Actual Reason for "GAMEPLAY ENHANCEMENT" Ban wave

SadPotatoX​ If you believe the ban was false, you have to appeal it.

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If your appeal was denied, then that does mean that the ban will be upheld.

SadPotatoX wrote:

I think I have figured out the reason for the recent gameplay enhancement bans - It is pretty simple, you were too good at the game or got too good in a short amount of time.

Here is an update explaining the whole thing. So anti cheat detects your behaviour, analises/comb through gameplay patterns and then decides that you cheated and most of us who got the gameplay enhancement ban were affected by the same system. I think they've recently changed these parameters to target XIM and other devices people are using to aim snap but it also means this system has a huge potential for false bans.

As far as I'm aware of, when a player gets a "gameplay advantage" ban, it means they were using scripts, macros, software, and/or hardware to gain an unfair advantage against other players, (so if you were playing legitimately, then you will need to appeal the ban).

Also, (from your own screenshots), if the mouse wasn't allowed, then there would be ban waves across games that uses EAC:

Going back to the part about gameplay advantages, Respawn has been cracking down on hardware devices, including, (but not limited to): 

• Strikepacks
• Chronus Zen
• Xim
  
  

So, if you were/are using any of those to play the game, then ban is permanent and it cannot be appealed.

• ApexLiveComms on X (formerly Twitter): "🔨 BANWAVE / X"
  
  

COMPETITIVE INTEGRITY UPDATE: THIRD-PARTY DEVICE ENFORCEMENT

Recently, we posted ban numbers in alignment with a ban wave that hit accounts using XIM and Titan peripherals. We want our community to feel confident that addressing this issue is a central focus for us. As a result, we will be abundantly clear about our position on third-party hardware devices used to gain an unfair advantage in Apex Legends:

Devices such as Strikepacks, Cronus, XIM, and similar hardware that manipulate input behavior undermine competitive integrity and negatively impact the experience for legitimate players—particularly within console and controller ecosystems. Their use to automate actions, modify recoil, alter input behavior, or simulate unintended control schemes to gain an unfair advantage is cheating. Full stop.

We understand how widespread these devices have become and the frustration they cause within the community. This initiative is one of the highest priorities for the Apex Anti-Cheat team and represents the next major front in our efforts to protect fair play across all platforms. Work is already in progress and has been for a period of time. We'll continue to release updates as we expand our detection capabilities across all platforms to remove these cheaters from the game.

Our teams are actively developing detection improvements that will feature a multi-layered detection system specifically designed to identify the use of input-manipulating hardware with a high degree of confidence. This system is being built to differentiate between legitimate accessibility tools and hardware used to cheat.

On detection, enforcement will be immediate. Accounts confirmed to be using these devices to cheat will receive permanent bans after being removed from matches. We will not entertain appeals for leniency on accounts confirmed cheating.

We are committed to preserving competitive integrity in Apex Legends. If you choose to use hardware to gain an unfair advantage, you are choosing to lose your account permanently. 

• Apex Legends™: Anti-Cheat Update | March 4, 2026
  
  

I personally hope that players who were falsely banned are able to return back to the game while the cheaters are kept banned.

Hey!

I would like to clarify the point related to the example that was mentioned in the anti-cheat update regarding the player who reported being banned shortly after switching to a new mouse.

In that situation, the player initially reported that their appeals were repeatedly denied, and the account remained banned. Only after the case received wider public attention was it reviewed again by the anti-cheat team, at which point it was acknowledged that the ban was triggered by behaviour-based detection parameters that were later adjusted.

The reason I mentioned this example is because it suggests two things:

1. Behaviour-based detection systems rely on heuristics and thresholds that may change over time.
2. An appeal being denied does not necessarily mean that the detection system itself cannot be adjusted later if new information or patterns are discovered

In my own case, I experienced a similar timeline of events:

Timeline

Jan 16 – I switched from a Logitech MX Master 3S (productivity mouse) to a Razer DeathAdder V2 gaming mouse. (Huge difference in performance)

Wildcard event period – I played significantly more than usual (I left my job Jan 15) and practiced frequently in Mixtape modes and the firing range while focusing on a smaller set of weapons (Alternator + Flatline or R301 combo)

Feb 20 – My account received a permanent ban with the reason listed as “Competitive Advantage.”

Historically I have played Apex more casually and less consistently. During the Wildcard event my playtime increased and my gameplay patterns likely changed compared to my earlier matches.

Since the anti-cheat team explained that bans can result from behaviour detection signals accumulating over time, I was wondering whether a situation like this where hardware, playtime, and gameplay patterns change within a relatively short period could potentially affect how the system evaluates behaviour compared to historical data.

I fully understand that the team is actively targeting devices such as Cronus, XIM, Strikepack, and similar input-manipulating hardware, and I support efforts to protect competitive integrity.

and no I didn’t use any of the devices anti cheat team is trying to get rid of. For me apex is dive die repeat mostly and I sort of enjoy it.

I appreciate the work the team is doing and hope that accounts that were incorrectly flagged are able to be reviewed. For now I have appealed 9 times and all were rejected. No matter how I explained my case it was always the same response which is true for alot of the people on the forum.

Hello,

I support the effort to remove cheating and third-party devices from Apex Legends. Competitive integrity is important for the health of the game.

However, large numbers of permanent bans may also have unintended consequences. Many players who use these devices have already invested money into cosmetics. When permanently banned, two things often happen:

1. Players quit the game entirely, meaning lost long-term revenue.
2. Players create new smurf accounts and continue cheating without spending money, which hurts lower-rank lobbies and new player retention.

One possible alternative could be a graduated punishment system:

First offense

• Remove ranked badges and ranked rewards obtained while cheating.
• Issue a formal warning.

If the account must be banned, allow a one-time transfer of purchased cosmetics to a new account, but remove all ranked achievements.

Second offense

• Full permanent ban with no transfer option.

This approach could still punish cheating while reducing smurf accounts, preserving player spending, and improving overall player retention.

Thank you for your continued work on the game.

SadPotatoX​ To my understanding, if an account was falsely banned due to the new detections, the account would had already been unbanned, (however I'm not sure if EA/Reapawn had gotten around to unbanning every account that was falsely detected).

As for the parameters and thresholds, that I don't know anything about, but I'd imagine its something that is constantly being improved.

bmwv10​ Respawn had said that any account confirmed to be cheating will not have their appeals approved.

In other words, if a player cheats, they are choosing to permanently losing their account with no exceptions.

​I would disagree with youbmwv10​  here. And my effort to highlight this issue does not include these people. If they used external devices and they got banned I 100% support team’s decision to ban them permanently. 

Using any sort of cheats or hacks that gives you an unfair advantage is unfair to the people who put thier precious hours into the game. I think this permanent Ban is a good thing for Apex. I would like this game to be around 10 more years and this is a move in the right direction. 

What I am asking is fair appeals for account that didn’t cheat. I for one did not use any scripts, hardware or anything mentioned in the positive play charter but I am still banned. If anti cheat solely detected cheating on behaviour then these accounts need a proper review. Alot can change in our lives as humans and casual players don’t have the consistency of a streamer. Sometimes I play 1 hour and sometimes I sink a whole day into it.

I think my account was flagged cause I suddenly started playing more and did much better than in my previous matches. I was simply putting more hours into the game and with a better mouse. And since I left my job, I had more time as well (I have a remote job now)