PUBG hacking: Why do people hack, what hacks are there, and more

Everything you need to know about hacking in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds

PUBG

Chicken dinners in PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds can be elusive, and there’s nothing more frustrating than coming so close to victory than being pipped to the post by a hacker. Like most competitive games out there, PUBG’s servers are rife with cheaters, and it’s hard to fall in love with a game when you’re being shot from 800 metres away.

When games are that competitive, it’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting to cheat, but PUBG Corp has dedicated a lot of time and research into finding and banning hackers since the game launched in 2018. The developer has set up an extensive anti-cheat system which can shut down hackers pretty quickly, and it has in the past even caught out professional players too.

So if you’re here because you’re wondering what hacks look like in PUBG, or you’re contemplating trying them out for yourself, we’ve put together a guide on everything you need to know about hacking in PUBG, including what will happen if you get caught. TL;DR, it’s not good news.

What are PUBG hacks?

As PUBG is a fight to the death, there’s a lot of cheats online that can help improve your aim, accuracy, and speed. Some of those hacks can be downloaded for free, while more complex hacks are part of a premium service, but ultimately they provide the user with a hidden competitive advantage over their opponents.

One of the most popular PUBG hacking tools are aim bots, which acts almost as an auto-assist, helping you pop headshots from great distances or in big close-quarter fights. Snappy aim and a high headshot percentage usually help identify aim bot users. Wall hacks allow you to see through walls and will often identify loot far away. This makes finding good loot easy in the early game, as well as letting you know who you’re up against in tight firefights.

Related: There are also a lot of CS:GO cheats too.

Speed hacks make a player insanely fast, whether that’s on foot or in vehicle, while recoil scripts remove the amount of recoil you’ll encounter when firing a gun. There’s also the Radar hack, which became infamous after a number of professional players, including former Pittsburgh Knights player, TEXQS, were found to be using it, and it allows you to see the position of every player on the map.

PUBG

How do I spot someone hacking in pubg?

We all know it’s frustrating to have a bad run of games in PUBG, and while it’s easy to think you’ve identified a hacker because you went down like a sack of spuds after being hit once, it might be worth taking a step back and considering if you’ve just been unlucky and come across someone who’s simply better than you.

But if you’re convinced you’ve come across some good old PUBG hacking, then there’s a couple of things you should do. After you die, watch the replay from their angle. If their crosshair snapped onto your head, or they shot you from 500m away with a shotgun, then chances are they’re hacking. If they tracked your movement through a wall or ran faster than the speed of light to get you you, then, yeah, you guessed it, they’re probably hacking. You can continue to spectate them if you’d like, or watch the full replay from the main menu, but remember to report them if you’re 100% sure they’re up to no good.

If they are a hacker, PUBG Corp will review their gameplay, and you’ll receive a notification next time you log in if they have been banned.

What happens if I get caught hacking in PUBG?

While downloading hacks in PUBG looks easy, you do it at the risk of your account. Using cheats or hacks in any competitive online game is incredibly risky, and although you’ll probably get more chicken dinners, the risk of being banned is simply not worth it.

With the replay system, suspected cheaters are put under more scrutiny than ever before, and with PUBG Corp stepping up its anti-cheat system, the risks of cheating outweigh the benefits.

Read more:  PUBG is one of the biggest esports games this year.

In PUBG Mobile, players have been banned for up to ten years for cheating, while players on the PC or console version have been served indefinite bans. So, if you’re caught cheating and you want to carry on playing, you’ll have to set up a new account, buy a new copy of the game and start all over again. Some players can even be hardware banned, which will stop you playing the game on your computer or console altogether. In an update posted in April 2020, PUBG Corp even said that it was bolstering HWID bans to make it harder for users to circumvent them.

Alternatively, if Valve detects you’re PUBG hacking, then you’ll receive a hefty VAC ban, which will block you from playing any games on your Steam account.

And that’s only for cheaters. The reality for those who make and sell cheats is so much worse. In April 2018, 15 people in China were arrested and fined a total of $5.1 million for their involvement in a cheating ring. Some of these cheats also had hidden Trojan viruses that allowed the ring to extract data from users illegally.

PUBG's DBS gun

How many people have been banned for hacking in PUBG?

As of the last official count, more than 13 million accounts have been banned in PUBG. Although, this number has not been updated since October 2018 though, we know that 30,000 accounts were banned during the infamous ‘VACendi’ update, that saw a significant crackdown on users of the Radar hack. At the end of 2019, PUBG Corp confirmed it was banning around 100,000 accounts a week.

Which pro players have been banned for pubg hacking?

A number of professional PUBG players have been banned for cheating over the last two years. Players who cheat in normal games can be given anything from a one year ban up to a lifetime ban, while players or organisations found to be cheating in professional games can be given anything between three years and a lifetime ban.

The majority of players were caught out during the Radar banwave in December 2018, although Steph and THZ were not banned for cheating, but for condoning Sezk0’s hacking.

The following players have been banned from all competitive PUBG events:

  • Iamcaa
  • Avalon
  • Smitty
  • TEXQS
  • S1D
  • PAPAYA
  • Cabecao
  • Zuppaa
  • swalker
  • Sezk0
  • Steph
  • THZ
  • Cuhris
  • DevowR-
  • Tefl0ntv
  • LiammmTV
  • Exko

Although the list is quite long for an esport that’s only really existed for two years, only two players – Iamcaa and Houlow have lifetime bans. The rest will be eligible to return to competitive play once their ban has run its full course.

So, if you’ve been considering cheating in PUBG and stumbled across this article, then hopefully you’ll reconsider. Hacking in PUBG is simply not worth it – it’ll suck the enjoyment out of the game, ruin it for others, and put your entire account at risk. Plus, with PUBG’s new reputation system in play, there’s no point risking lowering your reputation for the sake of a few easy wins.

If you simply want to get better at the game, there’s lots of guides out there to help you on your way – such as this PUBG Karakin guide. Good luck, survivors.