Gaming’s Cheating Crisis Report

Gaming’s
Cheating
Crisis Report
The Impact on
Players and Profit
PlaySafeID.com

“I hate cheating in games. So do all of my
friends and everyone that I know. We’re
all aware of the impact of cheating on a
personal scale; It ruins the experience,
and in my circle of relatively hardcore
gamers, we’ve all quit games or stopped
spending due to the effects of cheating.
There’s been a lot of speculation that
cheating has become a crisis, and we wanted
to understand if that’s true. We wanted to find
out how a wide range of gamers feel across
different countries, gender, and age.
Eager to understand the reality, this study
was commissioned to unpack the cheating
crisis. Built on a survey of over 2,000
gamers, this whitepaper explores the
real-world impact on gamers, revenue,
and communities, and offers a clear path
forward to rebuild trust and accountability,
and most importantly, bring back what makes
games fun. Playing without cheating, where
you know everyone is playing by the rules,
and nobody has an unfair advantage.”
Andrew Wailes,
Founder and CEO, PlaySafe ID
Foreword
from the
CEO
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Gaming’s Cheating Crisis Report2025

Key Findings

■Cheating is now a crisis, with 80%
of gamers encountering it in online
games. Only 20% of gamers say they
never come across cheaters

■Player retention is at risk.
A significant 42% of gamers have
considered quitting a game entirely
because of cheaters

■The gaming community is highly
receptive to identity verification as
a solution. 73% would be happy to
verify themselves in order to play
without cheaters

■Cheating has a direct financial
impact on the games industry, as
55% of gamers have either reduced
or stopped spending on in-game
purchases because of it

■Gamers are ready for a solution.
A massive 83% would be more
likely to play a game that is credibly
promoted as being cheat-free

■The vast majority of gamers,
79%, agree that penalties for
cheating should apply across
multiple games, suggesting a desire
for industry-wide accountability
Audience
Chart
80%
of gamers have encountered
cheating in online games
83%
of gamers would
be more likely
to play a game
that is credibly
promoted as
being cheat-free
79%
of gamers agree
that penalties for
cheating should
apply across
multiple games
73%
of gamers would
be happy to verify
themselves in order
to play without
cheaters
55%
of gamers have either reduced
or stopped spending on in-game
purchases because of cheating
42%
of gamers have considered
quitting a game entirely
because of cheaters
The survey commissioned for this report
uncovered powerful insights about the
state of cheating in gaming. Here are the
key takeaways you need to know:
2,013
gamers in the
US and UK Most likely to play
first person shooters,
sports games and
casual games
82%
play games
multiple
times a
week
3
Gaming’s Cheating Crisis Report2025

In the world of online gaming, fair play is the
foundation of creating positive gaming experiences
and building a thriving community. But a crisis is
eroding that trust, threatening player enjoyment and
the business models that developers and publishers
rely on to both grow and serve customers. Cheating
has become a serious business issue, impacting
revenue streams, damaging brand reputation, and
driving players away.
The aforementioned survey pooled insights from
over 2,000 gamers across the UK and the USA, and
was conducted by independent research agency
Atomik Research on behalf of PlaySafe ID. It has
revealed the massive scale of the cheating problem,
painting a clear but disheartening picture: cheating
is no longer a fringe issue, but a major cross genre
challenge that the industry can’t afford to ignore.
Introduction
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Gaming’s Cheating Crisis Report2025

It’s surprising to many outside of gaming
just how widespread cheating has become.
Our research found that 80% of gamers
have encountered cheating in online games.
For the gaming community, cheating is a
regular occurrence, with 52% saying they
encounter it at least a few times a month,
if not more often. The problem is so common
that only 20% of players claim to have never
seen it. This shows that for many, cheating
has become an unfortunate part of their
online gaming routine.
Cheating’s increasing ease of implementation
and visibility is also a big part of the issue.
The survey found that 54% of gamers come
across content on how to cheat on YouTube,
followed by TikTok with 38%, and specific
gaming websites with 34%. With such easy
access to tools and methods, developers are
constantly battling to stay one step ahead.
The Scale of the Problem
How often do you encounter
cheating in online games?
Never
Rarely
(once every few months)
Occasionally
(a few times a month)
Frequently
(weekly)
Almost every session
Every session
0% 30%
Where do you typically see content related to cheating in videogames?
TwitchRedditTwitter/u
Tiktok Facebook GoogleDiscord
Youtube Instagram Gaming
Websites Other
0%
60%
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Gaming’s Cheating Crisis Report2025

Cheating has a direct and significant impact
on how players feel about a game. The data
reveals that 42% of gamers have considered
quitting a game because of cheaters. This
number is even higher in the UK, where 45%
of gamers have thought about leaving a title
for the same reason. It is understandable too.
Cheats undermine the very point of playing a
competitive game. This highlights a serious
retention problem that’s not about any game
itself, but about the failure to maintain a fair
and secure environment.
The temptation to cheat is also worryingly
high, with 62% of gamers admitting to having
felt tempted to cheat at least occasionally,
and 25% feeling the temptation frequently or
always. This suggests a difficult cycle where
a bad experience can lead to a breakdown of
integrity, creating a culture of ‘if you can’t beat
them, join them.’
Despite these challenges, gamers still have a lot of faith in developers\
. A huge majority, 94%, expressed at least
some trust that they can effectively deal with cheating. This trust is a massive opportunity for game studios to take
decisive action and deliver on player expectations.
The Erosion of Player
Trust and Satisfaction
How much do you trust game developers to
effectively deal with cheating in multiplayer games?
How close have you come to quitting
playing a game because of cheaters?
I’ve never considered
quitting a game
because of cheaters
Has quit 1 or more
games or has considered
quitting due to cheaters
I’ve quit a game
because of cheaters
I’ve considered
quitting a game
because of cheaters
I’ve quit multiple games
because of cheaters
0% 80%
40%
Have you ever felt tempted
to cheat in a video game?
0%
80%
40%
Tempted AlwaysFrequently RarelyNever 0%
100%
50%
Ye s Fully
Mostly A LittleNot at all
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Gaming’s Cheating Crisis Report2025

