In Counter-Strike 2 players were banned due to a feature of their AMD graphics card. Now their friends are also feeling the first consequences.
Why were players banned?
- CS2 developers Valve warned last weekend against using a specific feature of AMD graphics cards, as it could lead to a VAC ban.
- The feature that can lead to a VAC ban is called “Anti-Lag+” and can be used by owners of an AMD graphics card from the Radeon RX 7000 series.
- The problem with Anti-Lag+ is that it makes adjustments to the game code – similar to cheat programs.
- There have also been reports in other games that AMD graphics card owners face a ban on Steam.
- Valve announced on October 13, 2023, that it intends to reverse the corresponding bans as soon as AMD delivers an update (via Twitter).
What about the rank loss? A user named “Gorrapytha” wrote in a post on Reddit that he also received a VAC ban because he used the “Anti-Lag+” feature of his AMD graphics card. He also adds that all his friends lost 10,000 Elo, which is points in the rank mode of CS2.
His friends are also said to have lost points when they played most of their matches solo – without the banned player. One of his friends, for example, fell from 14,000 points to 3,000 points, although Valve only deducted 10 of his 43 wins.
Why are players losing their points? Valve actively penalizes players who knowingly play with cheaters by deducting points.
Since Anti-Lag+ makes adjustments to the game code, players are punished like normal cheaters, and the same apparently applies to their teammates.
In a screenshot that the Reddit user “Gorrapytha” attached to his post and that likely comes from one of his teammates, it reads:
One or more members of your last parties were caught cheating and permanently banned from the official Counter-Strike servers. All their partners, including you, were penalized. Your Counter-Strike profile rank, your wins, skill groups, and your CS rating have been adjusted and may only be displayed after you win your next match.
via Reddit
What happens now? As the online magazine PC Gamer reports, AMD released a driver update on October 18, 2023, which disables “Anti-Lag+” in supported games such as Counter-Strike 2, so that no players are banned due to the feature anymore.
Valve has also announced that it plans to reverse the bans. Whether the players who lost rank points due to the imposed bans will regain their original rank is currently still unknown.
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