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What is a HWID ban?

A HWID ban, or hardware ban, blocks a computer as well as an account. The anti-cheat records identifiers from the PC's parts, such as drive serial numbers and motherboard data, and bans or refuses any account that later plays from that machine. A new account on the same PC is caught again, which is what makes it harder to get round than an account ban.

Published by GCS Cheats under our editorial policy. Last updated: .

In plain EnglishThis page explains what "HWID ban" means when people talk about game cheats, in simple words, and where on this site to read more. No cheat is ever 100% safe, so always check a product's status before you buy.

What a hardware ban records

There is no single hardware ID. An anti-cheat collects several identifiers and combines them into a fingerprint: the serial numbers of your drives, the data the motherboard reports about itself (its SMBIOS), the MAC addresses of your network adapters and details of other parts. Each anti-cheat picks its own set, and none publishes the full list.

Because the fingerprint comes from hardware and firmware, reinstalling Windows does not change it. Swapping one part may not either, since the rest of the fingerprint still matches.

Which games ban hardware

21 of the 58 games we track ban hardware as well as the account. The list comes from our anti-cheat database, which is built from each game's Steam anti-cheat notice and its publisher's own posts; where we sell builds for a game, its name links to our guide or shop page.

HWID ban vs account ban

An account ban ends one account. The way back is a new account, and in a paid game a new copy of it. A hardware ban follows the machine, so the new account is flagged as soon as it plays. Many games issue both at once, which is what our anti-cheat database records as HWID + account.

VAC bans are a different case. Steam Support says they are permanent and are applied to the account, and, in games whose developer switches it on, to every account sharing its phone number at the time. They do not reach the PC itself.

How a HWID spoofer works

A HWID spoofer changes the identifiers the anti-cheat reads, so the PC presents a different fingerprint. A temporary spoofer does this in memory, and the change is gone when you restart, so you run it before every session. A permanent spoofer rewrites the identifiers themselves, so the change stays.

Spoofers are cheats too, and they can be detected like any other. Use one made for the anti-cheat your game runs, check its status, and start on a fresh account: a spoofer stops an old ban following you to a new account, it does not lift the ban.

How to tell if you are hardware banned

Publishers rarely say that a ban covers your hardware. The usual sign is that a brand-new account is banned, or cannot connect, soon after it starts playing on the same PC, while the same account works on another machine.

HWID ban FAQ

Does reinstalling Windows remove a HWID ban?
No. The identifiers come from the hardware and its firmware, not from Windows, so a clean install leaves them as they were.
Is a VAC ban a hardware ban?
No. Steam Support says VAC bans are applied to the account and, in games that switch it on, to every account that shared its phone number at the time. They are permanent, but they do not reach the PC itself.
Does a HWID ban last forever?
It depends on the publisher, and most do not say. Treat a hardware ban as permanent unless the game's own rules give it an end date.
What is the difference between a temp and a perm spoofer?
A temporary spoofer changes the identifiers in memory until the next restart, so you run it before each session. A permanent spoofer rewrites them, so the change survives a restart.
Do I need a spoofer if my game only bans accounts?
Usually not. Where a game bans accounts and not hardware, a new account is enough to play again. A spoofer is for games whose bans reach the PC, and the list on this page shows which ones do.

Sources

Official pages behind the facts on this page. How cheats are built and used is our own explanation, written under our editorial policy.

Keep reading

The full glossaryEvery cheat and anti-cheat term, each defined in one line.Anti-cheat guidesHow each game's anti-cheat works and what its bans cover.Anti-cheat databaseAll 58 games we track: system, driver, ban type.Compare cheatsBuilds for one game side by side, feature by feature.