Video game cheat economy grows into USD $8.5bn giant

Underground businesses selling video game cheats and related services have grown into an estimated USD $8.5 billion global economy, according to new research from game security firm Intorqa.

The analysis values cheat software subscriptions at USD $3.5 billion and related services at USD $5 billion, including hardware ID spoofers and account boosting.

Intorqa compared the estimate with other parts of the gaming sector, saying it exceeds projected global esports revenue of USD $5.1 billion in 2026, including betting, and is larger than Twitch's reported USD $1.8 billion revenue in 2024.

The firm also said the total is larger than the entire UK video games market, although the findings summary did not include a specific UK market value.

How it measured

The research analysed pricing for cheats sold across 15 major multiplayer games. It reviewed official ban volumes published by game studios, and examined 70 gaming marketplaces and the web traffic to those platforms.

The games included first-person shooters and battle royale titles such as PUBG and CounterStrike 2, as well as massively multiplayer online games such as Old School Runescape. Intorqa said this approach produced its most accurate valuation of the cheat economy so far.

Cheats have become a persistent operational and security issue for publishers, particularly in competitive multiplayer games where player trust depends on perceived fairness. Beyond gameplay impacts, publishers often face higher customer support volumes, disputes over bans, and reputational damage when cheating becomes widespread.

Genres in focus

First-person shooters and battle royale games account for 61% of the cheat subscription estimate, according to the report. Mobile games represent 24%, while MMOs account for 14%.

Intorqa estimated that FPS games generate average revenues of USD $362 million per game for cheat developers. It put MMO-related revenues at USD $98 million per game in 2026 and said the segment is growing. For mobile games, it estimated revenues of USD $286 million per game, noting that the segment attracts its own group of threat actors.

These figures point to a fragmented market in which cheat developers target different platforms and game mechanics. Mobile game cheating, for example, often relies on different distribution channels and device-level workarounds than PC and console titles.

Bans and reoffending

Publishers have expanded efforts to detect and ban cheaters. Across the 15 games in Intorqa's sample, an average of 413,000 players were banned each month.

The report argues that enforcement alone has not broken the business model, because banned players can cheaply and easily buy new accounts and return. In free-to-play games, account creation can be frictionless. In paid games, stolen or discounted keys and account reselling can reduce the cost of re-entry.

Common tools such as wallhacks and aimbots cost an average of USD $34 per month, Intorqa said. Wallhacks let players see through walls, while aimbots increase aiming precision.

Grey market structure

The report describes a professionalised ecosystem that resembles a conventional software market. Cheat sellers operate through dedicated websites, social channels, and reseller networks, and some services include customer support operations.

For publishers, that structure can make disruption harder. The report points to a legal patchwork in which cheats are illegal in some jurisdictions but unregulated in many others, limiting the effectiveness of legal action and increasing the importance of threat intelligence, monitoring, and technical countermeasures.

Intorqa described the cheating economy as a commercial force that deserves the same attention as other forms of cyber-enabled abuse. It linked cheating to fraud and account exploitation, particularly where paid boosting and account trading intersect with stolen credentials.

Martin Holroyd, Intorqa's chief executive officer, said the industry has lacked visibility into the commercial drivers behind cheating.

"Until now, the games industry has operated with a shared understanding that cheating is a significant problem, whether that's harming the player experience and trust, encouraging fraud and impacting revenue, or ultimately forcing games to close, but without a clear picture of the commercial forces driving it," Holroyd said.

He said the research shows the market is larger and more organised than many publishers may assume.

"This research changes that. The cheat industry is not a fringe activity; it is a structured, commercially sophisticated market that is actively monetising the games players love. With revenues of $8.5bn, this shadow economy is bigger than the entire UK video games market. Game publishers need to take a proactive approach and monitor the entire cheat ecosystem and identify the biggest threats quickly," Holroyd said.

Intorqa said it works with more than 10 large publishers across multiple international markets, and that demand for threat intelligence has grown as cheating tools, distribution, and payment methods evolve.