PUBG developer Krafton has shared how it banned over 30,000 accounts for DMA-based hacks back in August 2025 via an update on the game’s anti-cheat.
In light of this, the total number of bans for DMA hacks has now reached over 80,000 in the developers’ efforts to create a ‘fair and enjoyable’ competitive environment.
The 30,000 bans were enacted after Krafton made improvements to its proprietary anti-cheat system called Zakynthos, aimed at combating DMA-based hacks. A DMA hack, or direct memory access, uses hardware to bypass the CPU and a game’s anti-cheat protections.
The changes to the Zakynthos system are the latest development within PUBG’s anti-cheat roadmap for 2025, as Krafton moves away from simply blocking cheats to ‘real systems and action’.
The developers note how it has recently detected hacks that ‘manipulate certain hardware’ to provide unfair advantages, such as reduced weapon recoil, which is against the game’s terms of service. As such, 50,000 accounts were permanently banned for attempts to bypass PUBG’s anti-cheat systems.
The update would go on to list examples of prohibited activities within PUBG. This includes linking hacks to other software for ‘abnormal gameplay’, tampering with software for ‘unfair advantages’, and other forms of ‘misconduct’.
How this affects Esports
Cheating is commonplace in gaming and can even be seen in the highest levels of esports. Back in 2023, PUBG’s developer banned over 3.2m users for cheating, 33% higher than the year before it.
Cases in esports date back to 2019, when PUBG Corp, before it merged with Krafton, issued competitive bans to 10 players caught cheating in the PUBG Europe League.
The game has come a long way since then, and the new Zakynthos system will help maintain a fair environment for future PUBG esports tournaments. These events include the PUBG Global Series 9 and 10 in October this year, where the best teams around the world will go head-to-head in Malaysia for the lion’s share of a $300,000 (~£223,756) prize pool.
