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Over the beta weekend, it was discovered firsthand that Call of Duty: Vanguard hackers can apparently end entire matches. Hacking has become an even more major issue in Call of Duty in recent years than previous ones, leading to demands for change within the series' fan community. An all-new Call of Duty anti-cheat system is being implemented in the newest entry and Warzone, but with the Vanguard open beta breached within days of going live on PC, distrust in the new system is growing ahead of the game's November launch.
Reports of aimbot hackers in Call of Duty: Vanguard's beta began appearing on social media with video evidence once the multiplayer session opened up to all platforms. These videos exposed a number of offending players locking on to enemies at impossible speeds, onscreen behavior in line with the use of cheat software. Incidentally, a website that sells hacks recently advertised that it had already cracked Call of Duty: Vanguard and expressed ample optimism in being able to counter Activision and Raven Software's new anti-cheat system.
Players are now reporting that hackers can outright end matches in Call of Duty: Vanguard's open beta. Streamer xLordt (via ItzPMR) captured an incident where the "host" ended the game prematurely before showing player using aimbot on the kill cam, heavily implying a hacker was the one who caused the match's abrupt conclusion. Activision has yet to fully detail Call of Duty: Vanguard's anti-cheat software, but the publisher may need to do so soon to restore player confidence in this year's release.
With the amount of cheating that has transpired since the release of Modern Warfare and Warzone, many Call of Duty streamers and players have vented their frustrations at the relatively sudden hacker explosion. While frequent ban waves and Warzone bans carrying over to Call of Duty: Vanguard show that series developers are pushing back against cheaters, Activision's franchise will face some of the toughest adversity in recent memory with Battlefield 2042 and Halo Infinite brewing potentially strong comeback entries. Since Call of Duty: Vanguard is set to release first out of the FPS trio, it will need to make a solid impression on players to keep their attention once its competitors launch.
Warzone developer Raven Software has launched an online campaign against cheating in Call of Duty, but the egregious hacks that have been seen in the Call of Duty: Vanguard beta likely don't inspire confidence in the game's full release state. If the anti-cheat system isn't perceived as being up to snuff, it's possible Call of Duty: Vanguard could be overshadowed by its rivals this holiday season.
Call of Duty: Vanguard launches on November 5, 2021 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, and PC.