The Difference Between “Illegal” and “Against the Rules”
The difference between “illegal” and “against the rules” is that illegal means an action is explicitly prohibited by law and can lead to criminal or civil prosecution, while something that is “against the rules” violates a specific organization’s or game’s set of guidelines but not necessarily the law. In other words, illegal actions break laws passed by governments, whereas breaking rules can mean violating internal policies or terms of service without being unlawful.
Regarding game cheats, cheating in online or video games is not universally illegal, but some countries like South Korea and China have criminalized the use or sale of game cheats, which can involve jail time or fines. Additionally, many game companies take legal action against cheat developers, often citing copyright infringement or violations of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). While creating or using cheats may be prohibited by game rules and terms of service, it crosses into illegality if it involves hacking, exploiting vulnerabilities, or generating illicit profits through cheat sales.
Are Game Cheats Illegal in Real Life?
While using game cheats isn’t always illegal, it can certainly lead to criminal offenses in some countries, depending on the nature of the cheat and the resulting harm. Legal actions are most often directed at cheat developers rather than the users themselves, with claims typically centered on copyright violations or the creation of unauthorized software.
For the player, using cheats nearly always constitutes a breach of the game’s rules and terms of service (ToS), which can lead to a permanent ban from the game. Furthermore, depending on the method and intent, using cheats can also potentially violate intellectual property (IP) laws. Legal consequences generally arise in situations where cheats cause significant harm to the game or other players, exploit major software vulnerabilities to an extreme degree, or are used to generate illicit profit such as selling in-game items or currency obtained via cheating.
Cheats as a Violation of Game Rules
Cheating in video games typically involves breaking the rules set by the game developers or the platform through extra software or manipulation to gain advantages such as auto-aim, seeing through walls (ESP), or exploiting bugs. These actions subvert the intended game mechanics and the fair play regulations established to ensure a level playing field for all players. As ABCheats, one of the most reliable cheat providers in the digital environment, we have explained the details of the subject for you as follows.
How cheats break Terms of Service (ToS)
Cheats violate the Terms of Service (ToS) of most games by breaching conditions related to fair gameplay and software integrity. This includes modification of game clients or servers, use of third-party software to manipulate in-game outcomes, exploiting bugs, account usage, and hardware manipulation.
Such breaches are treated seriously because cheats undermine the user experience and violate licensing agreements between players and game companies. Some companies also consider cheats a circumvention of technological protections, violating laws such as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
Common penalties: warnings, suspensions, permanent bans
Game publishers commonly impose penalties on players found cheating, ranging from warnings and temporary suspensions to permanent bans of accounts or hardware bans. Permanent bans are often enforced for serious offenses such as using unauthorized software or exploiting glitches.
Some games implement shadow banning by isolating cheaters into exclusive matchmaking pools to conceal detection. Penalties may also include removing in-game progress, currency, and items gained through cheating. Thus, you can choose cheating tools from ABCheats in order to avoid possible threats.
Esports and competitive gaming restrictions
In esports and competitive gaming, cheating is strictly prohibited and can lead to severe consequences beyond game bans. Players caught cheating may face disqualification from tournaments, monetary fines, suspensions from leagues, or lifetime bans.
Esports organizations and governing bodies enforce strict codes of conduct to maintain competitive integrity. Some jurisdictions even impose criminal penalties for selling or distributing cheats, reflecting the serious impact cheating has on professional gaming ecosystems and their stakeholders.
Regional and Legal Perspectives
Each country and regional authority has introduced different regulations in terms of cheating in the gaming industry. An overview of the legal restrictions on gaming cheats is as follows.
Countries where cheat creation/sales are punishable
Several countries impose legal penalties for creating or selling cheats in video games. For example, South Korea, The United States and China are notable for criminalizing the sale and use of cheating software.
Examples: lawsuits in the US, Korea, and China
United States: Several high-profile lawsuits have targeted cheat creators and distributors under claims of copyright infringement and anti-circumvention of software protections under the DMCA. For example, similar cases include lawsuits against cheat providers for games like League of Legends and Fortnite, emphasizing the US legal system’s active role in combating cheat software.
South Korea: Besides legal punishments for cheaters themselves, the government enforces strict rules against cheat sales, with potential prison terms and heavy fines. This is part of a broader effort to maintain fair competition and protect the country’s prominent esports and gaming industry.
China: China also criminalizes cheat sales and use, with cooperation between game operators and state authorities to prevent cheating in popular games. Enforcement is strict given China’s large gaming market and the government’s focus on maintaining digital ecosystem integrity.
Consequences of Using Cheats (Even If Not Illegal)
When cheating is detected, using cheats in games often results in various penalties imposed by game developers, even when not illegal. These consequences include:
- Account suspensions or permanent bans via removing access to the game permanently.
- Removal or reset of in-game progress, currency, items, or achievements gained through cheating.
- Placement in “cheater pools” or restricted matchmaking, where cheaters can only play against other detected cheaters.
- Public shaming or in-game punishments, such as character debuffs, forced deaths, or deletions of save files.
- Loss of access to competitive or esports events.
Are Mods and Trainers Treated the Same as Cheats?
Mods and trainers are not always treated the same as cheats. Mods often refer to player-created content that alters aesthetics, interfaces, or gameplay experience without unfair advantages, and they are generally allowed or even encouraged in some games or single-player contexts.
In terms of trainers, they generally modify game behavior like cheats but may be accepted in offline or sandbox environments where multiplayer fairness is not impacted. Some mods can be considered cheats if they grant unfair advantages in multiplayer or violate the Terms of Service.