Escape from Tarkov is a realistic first-person, survival shooter, that pits players against one another until the last team escapes. Due to its competitive nature, there are lots of cheaters.
It's hard to tell when you encounter a cheater because you can't investigate with kill cams or re-watch matches (Escape from Tarkov: Arena recently added a kill cam feature). Not to mention the time to kill is speedy, which makes it difficult to pinpoint a shooter's location.
For those reasons, many players are left frustrated with the state of cheating and are wondering if Escape from Tarkov has an anti-cheat. In this article, we will be taking a look at the state of cheating in Escape from Tarkov and provide you with steps to take when you suspect a player is cheating.
While on the topic, take a look at our best Escape from Tarkov settings.
Does Escape from Tarkov have anti-cheat?
To cut to the case, Escape from Tarkov does have an anti-cheat. The game uses BattlEye anti-cheat, which launches before the game. It scans the player's system for any suspicious third-party programs or setups and then proceeds to launch the game. The anti-cheat continues to run in the background to scan for suspicious activity.
Having said that, Escape from Tarkov is not free from cheaters. It suffers from hackers and cheaters much like any other online shooter game. While the anti-cheat service isn't completely fool proof, it does catch and ban a lot of players. The developers regularly launch ban waves. They even go so far as to make the cheater's usernames public.
It seems like Battlestate Games is taking the name-and-shame approach to cheaters!
Bear in mind, at this time, BattlEye is not compatible with Linux, so you can't play Escape from Tarkov on a Steam Deck.
Community-based anti-cheat
Escape from Tarkov does not have a kill cam or a recording feature, so it's not easy to tell when someone died to a cheater vs. someone they didn't see. YouTuber and streamer "Try24K" worked with Battlestate Games to create a community-based anti-cheat system.
The idea of the system was to provide a place for players to upload game clips with logs for the Battlestar Games developers to use as a resource. A Discord channel was created and players would share game clips of suspicious deaths. It was an attempt to help crack down on cheaters in the game.
Eventually, the game clips led to some false positive bans, and the Discord channel was closed. Players are still sharing game clips on other platforms like YouTube but the official Discord channel for this content has been closed.
Does Escape from Tarkov have a cheating problem?
Unfortunately, Escape from Tarkov suffers from a cheating problem. It seems like wall hacks are one of the most common cheats in the game. Many experienced Escape from Tarkov players and streamers are getting frustrated with the state of cheaters. Battlestar Games is working on improving its anti-cheat system, as well as initiating ban waves, but it's a never-ending battle.
To summarize, Escape from Tarkov uses BattlEye anti-cheat service. It is effective and plenty of accounts are banned. However, lots of cheaters slip through the cracks. It's not unusual to run into a cheater in Escape from Tarkov. Your best option is to report the player. Unfortunately, cheaters are unavoidable when it comes to competitive shooters.