Sea of Thieves Is Finally Going After Cheaters in a Big Way

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Sea of Thieves

By J.W. DiCarlo

Published Mar 8, 2024

Highlights

Rare is finally addressing cheating in Sea of Thieves with Epic's Easy Anti-Cheat system in March.
Current cheats like aimbots and speedhacks should become less prevalent after the implementation of EAC.
Despite delays in smaller updates, Rare's efforts to combat cheating in the game are a positive step forward.

Developer Rare has announced that Sea of Thieves is getting a new anti-cheat system in the near future. This marks the developer's first step in truly addressing cheating issues within Sea of Thieves.

Like many multiplayer games, Sea of Thieves has had a cheating issue since its launch back in 2018. This has created plenty of frustration among users who fall victim to these exploits, especially seeing that Sea of Thieves is a PvPvE game that partially revolves around accruing loot and avoiding death. Surprisingly, Rare has not implemented a true anti-cheat system in the game's four-year lifespan, until later this month.

Sea of Thieves on PS5 Has a Catch

Sea of Thieves' PS5 version comes with a catch once users download it following its release for Sony's newest console.

In a video uploaded to the Sea of Thieves YouTube account, Rare confirmed that it will implement Epic Games' Easy Anti-Cheat system later in March. EAC is used in popular games like Fortnite and Apex Legends and is a "kernel-level solution," like many powerful anti-cheats are nowadays. Rare also explained that this is only the "first step" in combating cheaters and confirmed that it's looking into additional ways to protect players in the future, which users should hear about soon. Currently, Sea of Thieves users can run into cheats like aimbots, speedhacks, and more, but these issues should become much less prevalent following the implementation of EAC.

Sea of Thieves Getting Epic's Easy Anti-Cheat Later in March

In the same video, Rare also admitted that its efforts to make future updates smaller will take a bit longer than previously thought, as the approaching March update will still be a sizable download for Xbox and Windows Store users. This delayed effort was spearheaded by a February Sea of Thieves update that set the stage for such an improvement. Fortunately, Rare says the upgrade should work as intended following the March patch.

Sea of Thieves has a big premiere coming next month when it releases for the PlayStation 5 on April 30. The approaching launch marks the end of a long trend for Rare, which has never released a game for the PlayStation in its 39-year history. PlayStation 5 users can also purchase other Xbox exclusives like Hi-Fi Rush on March 19, Grounded on April 16, and the already available Pentiment.

Sea of Thieves' cross-platform release could be a major boost to the game's player base. It's regarded as one of the best online co-op games on Game Pass thanks to its unique format and entertaining gameplay, and Microsoft Gaming's Phil Spencer previously explained that Xbox's various PS5 releases will hopefully help these franchises reach many more players.

Sea of Thieves

Sea of Thieves sees a return for developer Rare. Players will create their own pirate and sail a large open world, looking for treasures and battling against other players to secure their riches. They'll also be able to unlock new cosmetics and embark through multiple events.