Rockstar declares war on cheaters in GTA 5 – bans completely innocent players

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9 years after the release of the PC version of GTA 5, Rockstar has given its successful action masterpiece a proper anti-cheat system. BattlEye is intended to prevent cheaters from ruining the fun of the game for others. But some innocent players are also excluded.

What is being done against cheaters? GTA 5 has always had a problem with cheaters, especially on the PC. Now, 9 years after the release of the PC version, Rockstar has given its long-running action game a new anti-cheat system.

In the patch notes for Update 1.69 from September 17, 2024, Rockstar notes new content, fixes for crashes and matchmaking, as well as the integration of BattlEye Anti-Cheat for GTA 5 Online (via Rockstar).

BattlEye is a powerful anti-cheat software that is used primarily in shooters such as Destiny 2, Fortnite and XDefiant. However, its use is not without controversy.

According to some Steam players on Reddit, the anti-cheat system in GTA 5 is already active and prevents the game from starting without BattlEye. While some players are looking forward to maybe finally being able to have fun again, others are left empty-handed: They can no longer play at all.

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Linux users and Steam Deck owners are left behind

Why are players banned? Apparently, Rockstar did not enable support for Linux when implementing BattlEye. Anyone who uses the open source operating system is simply excluded from the game – even if the person has never cheated (via Reddit).

This is particularly annoying because Valve’s Steam Deck uses its own Linux-based operating system. In the official FAQs for BattlEye, Rockstar confirms that BattlEye for GTA Online is not supported by the Steam Deck.

GTA 5 is one of the most popular games on the Steam Deck (via Steam). On Reddit, some players are expressing their displeasure:

  • “I only play on Steam Deck. What a disappointment.” (via Reddit)
  • “I don’t even have a proper PC, so I guess I’m just stuck.” (via Reddit)
  • “I just bought GTA 5 a few days ago to play with my girlfriend since we both have a Steam Deck. This is absurd.” (via Reddit)

    • There are exceptions, however: Linux players can play the story mode of GTA 5, the change only applies to GTA Online. In addition, official Rockstar community servers do not require BattlEye for roleplaying.

    So if you have just bought GTA 5 for the Steam Deck or are planning to do so, you should now consider whether the story mode and the community servers are enough for you. It remains to be seen whether Rockstar will improve this.

    Alternatively, players on the Steam Deck have the option of installing Windows. This means you can also play games that are not officially supported by Valve’s handheld. But Windows also has disadvantages: Tech expert shows on YouTube why you shouldn’t install Windows on your Steam Deck

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