Nearly 1 Million Banned in Latest Valve VAC Wave

Nearly 1 Million Banned in Latest Valve VAC Wave

A CS2 developer has confirmed that nearly 1 million accounts have been banned in one of the largest VAC waves in recent memory. The bans were issued and carried out within a single day against confirmed farming bot accounts, marking it as one of the most monumental efforts by Valve to clean up their game’s ecosystem. 

VAC Wave Washes Out Almost 1 Million Bot Accounts

CS2 Dev Ido Magal has confirmed that during Valve’s latest efforts to target-ban farming bot accounts, at least 960,000 accounts have been banned. They attributed the immense success as a result of a series of investigations carried out by the team following user reports.  

Farming bot accounts refer to accounts utilizing scripts, which are designated to ‘farm’ drops in CS2 gamemodes (typically Deathmatch and Casual lobbies). The issues scale depending on the end goal, but there have been multiple reports for years with video evidence of entire bot farm lobbies dedicated to farming drops in CS2 and its predecessor CSGO.

Said farmed drops are then sold on either the Steam Market or one of the many free markets for CS items (skins, cases, sprays, etc). Stemming from Valve skins carrying actual monetary value (thanks to the ability to sell and transfer skins to other user accounts, pervasive issues such as bot farms continue to plague one of the most popular FPS titles even in 2026.

Don't forget to follow Strafe Esports for the latest news about your favorite esports and to check out our X account for the most recent content and coverage. Also, stay tuned to the Strafe YouTube channel for exclusive interviews, press conferences, and much more.

Featured Image Credit: Valve


Read More:

ESL Locks in IEM Krakow 2027, Announces Major Updates for Next Season

One Trophy, Six Contenders: The BLAST Open Rotterdam 2026 Playoffs Are Here

New CS2 Update Changes Reload Mechanics Entirely

Latest news

NAVI and Vitality Clash in the IEM Atlanta 2026 Quarterfinals

NAVI and Vitality Clash in the IEM Atlanta 2026 Quarterfinals

The bracket could not have set up a more dramatic quarterfinal. IEM Atlanta 2026 is delivering exactly what fans wanted, and it arrived fast: Natus Vincere and Team Vitality will face off in a best-of-three on May 15, with the winner advancing to the semifinals against BetBoom.
2h
Thales Costa

G2 Esports vs Team Spirit: PGL Astana 2026 Quarterfinal Predictions

The Swiss Stage of PGL Astana is in the books. Aurora sent MongolZ packing in the final match of the stage, and now the last eight teams standing are preparing to make their run at glory on the big stage at Barys Arena. With $800,000 and a hefty haul of VRS Points up for grabs, the stakes couldn't be higher—especially in a year where Vitality have made a habit of winning everything they touch.
13 May
Kaustavmani Choudhury

Major Champions Reunite: Stewie2k Is Building a New CS2 Roster and It's Stacked

North America's Counter-Strike scene just got its most exciting piece of news in years. Jake "Stewie2k" Yip is reportedly building a brand-new CS2 roster, and the names attached to it are enough to make any NA fan lose their mind.
13 May
Thales Costa

FURIA vs Team Falcons Headlines PGL Astana 2026 Quarterfinals

The PGL Astana 2026 Quarterfinals kicks off with a much-anticipated matchup between two goliaths of the Counter-Strike scene – FURIA and Falcons. Both teams are on very different journeys in 2026 but vying for their first trophy of the year.
13 May
Foo Zen-Wen

BetBoom Sends Vitality to the Lower Bracket at IEM Atlanta 2026

The world number one just lost to a team almost nobody bet on. BetBoom knocked Team Vitality out of the upper bracket with a 2-1 victory in the Group A Upper Bracket Semifinal of IEM Atlanta 2026, and it wasn't even that close on the maps that counted.
12 May
Thales Costa

Lamborghini to Sponsor DreamHack Events

An unlikely partnership, but one that is as real as anything else; ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) has announced a long-term deal with none other than Italian luxury car brand Automobili Lamborghini. This means that Lamborghini will be the Official Automotive Partner for DreamHack events moving forward, starting with DreamHack Atlanta (May 15-17) in the US.
12 May
Martin Arévalo-Östberg

100 Thieves Claim Their First CS2 LAN Trophy

100 Thieves have done it. The American organization walked away as champions of the 2026 Parken Challenger Championship #6, finishing the entire tournament with a perfect 5-0 record.
12 May
Thales Costa

Comments (0)

Log in to comment on this match