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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →No published evidence lets anyone rank anti-cheat systems from best to worst. Vendors describe their own designs, and no independent test compares detection rates or false positives across these products. What you can do is understand the five most prominent systems: Easy Anti-Cheat, BattlEye, Riot Vanguard, Activision’s RICOCHET, and Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC). This guide explains how each one is documented to work, what access it uses, when it runs, and what it requires, so you can judge compatibility and privacy for the game you actually play.
Why there is no verified ranking
Anti-cheat effectiveness depends on the game, the cheats it faces, how the publisher deploys it, the platform, and how quickly the publisher enforces bans. A system that works well for a competitive shooter may be irrelevant to a turn-based title. The academic survey of anti-cheat published by the University of Birmingham in 2024 is useful for taxonomy and context, but it is not a product review and it does not measure these five products against one another (University of Birmingham, 2024 survey PDF).
The figures and claims that do exist come from the companies that build these systems. Treat them as statements of what each publisher says its system does, not as neutral scores.
The five systems at a glance
The table below uses only what each operator or the cited survey documents. A “not stated” entry means the official page or source reviewed does not say, not that the feature is absent.
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| System | Operator | How it is described | Kernel-level component | When it runs (as documented) | Documented requirements |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) | Epic Games | Anti-cheat service for online games (official landing page) | Not stated on the landing page | Not stated; depends on the game | Not stated; check each game’s support documentation |
| BattlEye | BattlEye (third-party provider) | “Fast dynamic and permanent scanning of the player’s system in user- and kernel-mode” (vendor’s About page) | Yes, kernel-mode scanning, per the vendor | Not stated | Not stated |
| Riot Vanguard | Riot Games | Custom game security software with a client and a kernel-mode driver (Riot Player Support) | Yes, kernel-mode driver | Usually on boot; Vanguard Pre-Check is available on demand | Pre-Check requires at least Windows 11 25H2 and hardware security features (Riot, 2026) |
| RICOCHET Anti-Cheat | Activision | Proprietary, multi-layer system using client- and server-based components (Call of Duty product page) | Yes, a PC kernel-level driver | Only while a protected Call of Duty title is running | Black Ops 7 integrates TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot |
| Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC) | Valve | Valve-operated, in-house approach (classified as such in the 2024 academic survey) | Not stated | Not stated | Not stated |
System profiles
Easy Anti-Cheat
Epic Games offers Easy Anti-Cheat as a service for online games, and the 2024 academic survey discusses it among commercial solutions. Its official page establishes what the product is, but does not list supported titles, current requirements, or how it behaves in each game. Those details belong to each game’s own support documentation, and they are the only reliable place to confirm whether EAC is in use and what it needs.
BattlEye
BattlEye is a third-party provider that works with game developers. Its About page says the system performs “fast dynamic and permanent scanning of the player’s system in user- and kernel-mode.” That is the vendor’s own description. Nothing in the material reviewed shows how BattlEye compares with the other four on detection, false positives, or impact on players.
Rank #2
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Riot Vanguard
Riot Games describes Vanguard as a client that runs while its games are active, paired with a kernel-mode driver. Riot says the software is usually an on-boot application. Vanguard Pre-Check is an on-demand option for systems that meet its requirements. Riot’s 2026 explanation says Pre-Check needs at least Windows 11 25H2 and describes runtime driver attestation and platform security mechanisms, including TPM, Secure Boot, and IOMMU. Riot also explains its server authority and client-side protections. These are Riot’s technical claims about its own product; they have not been independently evaluated.
Riot Player Support describes Vanguard this way: “Riot Vanguard is Riot Games’ custom game security software, designed to uphold the highest levels of competitive integrity for our offerings.” The page is credited to a Riot Player Support author rather than to a named spokesperson.
