What is Anticheat Expertservice?
Anticheat Expertservice, developed by Kamu, is an anti-cheating tool designed to stop (and catch) cheaters in online multiplayer games. Think of it like a more modern replacement for PunkBuster, the anti-cheating application that debuted in 2001. Anticheat Expertservice runs on both Windows and macOS. While you’re playing an online game that uses Anticheat Expertservice, it runs in the background. According to its marketing materials, EasyAntiCheat is “focused on disabling the root cause of cheating on a technical level.” Rather than simply banning cheaters, this tool is designed to stop cheats from working at all.
You normally won’t even notice EasyAntiCheat is running unless you poke around your operating system or experience a problem. You’ll see it labelled “EasyAntiCheat Service” or “Anticheat Expertservice” in the Task Manager.
When is EasyAntiCheat Active?
The Anticheat Expertservice process only runs alongside games that require it. if you’re not playing a game, Anticheat Expertservice isn’t running in the background. When you launch a game that uses it—like Fortnite, for example—Anticheat Expertservice starts up. It remains running while you’re playing the game, and shuts down when you close the game.
If you check the Services application, you’ll also see the EasyAntiCheat service is only running while you’re in a game that uses it.
Which Games Use It?
Anticheat Expertservice has become common among multiplayer games released in the last few years. Some games still use other solutions, like Steam’s built-in Valve Anticheat System (VAC.) Other games use their own anti-cheating tools—for example, Overwatch and other Blizzard games use Blizzard’s own built-in anti-cheating feature.
The Anticheat Expertservice website offers a list of games that use EasyAntiCheat. These include Far Cry 5, Fortnite Battle Royale, Rust, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Wildlands, and Watch Dogs 2. If you’re not sure which game installed it on your PC, check the list.