PUBG anti-cheat November 2026 changes target three problems: cheat sellers, players returning after permanent bans and squads deliberately teaming with cheaters. KRAFTON says its newer hardware-ID checks have already caught 10,237 accounts that returned after changing their device identifiers.
KRAFTON also reported more than 280,000 cheat promotions between January and September 2026. Those are adverts reported to other platforms, not players caught cheating.
PUBG anti-cheat November 2026: what has actually changed?
The PUBG anti-cheat November 2026 letter separates measures already being enforced from one possible change. Hardware-ID checks and reporting cheat adverts are underway. Stronger penalties for deliberately playing in a premade squad with cheaters are still under review.
There is no new published penalty table in this announcement. The existing Rules of Conduct already cover knowingly teaming with cheaters for an unfair advantage.
More than 280,000 cheat adverts reported
The team used external platform reporting tools against more than 280,000 pieces of cheat-selling or promotional content. That does not mean 280,000 posts were removed or that the same number of sellers faced legal action.
KRAFTON monitors websites, social media and online marketplaces for cheat sellers. It uses machine-learning detection to find new and recurring posts, videos, seller accounts and distribution channels. When the same seller reappears under a new name, the team says it continues tracking and reporting that activity rather than relying on a one-off removal request.
PUBG’s anti-cheat November 2026 figures do not mean every reported advert was removed. The websites and social networks hosting them decide what action to take.
PUBG anti-cheat November 2026: HWID ban evasion checks
Hardware-ID, or HWID, is identifying information associated with a PC. KRAFTON explains that some permanently banned players previously altered this information and made new accounts to hide their banned history. The new approach uses two sets of detection criteria based on identifying details that remain consistent through attempts to change them.
With those criteria, KRAFTON says it has banned 10,237 accounts confirmed to have evaded bans by changing HWID. It also updated its identification logic four times since the start of October 2026. The developer says the criteria were validated before deployment to reduce the risk of banning innocent accounts.
KRAFTON has not published the exact identifiers used for these checks. A permanent ban is not meant to be wiped away by changing a PC identifier and signing back in with another account. The PUBG anti-cheat November 2026 measures are aimed at detecting that evasion.
PUBG anti-cheat November 2026: playing with cheaters
Yes, deliberately making a premade team with cheaters to gain an unfair advantage is already punishable under PUBG’s Rules of Conduct. The 5 November letter says the team is considering stronger penalties to discourage repeat offences. It does not say that a particular new penalty has already taken effect.
The warning is about forming a premade squad to benefit from cheating, not being randomly matched with someone suspicious. Report a player you suspect of cheating using the in-game feature.
How this differs from PUBG console anti-cheat rules
This November developer letter is mainly about cheat distribution, HWID evasion and playing with cheaters. A separate PUBG console anti-cheat guide covers unauthorized input converters, rapid-fire assistance, deliberately induced lag and stat boosting on PlayStation and Xbox. The two announcements concern different types of abuse and should not be mixed together.
The November letter does not announce that every type of cheating now carries the same punishment. The console device and lag-switch rules were addressed in earlier notices.
What should ordinary players do?
There is no action to take in your account settings. If you suspect a squadmate of cheating, use the in-game reporting option and don’t deliberately queue with someone using unauthorized software. If you have been reading older summaries that treat hardware bans as easy to bypass, KRAFTON is explicitly saying its detection work has become harder to evade.
The confirmed figures are 10,237 HWID-evasion account bans and more than 280,000 cheat promotions reported. Tougher penalties for people deliberately teaming with cheaters are still a proposal, not an announced policy change.
Related Guides
Source: Official PUBG anti-cheat November 2026 developer letter on cheat distribution, HWID evasion and premade squads.
