Marvel Rivals infested with cheaters as high-ranked streamers get targeted

Marvel Rivals, like almost every other multiplayer game out there right now, has a cheating problem. Several high-profile streamers have been targeted by people walling and aimbotting.

The opening days of Rivals were pure bliss for much of the gaming community. A player count that neared 500k on Steam, a ton of fun Marvel heroes that players love (or hate depending on who you ask), and an experience that, for many, brought back the joy of the original Overwatch.

That momentum hasn’t slowed down, with the game maintaining a high player count since release. However, as players have started hitting high ranks, it’s becoming more and more clear that Rivals has a cheating problem.

Several high profile streamers like Eskay, bogur, and super have had cheaters ruining their matches all at once. Just weeks after the game’s release, Marvel Rivals has seen some of its biggest creators get focused by cheaters.

Marvel Rivals streamers targeted by blatant hackers

Considering a lot of Rivals’ biggest streamers come from Overwatch, it should come as no surprise that they quickly hit the game’s top ranks. People like these who spend hours and hours a day hitting the ranked ladder are bound to rank up eventually.

However, there’s one solution for people who have less time to grind: Just cheat! Easy, right? Definitely doesn’t ruin the game for other people. Rivals set out to combat cheaters from the start with an in-depth reporting system, and it has definitely resulted in some cheaters getting banned.

But the system also has problems if cheaters can get to or near the game’s highest rank and snipe streamers.

High level players often spot cheaters by not only going into spectator and tracking whether or not their mouse stays on players through walls, but also by if they’ve got the game knowledge to back their aim. This has become exceedingly common.

super encountered the same cheater a few times, eventually stopping into a lobby to try and talk to him before that same cheater dropped a racial slur and started talking in his Twitch chat.

bogur commented on Eskay’s post about cheaters, saying he’s having the same problem in European servers. It’s not just a few people ruining high-ranked matches, though streamers getting focused has certainly put a spotlight on the issue.

There are also levels to the way in which cheaters operate. Some players try to hide it, with them having gameplay that may pass as them just being really good to the average spectator. Others stare at a wall while their shots always find their target.

Other game developers have taken to suing the people who make and promote cheats, with Activision Blizzard raising a $3 million dollar lawsuit for damages against a cheat vendor in 2023. However, Black Ops 6 still has issues with cheaters over a year later.