How CS2’s AI-driven VAC Live is Changing the Scene

Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) is reshaping the esports and competitive ranked worlds with its introduction of a new AI-driven anti-cheat system called VAC Live. This is the new version of VAC Net, which was originally introduced during CS:GO in 2017 and has since evolved into VAC Live, the third generation of VAC Net. 

It is a real-time cheat detection system developed to protect the competitive integrity of all Valve-secured servers. This is also prevalent in professional settings as well as more casual ones.

The new Valve Anti-Cheat doesn’t just flag cheats after a match, as VAC has been doing since 2002, but also analyses player behaviour in real-time and assesses suspect movement. For esports organisations, this creates a sense of safety while adding a measurable business for Valve as it reduces the risk to the integrity of tournaments. 

VAC Live is CS2’s new AI-driven real-time Anti-cheat system. It was designed primarily to protect the competitive integrity, changing the way we view protection in gaming. Unlike Classic VAC, which bans based on cheat signatures that can take a significant amount of time, VAC Live is real-time and can detect in-game issues as they occur, acting much quicker.  

This typically occurs when a player is using an aimbot, wallhack, or third-party software, as these are the most obvious “non-human” cheats. It uses a machine learning model to analyse players, so it is constantly evolving and changing. It has become an integral part of CS2 esports and its competitive infrastructure, settling any doubts regarding the business side of esports.  

Valve’s more legacy Anti-Cheat VAC and VAC Live operate in very different ways; what most people will notice is the timing of detection. The classic VAC system will wait until a match ends before applying any bans. This affected the results before the bans were applied. This can often take the form of days, weeks, or even months before applying the ban, whereas VAC Live works in real-time. As it detects cheats, it will ban instantly and cancel the match, leaving legitimate players unaffected. 

The reason for the delay in VAC banning CS2 players is the difference in detection methods. VAC will generally look for cheating signatures. This will generally take down entire providers at the same time, which is why we saw historic periods of “VAC waves,” followed by a long period of fewer bans, while VAC Live analyses gameplay and looks for anomalies using its machine learning system to determine how normal humans will play. 

Overall, VAC is a more reactive system that bans in mass after long periods of detection, while VAC Live is proactive, catching cheaters before they can affect the game for others. 

Since VAC Live is an AI-driven Anti-Cheat, it constantly evolves and changes, improving on the fly based on suspicious gameplay. This will target cheats like Aimbots or any aim assistance (like soft aim), as well as other software that gives you an unfair advantage.  

VAC Live is looking for extremely precise or unnatural aiming patterns that humans wouldn’t normally do. It will also look for external programs that interact with the game or run alongside to alter the CS2 gameplay. This also impacts kernel-level cheats that would run a lower system levels previously thought to be near undetectable. Though most of this is not new, as it was previously done at a lower level in VAC Net and VAC.

Thanks to the ever-learning AI algorithm on which VAC Live is based, it’s said to be able to detect previously undetected cheats. This includes players’ input when firing, their accuracy, and key input for movement. It can directly compare this with human norms and detect abnormalities; if it detects one, it will act immediately and kick the player mid-match, cancelling it for all other players as well. 

This prevents cheaters from completing matches, which in turn affects people’s CS2 stats and tournament results, at least in theory. 

VAC Live in CS2 has already started to shape the CS2 competitive scene. It has had a much broader crackdown after its major update in September 2025. 

That’s because this CS2 update began detecting “Hardware-Level” cheats, which were previously considered undetectable or immune from VAC, meaning that cheaters who have infiltrated the higher tiers of play (including in teams and are playing in tournaments) are now under threat of being discovered. 

This shift is actively raising the bar for competitive integrity, as hardware cheats are no longer safe. This creates a new roadblock for cheating, and as pro-level and match-matching games rely on the integrity of Anti-Cheat for a fair game. These have a knock-on effect on the esports scene. 

Preserving CS2 tournaments’ legitimacy will encourage more of the CS2 player base to watch, as they are certain their favourite pros aren’t cheating. This is generating more money for it, flooding the scene with more sponsors who are willing to make greater financial investments without fear of losing out on the investment or reputation. 

VAC Live not only acts as a referee in this but also as a business safeguard, ensuring the scene remains attractive to viewers and sponsors alike. 

Valve does not disclose which CS2 players have been banned by VAC Live for multiple reasons, primarily due to privacy and anti-cheat security concerns. This could also be due to the sheer volume of bans that occur with VAC Live, which has millions of active players; many bans will be issued, and only a small number can be overturned.

There have been instances of streamer accounts being banned, demonstrating that the system works. For example, “dima_wallhacks” experienced their game being cancelled live due to a player on their team being banned by VAC Live. 

There are also CS2 stats that show a large mass of bans between 2024-2025, which is in the tens of thousands, none of which have been any high-profile accounts such as those belonging to Pro players like we have seen in historic cases under the VAC system with Hovik “KQLY” Tovmassian who was playing for Team Titan and got VAC banned in 2014 and Joel “emilio” Mako who earned his VAC ban also in 2014.

VAC Live marks a significant shift in the battle against cheaters in CS. Using this AI-Driven CS2 Anti-Cheat gives Vavle a much more proactive approach to competitive integrity. Shifting from a signature-based ban to a proactive, real-time approach is a game-changer for the entire CS community, from Casual Matchmaking and Premier games to Large Tier 1 tournaments, allowing peace of mind for players, sponsors, and tournament organisers alike.

Since this is generating a greater trust from the community, it will allow the CS2 player count to grow. It will enable fans to increase their presence in the viewership numbers of the tournaments. This shift is becoming more than just an anti-cheat measure; it’s now a fundamental pillar of the game’s long-term ecosystem in casual matching and CS2 esports, promoting a fair, fun, and healthier environment for competitive play for all.