A new survey has suggested that the majority of players would be willing to verify their identity online if it meant being able to play games in a cheat-free environment.
The 2025 study, carried out by PlaySafe ID, polled over 2,000 people in the US and UK. The report found that 73% of players would accept an identity verification process to ensure matches are free of cheaters.
The same study found that 80% have encountered cheating in online titles, and 55% have either reduced or completely stopped spending on in-game purchases because of it.
The results come during a time of renewed conversation around the prevalence of cheating in competitive online games. The first round of Battlefield 6’s open beta was affected by a wave of cheaters, prompting EA’s anti-cheat team to respond, confirming that anti-cheat measures had blocked more than 330,000 attempts to do so.
Players ready for tougher rules
The report also highlighted that 42% of respondents had considered quitting a game entirely due to persistent cheating, while 83% said they would be more likely to play a title if it was credibly promoted as cheat-free.
One fascinating statistic found that 79% of users asked believed penalties for cheating should carry over across multiple games. Were online verification universally integrated into online games, such an outcome wouldn’t be so far-fetched.
Both Activision and EA, publishers of gaming’s most popular first-person shooters, have invested substantial resources in tackling the prevalence of cheating in Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Apex Legends.
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