How Does the VACNet Labeling Portal Work in CS2? Valve’s New Anti-Cheat Measures Explained

Through an update on August 10, 2026, Valve silently launched the VACNet Labeling Portal in Counter-Strike 2. Somewhat reminiscent of Overwatch from back in the CS:GO days, this brand-new system enables players to review clips of suspected cheaters and help improve the anti-cheat in CS2. https://twitter.com/Ozzny_CS2/status/2086936882751893985?s=20 The VACNet Labeling Portal is Valve's next step in the ongoing battle against cheaters, and potentially an effective way for the devs to curb the ever-growing cheating problem in CS2 without resorting to kernel-level anti-cheat. But how exactly does the VACNet Labeling Portal work in CS2, and how do you get access to it? In this article, we’ll go through everything you need to know about Valve’s latest anti-cheat measure, and what it means for the CS2 community. How to Get Access to VACNet Labeling Portal Only players who are directly invited by Valve are able to access the VACNet Labeling Portal. Currently, only a select number of players have been invited to try out the VACNet Labeling Portal. Upon receiving an invitation, you’ll be able to see a VACNet icon towards the top-left corner of your main menu upon launching CS2. To opt into the VACNet Labeling Portal, click on the icon and follow the steps. If you haven’t received your invite to the portal yet, there’s not much you can do other than wait for Valve to extend more invites to players. Some reports indicate that players who are invited to the portal will be able to invite other players to try out the system. How Does the CS2 VACNet Labeling Portal Work? As mentioned earlier, the newly introduced VACNet Labeling Portal in CS2 lets players review clips of suspected cheaters and flag them for cheats like Aim Assist, WallHack, AutoBhop & Farming Bot. Reviewers are shown a three-minute clip of the suspected cheater and asked to submit their verdict after watching it. https://twitter.com/aquaismissing/status/2086974207657660473?s=20 Players who get invited to the portal can get started with reviewing clips by visiting the official CS2 VACNet page. Unlike the Overwatch system in CS:GO, the verdict that players submit via the VACNet Labeling portal will not be used to directly ban the suspected player, but it will be used to train future VACNet models to ban cheaters more accurately and effectively. Valve has also urged players not to record, stream, or share videos of the clips that they receive in their reviews to prevent cheat devs from finding ways to circumvent VACNet.