BattlEye is a proprietary anti-cheat software designed to detect and prevent cheating in online games. It was initially released in 2004. It was implemented in Grand Theft Auto V on PC, including Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced and Grand Theft Auto V Legacy and Grand Theft Auto Online by Rockstar Games on September 17, 2024.
Implementation in Grand Theft Auto Online
Cheating has been a persistent problem in Grand Theft Auto Online since its launch in 2013. While console versions such as Grand Theft Auto V Enhanced Edition and Grand Theft Auto V Expanded and Enhanced have seen fewer issues, the PC version has struggled with widespread hacking and cheating. To address this, Rockstar introduced BattlEye.
Benefits of BattlEye
One of BattlEye's most effective features is its ability to ban entire systems, preventing banned users from creating new accounts to bypass penalties. This kernel-level anti-cheat solution has successfully allowed Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive to protect the integrity of GTA Online.
While BattlEye cannot completely eliminate cheats from GTA Online, it provides a robust layer of protection that has already reduced the impact of hackers on the game. For most players, the implementation is seamless and automatic. Shortly after its implementation, several mod menus and cheatmakers confirmed that they will officially end support.
On March 5, 2025, popular GTA Online mod menu confirmed that its shutdown following the legal pressure from Take-Two.
Installation and Usage
To use BattlEye with GTA Online, players must:
- Launch the game via Steam, Rockstar Games Launcher, or the Epic Games Store.
- Download a 1GB update when prompted.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to install BattlEye.
Once installed, BattlEye works automatically. However, players who wish to disable BattlEye for single-player mods or role-playing servers can do so through the game launcher. A checkbox allows toggling the anti-cheat system, or players can use the Steam launch argument -battleye to disable it. Note that attempting to access GTA Online with BattlEye disabled will result in an error message.
Issues with Linux and Steam Deck
The introduction of BattlEye has caused compatibility problems for Linux and Steam Deck users. Despite supporting Valve's Proton compatibility layer, some users have reported issues running GTA Online with the anti-cheat enabled.
The issue remains unresolved as of March 5, 2025.