Cheating has a major direct negative impact on a game
developer’s bottom line. The research shows that the
majority of players, 55%, have either reduced or stopped
spending in games because of cheating. This includes
17% who have stopped spending entirely, and 38% who
have reduced their spending.
More concerningly, the data shows that those who spend
$11-$50 per month are the most impacted, with 52% of
players in this group reporting that they are affected by
cheating. These players are the revenue backbone of
studios, and 33% of them are negatively impacted to the
point that they stop spending and/or quit playing.
For an industry that relies heavily on microtransactions,
in-app purchasing, subscriptions, and related
mechanisms of in-game economies, this represents a
significant threat to both short-term revenue and long-
term viability. Simply put, cheating appears to be one
of the biggest costs/losses to game developers today,
especially when it comes to the core playerbase.
The Financial
Impact on
the Games
Industry
Have you ever reduced or stopped spending
money in a game because of cheating?
Ye s
I don’t spend
money in games
Ye s

I reduced
my spending
Ye s

I stopped
spending entirely
No
Cheating didn’t
affect my spending
0% 60%
30%
T
Gaming’s Cheating Crisis Report2025

The findings paint a bleak picture of the impact cheating has
on spending, retention and enjoyment: but there is hope. The
majority of gamers surveyed were aware of the problem and
open to solutions that will help restore a sense of fair play,
with 83% stating they would be more likely to play a game
that promotes itself as being cheater-free and has credible
measures in place to back up that claim. This shows that
there is a strong demand for a more fair gaming experience.
Players and industry are united in their desired outcomes –
which creates an opportunity to meaningfully move forward.
Importantly, the community is willing to embrace new
approaches to avoid cheaters. When asked about identity
verification to avoid being matched with a cheater, a large
majority of gamers expressed support: 73% answered that
they would be happy to verify themselves in order to play
without cheaters. This proves that players prioritise fair
play and positive experience over potential privacy or
data concerns, opening the door for innovative
accountability technology.
Another key finding was that player desire for accountability
extends beyond a single game, with 79% of gamers agreeing
that penalties for cheating should apply to other games
as well. This points to a desire for a unified, industry-wide
approach to tackling cheating, moving beyond game-specific
solutions to a system of player-level accountability.
The Path to a
Fairer Future
Solutions and Accountability
0%
100%
50%
Likely Much
more likely A little

more likely No More
likely Less
likely Much less
likely
If a game promoted itself as “cheater-free” and had
credible measures in place to support that claim,
how would that affect your likelihood of playing it?
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Gaming’s Cheating Crisis Report2025

The onus is now on the industry to implement
technologies that address cheating in a way players
find appropriate. Fortunately, that is relatively easily
done, without having to do anything like costly adjusting
or rebalancing of game design. Enter PlaySafe ID, a
solution that stops cheaters from ruining games by
making penalties stick across all connected titles. Unlike
traditional anti-cheat that only bans individual accounts,
PlaySafe ID gives each verified user one anonymised
identity linked to all their games (and they can only ever
get the one). So when a user is caught cheating, botting,
or violating child safety rules, they can’t just create a
new account and return. By ensuring real accountability,
PlaySafe ID breaks the ban evasion cycle and restores
fair play to gaming.
The company was founded in response to the cheating
and bots prolific in online games, and the growing need
to keep children safe from predators and bad-actors.
Agree
Slightly agree
Strongly agree
Neutral
0 2000
1000
Slightly
disagree
Strongly
disagree
Do you agree that penalties for cheating in a
specific title should apply to other games too?
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Gaming’s Cheating Crisis Report2025

An online survey was conducted by Atomik Research
among 2,013 PC Gamers aged 18-plus in the UK and
the USA. The research fieldwork took place between
28-and-31 July. Atomik Research is an independent
creative market research agency that employs MRS-
certified researchers, and abides to MRS code.
“Almost all gamers have a gut feeling that cheating has
gotten out of hand. They know it’s a problem because
they experience it all the time. I know that developers
often prefer not to address cheating publicly, but players
know it’s happening. They are suffering because of
cheating, and developers are missing out on massive
amounts of revenue because of it. This study has been
powerful in helping quantify that.
I found it shocking just how many players quit games,
stop spending, and are tempted to cheat themselves.
Before we commissioned this independent research, I had
a hunch that the numbers were going to be big, but I had
no idea that the issue was felt so strongly by so many.
It was also surprising to see the excitement and
willingness of gamers to embrace new measures to keep
cheaters out. It’s surprising but great to see that 73%
of gamers are willing to verify to play without cheaters,
that 79% think that bans should work across games,
and that 83% would be more likely to play a game that
is promoted as “cheater-free” with credible measures to
prove it. Gamers are hungry for better, and they want
developers to try these measures. Anti-cheat is an
essential tool, but it falls short without accountability
to enforce fair play.
It’s clear that by addressing cheating head-on with
new tools and methodologies, developers and
publishers have a huge opportunity to massively
increase revenue, protect their games, and build
stronger and more loyal communities.”
Andrew Wailes,
Founder and CEO, PlaySafe ID
Closing words
from the CEO
Methodology
10
Gaming’s Cheating Crisis Report2025

Gaming’s Cheating Crisis Report
The Impact on Players and Profit © Playsafe ID 2025
PlaySafeID.com