Sweden has most number of video game cheaters worldwide, followed by the USA and Australia: Report

Cheaters and hackers continue to plague massively multiplayer online games (Image via Sportskeeda)
Cheaters and hackers continue to plague massively multiplayer online games (Image via Sportskeeda)

Since the very inception of single-player games, cheats have existed in video games. This was done to make it easier for players to test and review titles without being tagged as cheaters.

However, since the rise of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) like League of Legends, PUBG, Fortnite, and CS: GO, among others, cheats have become a significant concern for game developers.

According to a recent survey by Surfshark VPN, almost 70 million people worldwide have inquired about aimbots and wallhacks for their desired game.

Ranking at the top for "most cheats per capita" is Sweden, with almost 145 Google search hits for cheats per million of the total population. According to Surfshack's survey, the top five regions globally according to the highest number of cheaters and hackers are:

  1. Sweden
  2. United States of America
  3. Georgia
  4. Mongolia
  5. Australia

Growing problem of cheaters and hackers in massively multiplayer online games

Before getting into the rising problem, here's a deeper look at the roots of the video game cheats industry. There are usually two kinds of cheats that are available for any potential cheater.

Players can either choose to shell out a massive chunk of cash to purchase a specific cheat forever, or they can choose to set up a recurring payment setup for a "leased cheat."

It is vital for everyone in the community to realize and understand that the extraordinarily shady and illegal cheats industry is snowballing due to the investment they get from everyone using said cheats.

Unfortunately for honest gamers, the rise of cheats has affected the community so much that most massively multiplayer online games that are also notable esports titles have fallen victim to in-game cheats and hacks.

Additionally, the continuous optimization of these programs for cheaters makes it extremely hard for game developers to update their cheat-detection software at the same rate.

It can take a while for the developers to update the already existing in-game systems since they have to focus on improving and optimizing various aspects of a game. In contrast, a hacker or cheater is only concerned about the in-game exploits they trigger using third-party applications.

Nevertheless, it is safe to say that the entire gaming community, be it the developers or the honest gamers, are slowly but surely getting tired of in-game hacks and cheats.

Developers like Riot Games, Ubisoft, and Valve are introducing advanced systems to further reduce the number of hackers and cheaters in massively multiplayer online games.

Even if the community does not witness a hacker-free experience for its favorite games, it is almost certain that rallying together against these malicious programs could lead to quick actions from the developers.

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