ChEating in video games has long been a frustrating reality for players, but according to Call of Duty publisher Activision, it’s far more than just a nuisance — it’s a booming criminal enterprise. The company has published a detailed breakdown of the numbers behind cheating in its games, and the figures are staggering: the global cheat market is now worth an estimated £6.3 billion ($8.5 billion) every single year.
How Big Is the Cheat Economy, Really?
Activision’s analysis paints a picture of a sophisticated underground industry that monetises unfair play at every level. Rather than isolated hobbyists sharing exploits on forums, today’s cheat scene is powered by organised businesses that generate enormous revenue across three main pillars: account sales, boosting, and spoofing services.
Account Sales and Boosting
A significant slice of that $8.5 billion comes from the buying and selling of accounts. Cheaters and boosters accumulate high-rank accounts, rare cosmetics, and impressive stats, then sell them to players who want shortcuts to prestige. Boosting services — where skilled players (or cheaters) are paid to rank up someone else’s account — have become a full-blown commercial trade, particularly in competitive titles like Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare.
Spoofing Services
Perhaps the most insidious wing of the industry is spoofing. When publishers ban cheaters, they often issue hardware bans to stop offenders simply creating new accounts. Spoofing services exist specifically to circumvent these measures, disguising a banned machine’s identity so cheaters can return again and again — for a fee, of course.
Why Activision Is Going Public
By publishing these numbers, Activision is making a clear statement: cheating isn’t a petty nuisance, it’s a multi-billion-dollar industry that directly funds criminal operations and degrades the experience for millions of legitimate players. The Call of Duty franchise, one of the best-selling game series in history, has been battling an endless tide of aimbots, wallhacks, and other cheats, particularly in its free-to-play battle royale, Warzone.
The publisher has invested heavily in its Ricochet Anti-Cheat system, a multi-layered defence that combines PC kernel-level drivers, machine learning detection, and regular ban waves. While these efforts have removed huge numbers of cheating accounts, Activision’s new figures underline why the problem persists — wherever there are millions of players, there’s a lucrative market willing to pay for an unfair edge.
What This Means for Everyday Gamers
For regular players, the message is twofold. First, the fight against cheaters isn’t going away anytime soon; publishers will keep escalating their anti-cheat technology as the cheat industry evolves. Second, and perhaps more importantly: never buy accounts, boosting, or spoofing services. Beyond being unfair to other players, purchasing from these shady markets puts your money, your personal data, and your own account at serious risk of theft or permanent bans.
Play Fair, Play Safe
The best way to enjoy Call of Duty and other titles is to grind, improve, and unlock content legitimately. If you’re looking to top up on Call of Duty Points, grab the latest game keys, or pick up gift cards at great prices, do it the safe way — TURGAME.com offers legitimate digital game codes and gift cards so you can support your favourite games without feeding the cheat economy.
As Activision’s eye-opening report shows, every pound spent on cheats fuels an industry built on ruining the fun for everyone else. Choose fair play.
Source: Eurogamer