The Field Guide · Games
Every game, what it does to your PC
What installing a game actually does to your PC, in plain words: how deep its anti-cheat reaches, what else it puts on your system, and the maker's track record.
We lay out what the game asks for. You decide if you are okay with it. We do not take sides and we do not sell anything.
Browse every anti-cheat: what it loads, what it can and cannot see →
Apex Legends
Respawn Entertainment / Electronic Arts
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Arc Raiders
Embark Studios
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Battlefield 6
Electronic Arts / DICE
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Black Myth: Wukong
Game Science
noneNo dedicated anti-cheat. Nothing of its own loads on your machine.
Call of Duty: DMZ
Activision
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Call of Duty: DMZ (Modern Warfare 4)
Activision
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4
Activision
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II
Activision
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III / Warzone
Activision
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Counter-Strike 2
Valve Corporation
user-modeRuns in normal user space. No kernel driver on your machine.
Dead by Daylight
Behaviour Interactive
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Deadlock
Valve Corporation
user-modeRuns in normal user space. No kernel driver on your machine.
Delta Force
TiMi Studio Group / Tencent
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Destiny 2
Bungie
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Diablo IV
Blizzard Entertainment
server-sideChecks run on the publisher's servers. Nothing extra runs on your PC.
Dota 2
Valve Corporation
user-modeRuns in normal user space. No kernel driver on your machine.
Elden Ring
Bandai Namco Entertainment
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
EMPULSE
1047 Games
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Escape from Tarkov
Battlestate Games
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Fall Guys
Epic Games
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Final Fantasy XIV
Square Enix
server-sideChecks run on the publisher's servers. Nothing extra runs on your PC.
Fortnite
Epic Games
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Genshin Impact
HoYoverse / miHoYo
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Grand Theft Auto Online
Rockstar Games / Take-Two
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Gray Zone Warfare
MADFINGER Games
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Halo Infinite
Xbox Game Studios (Microsoft)
user-modeRuns in normal user space. No kernel driver on your machine.
Helldivers 2
Sony Interactive Entertainment
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Honkai: Star Rail
HoYoverse / miHoYo
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Hunt: Showdown
Crytek
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
League of Legends
Riot Games
kernel · always-onLoads a kernel driver at boot and keeps it running, even when you are not playing.
Lost Ark
Amazon Games
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Marvel Rivals
NetEase Games
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Meccha Chameleon
Lemorion_1224 / Haganeiro
noneNo dedicated anti-cheat. Nothing of its own loads on your machine.
Minecraft (Java Edition)
Mojang Studios / Microsoft
server-sideChecks run on the publisher's servers. Nothing extra runs on your PC.
My Hero Ultra Rumble
Bandai Namco Entertainment
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Naraka: Bladepoint
NetEase Games / 24 Entertainment
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Once Human
NetEase Games / Starry Studio
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Overwatch 2
Blizzard Entertainment
user-modeRuns in normal user space. No kernel driver on your machine.
Palworld
Pocketpair
server-sideChecks run on the publisher's servers. Nothing extra runs on your PC.
Path of Exile 2
Grinding Gear Games
server-sideChecks run on the publisher's servers. Nothing extra runs on your PC.
PUBG: Battlegrounds
Krafton
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Rainbow Six Siege
Ubisoft
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Red Dead Online
Rockstar Games / Take-Two
server-sideChecks run on the publisher's servers. Nothing extra runs on your PC.
Roblox
Roblox Corporation
user-modeRuns in normal user space. No kernel driver on your machine.
Rocket League
Psyonix / Epic Games
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Rust
Facepunch Studios
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Sea of Thieves
Xbox Game Studios (Microsoft)
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Team Fortress 2
Valve Corporation
user-modeRuns in normal user space. No kernel driver on your machine.
The Finals
Embark Studios
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
The First Descendant
Nexon
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Throne and Liberty
Amazon Games
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Valorant
Riot Games
kernel · always-onLoads a kernel driver at boot and keeps it running, even when you are not playing.
VRChat
VRChat Inc.
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Warframe
Digital Extremes
server-sideChecks run on the publisher's servers. Nothing extra runs on your PC.
World of Warcraft
Blizzard Entertainment
user-modeRuns in normal user space. No kernel driver on your machine.
Wuthering Waves
Kuro Games
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Zenless Zone Zero
HoYoverse / miHoYo
kernel · with gameLoads a kernel-level driver while the game runs, then unloads it when you quit.
Catalogued by Vera. Editorial entries cite the publisher's own anti-cheat documentation and named public reporting (Ars Technica, PC Gamer, Eurogamer, BleepingComputer, and others).