The core of the game's defense remains its server-authoritative model. Unlike games that trust the player's PC to calculate hits or movement, War Thunder processes these actions server-side. This, combined with the "Fog of War" system that limits what the game client knows about distant enemies, serves as the first line of defense against wallhacks and movement exploits.
On the technical front, the transition from Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) to BattlEye in December 2024 marked a significant shift in their strategy. Currently, PC players are protected by a two-layer system: Viking (Ring-3) and BattlEye (Kernel-level). This combination is designed to catch external software trying to interfere with the game's memory or logic.
For those worried about privacy, Gaijin clarified their GDPR compliance. Data collected by the Viking system is AES-encrypted. If you aren't flagged for cheating, signature match data is purged within one year. However, if a ban is confirmed, that data is stored indefinitely to prevent banned users from simply cycling through new accounts.
The impact of these changes is visible in the numbers. While monthly bans averaged just 300 users in early 2023, the strengthening of anti-cheat measures led to a massive spike, peaking at 9,569 bans in a single month by early 2024. For the average player, this means fewer suspicious long-range snipes and a more reliable competitive environment across air, land, and sea battles.
Soren