fix the issue. Consistent action does. We’re committed to that.
ORIGINAL: It’s no big secret that the multiplayer gaming world is inundated with cheaters. It’s a problem that has been getting steadily worse over the last few years, culminating in a desperate effort by developers worldwide to fight back against a slew of malicious operators in their games.
In a recent study, the biggest contributors to the problem were outlined, with data pointing to Call of Duty players as being the leaders of the cheating pack. Above all other multiplayer games, Call of Duty is the franchise most likely to accommodate cheaters, it was revealed.
Call of Duty’s Cheater Problem Goes Back Decades
Cheating in Call of Duty is not a new concept. It’s a trend that goes back decades, to the origins of the game’s multiplayer ecosystem. For as long as you’ve been able to matchmake against other players, you’ve been able to cheat online.
In a recent study published by Surfshark, it was revealed that Call of Duty leads the charge when it comes to cheat-related searches, with 66 related searches per 1,000 players.
This willingness to cheat presents a clear issue for the Call of Duty players who want an easy ride but aren’t thinking of the potential ramifications. This was highlighted by Surfshark’s Chief Security Officer, Tomas Stamulis:
“The promise of an easy victory can lead players down a perilous path. When gamers actively seek out and install cheats, they often need to disable antivirus software and grant high-level permissions to their computers, opening the door to sophisticated malware such as info-stealers and remote access Trojans.
This transforms gaming communities into prime targets for hackers, making cheating a significant and self-imposed cybersecurity risk.
Behind Call of Duty in the cheating search stakes sits Rocket League, which is quite surprising. It’s the only ‘sports’ game to make up the top 15 games most commonly linked to cheating searches.
It might seem bizarre, but some of the world’s most competitive esports titles rank extremely low down the scale. The likes of Counter-Strike, Dota 2, VALORANT, and League of Legends are all at the bottom end of the chart, with MOBA titles boasting the ‘highest level of community integrity.’
Where Call of Duty has 66 cheat-related searches per 1,000 players, League of Legends has just 0.3.
The middle of the table is occupied by a mix of games, in this order:
- Rainbow Six Siege (53)
- Marvel Rivals (45)
- PUBG (39)
- Apex Legends (25)
- Fortnite (20)
- ARC Raiders (10)
Battlefield is also far down the chart, sitting in 13th place out of 15 listings. Despite being an online shooter, Battlefield has rarely had a problem with cheaters.
Are you surprised to learn that Call of Duty is home to the biggest community of cheaters in gaming? Let us know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Marathon didn’t gain much traction this weekend
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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