Deadside Anti-Cheat

Kernel-level BattlEye since June 2024, moderators who issue game bans on official servers, and a stated policy of no amnesty for anyone caught cheating.

Published by GCS Cheats under our editorial policy. Last reviewed 1 November 2026.

In plain EnglishThis page explains the anti-cheat that protects Deadside - the system that tries to catch and ban cheaters. It covers how strict that system is and how cheats try to stay hidden from it. No cheat is ever 100% safe, so always check a product's status before you buy.

What anti-cheat does Deadside use?

Deadside uses BattlEye, a kernel-level anti-cheat that loads a Windows driver with deep system access. Caught cheaters get a game ban on the account, and our database rates its detection strength medium. The guide below covers how it detects, what a ban really costs and what kind of build survives.

Deadside is Bad Pixel’s open-world survival shooter, published with tinyBuild and fully released in December 2024. Its Steam page lists BattlEye as a kernel-level anti-cheat. Deadside added Easy Anti-Cheat in April 2020 and switched to BattlEye with update 0.12.2 in June 2024.

The anti-cheat is only half the story. Bad Pixel says the full release brought more players and more cheaters, so in February 2025 it set up a moderation team for official servers. Community servers are run by their own admins, who have tools of their own.

How BattlEye works in Deadside

BattlEye runs with the game and looks for cheat software on your PC. Bad Pixel said it switched because it believed BattlEye would better help it fight cheaters.

On official servers, moderators answer player reports, hunt cheaters in the game with limited admin tools and issue game bans from a separate tool. On community servers, admins and the moderators they appoint can ban too. Bad Pixel chose not to give admins the ability to see players through walls; its admin tools show a player’s rough position on the map instead.

What a Deadside ban actually means

Moderators issue game bans, which Valve applies to your Steam account. Bad Pixel says a ban that does not show on your Steam account is probably temporary, which fits Valve’s rule that only permanent game bans appear on a profile. Its licence agreement allows temporary or permanent bans, set by server admins or by the developer’s representatives.

Do not count on a cheating ban being lifted. Bad Pixel says it gives no amnesty and no unban for any reason once you are detected cheating, and that the account loses access to the game whoever used the cheat. Bans for prohibited software are appealed to BattlEye; other bans go through Bad Pixel’s own appeal form. It has not said that it bans hardware.

Detection track record

We rate Deadside "Medium" on client detection: kernel-level BattlEye on your PC, plus moderators who act on reports. Two weeks after the team started, Bad Pixel said it had already proved effective against cheaters.

Bad Pixel says its moderators react quite fast to reports made on its Discord. A player who always finds the hidden stash, or never loses a long-range fight, gives them plenty to look at.

Cheating in Deadside safely

What helps depends on the server. PvP servers allow raids at any time, scheduled-raid servers only at set hours, and on PvE servers players cannot fight each other at all. On PvE an aimbot only matters against AI, so item ESP does most of the work.

Community servers vary even more, because their admins ban by their own rules. Keep the aim believable, since one report is enough to start a moderator looking. The Deadside builds we keep current are below.

Deadside builds in the store

One Deadside build is on sale right now, listed by how each one runs according to its own description.

Type not stated: Fecurity Deadside

Deadside anti-cheat FAQ

Does Deadside use BattlEye or Easy Anti-Cheat?

BattlEye. Deadside added Easy Anti-Cheat in April 2020 and switched to BattlEye with update 0.12.2 in June 2024. Its Steam page lists BattlEye as kernel-level.

Can you appeal a Deadside ban?

Bans for prohibited software are appealed to BattlEye, and other bans through Bad Pixel’s appeal form. Bad Pixel says it gives no amnesty to anyone detected cheating.

Do Deadside bans show on your Steam profile?

Permanent ones do. Bad Pixel says a ban that is not shown on your Steam account is probably temporary, and Valve shows only permanent game bans on a profile.

Can Deadside admins see players through walls?

No. Bad Pixel chose not to give server admins ESP. Its admin tools show a player’s approximate location on the map instead.

Sources

Official pages for the systems this guide describes. They are the primary sources for how BattlEye works and how bans are issued; the detection ratings and build guidance are our own editorial assessment, explained in the editorial policy.

This guide is informational and reflects how BattlEye and Deadside bans generally work; anti-cheats update constantly, so treat every detail as a moving target rather than a guarantee. Last reviewed 1 November 2026.

Keep reading

Anti-cheat databaseAll 58 games, their system, ban type and risk in one table.Check an account for bansLook up VAC and game bans on any Steam profile.Find your cheatFive questions, one matched build for Deadside.Plain-English glossaryEvery term on this page, defined in one line.