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Rank #3
- Next-gen 12,000 DPI HERO optical sensor delivers unrivaled gaming performance, accuracy and power efficiency
- Advanced LIGHTSPEED wireless gaming mouse for super-fast 1 ms response time and faster than wired performance
- Ultra-long battery life gives you up to 250 hours of continuous gaming on a single AA battery
- Lightweight mechanical design and classic shape for maximum maneuverability, durability and comfort
- Compact, portable design with convenient built-in storage for included USB wireless receiver
Activision RICOCHET Anti-Cheat
Activision describes RICOCHET on its Call of Duty product page as “Call of Duty’s proprietary anti-cheat initiative, a multi-layered system designed to help protect the integrity of play across the franchise.” On PC, the page says a kernel-level driver helps detect unauthorized programs that interact with protected games, and that this driver runs only while a protected title is running. For Black Ops 7, the page also describes TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot integration. Supported titles and requirements change over time, so any statement about RICOCHET coverage should name the game and the date it was checked. The page was accessed on 2026-10-08.
Valve Anti-Cheat
Valve Anti-Cheat is Valve’s own system, identified as an in-house approach in the 2024 academic survey. The material reviewed for this guide does not include a current, authoritative Valve technical description covering VAC’s architecture, game-by-game coverage, or privacy behavior. For that reason this profile stays deliberately brief. Check Valve’s own documentation for any game-level detail that matters to you.
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What kernel-mode access means, and what it does not
Several of these systems use a kernel-mode driver, which runs with deeper access to the operating system than an ordinary program. Riot documents this for Vanguard, Activision documents a kernel-level driver for RICOCHET on PC, and BattlEye describes kernel-mode scanning. The label alone does not tell you how the system behaves. Vanguard loads on boot, RICOCHET’s documented driver runs only during protected sessions, and the documentation for the other systems does not say the same thing. Do not infer identical behavior from the general term “kernel anti-cheat.”
A driver also does not prove that a system is more effective. It is one design choice, and publishers using different designs can each report strong results without any shared measurement.
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Verified numbers and how to read them
Riot’s 2026 Vanguard article states that cheaters infect about 0.7% of all PC ranked matches across League of Legends and VALORANT. That is Riot’s own reported figure, covering those two games and that matchmaking mode. It is not a cross-system comparison, and no equivalent figure has been published for the other four systems in the sources reviewed.
How to check which system a game uses and whether your PC qualifies
- Open the game’s official support or help page, or its Steam or store page’s system requirements, and search for “anti-cheat,” “EAC,” “BattlEye,” “Vanguard,” “RICOCHET,” or “VAC.”
- If the game names a system, open that vendor’s own page for its current description and requirements, using the links above as starting points.
- For Vanguard, compare your Windows build against the Pre-Check requirement of at least Windows 11 25H2, and confirm that TPM, Secure Boot, and IOMMU are available on your hardware.
- For RICOCHET on Black Ops 7, confirm that TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are enabled in your firmware before launching.
- If a game does not name its anti-cheat, rely on the publisher’s support channel rather than assumptions about what it runs.
What to weigh instead of a ranking
- Game coverage: A system’s name does not confirm support across all of a publisher’s titles.
- Access and timing: Look for documented information on whether the driver is kernel-mode, when it loads, and when it stops.
- Requirements: Operating-system versions and firmware security features can decide whether a game runs at all.
- Transparency: Published policy and installation guidance show how clearly a publisher explains what it collects and how it operates. That is not the same as an independent security audit.
When you read claims about any of these systems, separate the publisher’s documentation from independent measurement and from personal anecdote. The sources available here include only the first and the academic context.
Sources: Riot Games Player Support, “What is Vanguard?” (June 2, 2026); Riot Games, “Vanguard On-Demand – Anti-Cheat Update” (2026); Call of Duty / Activision, “RICOCHET Anti-Cheat” (accessed 2026-10-08); University of Birmingham scholarly survey (2024); BattlEye, “About”; Easy Anti-Cheat, official product page.
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