PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS anti-cheat update targets cheat sellers and HWID ban evasion

Following Cheats Beyond the Match

The team’s work extends beyond detecting and banning cheaters in-game to addressing the sale and promotion of cheat programs outside PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS. Such content repeatedly appears on websites, online marketplaces, and social media, often returning after removal in a modified form.

To track these external channels, the team uses a machine learning-based detection system that monitors posts and videos as well as returning seller accounts and distribution channels. The team then reports identified content for removal under each platform’s policies and procedures.

Between January and September 2026, more than 280,000 pieces of content selling or promoting cheat programs were reported through the relevant platform procedures. The Anti-Cheat Team says action is being taken based on the platforms’ reviews, while stressing that recurring posts mean individual takedowns are not enough and continued identification and reporting will remain necessary.

Making HWID Changes Less Effective

Previously, a banned player could modify their HWID, or hardware identification information, and log in with a new account to conceal that the computer had already been banned. The Anti-Cheat Team says this can undermine permanent bans and create unfair experiences for legitimate players.

The response uses two complementary sets of detection criteria based on identifying information that remains consistent despite attempts to alter it. The team says these measures have produced 10,237 bans for accounts confirmed to have evaded bans by changing their HWID.

The identification logic has been updated four times since the beginning of October 2026. Before applying the criteria, the team says both sets were thoroughly validated to avoid unnecessarily banning legitimate players, and it will continue validating detection results as it tries to make it harder for cheaters to return with new accounts or different PCs.

Playing With Cheaters Can Carry Penalties

The team already enforces penalties for forming a premade team with cheaters to gain an unfair advantage, even when the other players are not personally using cheat programs. It is considering stronger penalties to discourage the behavior, so players who play alongside cheaters can face serious consequences on their own accounts.

Players who suspect someone of using cheat programs are asked to use the in-game reporting feature. The team says it will continue investigating newly identified cheat programs and strengthening its detection criteria to provide a fair gameplay environment.