Adam “friberg” Friberg — a legend of the Swedish CS scene and a Major champion with Ninjas in Pyjamas — has publicly slammed Valve over the state of anti-cheat in CS2, calling the game “unplayable.” His tweet triggered a wave of outrage from pro players, streamers, everyday users, and even independent developers trying to offer their own solutions.
Friberg vs Valve: A public showdown
It all started with a tweet from Friberg, who posted a screenshot showing a Competitive Cooldown — a ban for kicking too many teammates in Premier mode. The reason? He made it crystal clear:
Yes but how is this my fault @CounterStrike when we have 4-5 cheaters in EVERY premier game? Fix the anti-cheat PLS ITS UNPLAYABLE 🙁 pic.twitter.com/PBDGS7UZt8
— Adam Friberg (@fribergCS) July 23, 2025
Friberg accused the trust system of unfairly punishing players who try to deal with cheaters themselves, while the game’s anti-cheat fails to do its job. According to him, nearly every Premier match in CS2 is infested with four to five suspicious accounts. His tweet quickly surpassed 170,000 views and sparked an avalanche of reactions.
High ELO turns into a toxic wasteland
One of the first to respond was streamer ren (@renyanFPS), who emphasized this has been a problem since CS2’s release:
High ELO is unplayable right now. ‘Everyone’ I know is looking to derank to not play against Leetify Aim 100 demons.
Many top-ranked players are intentionally dropping their ranks or avoiding Premier altogether, simply to escape the constant plague of cheaters. The cruel irony: the higher the level, the worse the experience — a supposed elite environment devolving into chaos ruled by bots and aimbot demons.
Bans, trust chaos, and technical absurdity
The replies to Friberg’s post became a catalog of frustration:
- @Turion76 claimed he was VAC banned after his PC was hacked and his drives encrypted.
- @JAKE and @earnlabcom reported losing over 1,000 ELO due to rampant cheating.
- @tweeday summed it up in two words: “Peak irony.”
- @_bu3alwa stated bitterly: “They know. They just don’t care.”
One of the most painful aspects? Cheaters are allowed to rejoin games instantly after being kicked — while those who vote to remove them are punished. As @DylFallout pointed out:
The best part is the people that got kicked received 0 cooldown to play after getting kicked multiple times.
Indie devs step in as Valve stays silent
While Valve remained silent, independent developers joined the conversation. ThatPattyGuy revealed he was working on his own AI-based anti-cheat that analyzes suspicious behavior:
Will be adding a public-facing aspect for trends over time, sus factoring, and WAY more soon 🙂
Meanwhile, the Cyberlete project urged players to help test their alternative system:
We’re taking a more proactive approach with our AI-powered anti-cheat solution that analyzes player behavior in real-time.
These initiatives reflect a deepening sense of despair — the community is no longer waiting for Valve to act. They’re trying to fix the game themselves.
Valve remains silent — but for how long?
Despite Friberg being not just a professional player but a historic figure in CS:GO — part of the legendary 87-0 NiP roster — Valve has yet to issue any public statement. No tweet from @CounterStrike, no blog post, no patch note.
That silence may prove dangerous. This isn’t an isolated complaint — it’s a full-blown systemic crisis where:
- Trust in the anti-cheat system is nearing zero;
- The report system has little to no visible effect;
- Cooldowns punish victims instead of rulebreakers;
- The Premier mode’s reputation is collapsing.
Conclusion: Cracks in the foundation
Friberg’s post isn’t just a complaint — it’s a wake-up call from a veteran who’s witnessed CS evolve over a decade, and who now sees a new generation confronting the same — or even worse — problems than the VAC era of CS:GO.
The big question: Will Valve listen?
Because if even a Major champion is forced to deal with five cheaters per game — and gets banned for fighting back — what hope is there for regular players? Counter-Strike is more than a game. It’s a cultural institution that’s endured for over 20 years. But even the strongest culture can’t survive indifference.
