Valve swung its VAC (anti-cheat software) axe against an astounding number of Steam accounts on July 6 this month. Over 40,000 users have been banned following the company’s 2017 Steam Summer Sale. Suspicious accounts numbering to a couple of thousands or so are normally barred by VAC on a daily basis.
But it’s been a long time since Valve expelled gamers in such huge numbers. Before the July 6 ban on 40,411 accounts, the company had brought down VAC on 15,227 cheaters in October 2016. We thought that was a number worthy of the records back then. It’s less than half the folks banned this year though.
Additionally, 4,972 users were barred in-game too. Over $9000 of real-world money used to purchase skins and other items has turned to nought due to this. As Dot Esports points out, it’s not a mere coincidence that Valve took down user accounts in droves following the Steam Summer Sale on July 5.
Those who intend to test the cunning of Valve’s anti-cheating tool regularly wait for sales such as last week’s where they can buy games for cheap using multiple accounts. So even if some of their IDs get the VAC hammer for cheating, they can sign into their other Steam accounts and continue doing the same.
Also see: Valve announces plan to crack down on review manipulation on Steam
No doubt, Valve is setting the tone for what’s to come if disingenuous users continue to try gaming the system (pardon the pun) by bringing down VAC on over 40,000 accounts. This should offer some relief to users who are harassed by the number of cheaters plaguing Steam.