Source: NurPhoto / Getty

If you constantly say to yourself it feels like cheating is on another level in Grand Theft Auto V, based on this data you’re not bugging.

Data gathered by Google and obtained by Lost Universe revealed the 12 most popular games that cheaters are having a field day hacking. According to Google, over 1 in 10 (12%) of GTA V’s entire player base have used the popular search engine tool to find cheats and other enhancements in the last 12 months, resulting in astounding 16 million searches.

Based on that data, GTA V is the worst game when it comes to cheating, with the other 11 games not even coming close. Counter-Strike: Global-Offensive (CSGO) is the second with a meager  2.47% of CSGO of players using Google to search for aimbots, wallhacks, and other enhancements over the last year. Popular real-time strategy game, Dota 2 is third with 1.3% of its players searching for cheats edging out Among Us and Call of Duty: Warzone.

Rocket League came in last as one of the most popular games played, with one  0.08% of its players searching Google for cheats to give themselves an unfair advantage against the competition. Lost Universe decided to look up these numbers with the recent releases of Battlefield 2042 and Halo Infinite’s free-to-play multiplayer and the upcoming arrival of a new map in Call of Duty: Warzone.

Lost Universe spoke with Psychologist and personality expert Cynthia Harlow about gamers’ need to cheat.

“Quite simply put, people cheat for their self-esteem. You will find that the majority of those who cheat in things as simple as video games do it to make themselves feel better. It is a means of rubbing their own egos and gaining self-confidence.”

“These are people who will never accept losing and resort to cheating to completely avoid it. When a person with high self-esteem and self-worth loses a game, they simply accept their loss and make it an aim to do better. As for those who get cheated on, it makes them lose the excitement that they get from playing these games because the other party isn’t being fair.”

Cheating in video games is nothing new it has only gotten worse as gaming has become more lucrative. In April, the Chinese government and Tencent joined forces to take down what was described as the “world’s biggest” video game cheating rings. Recently, Call of Duty developer, Activision, announced its new anti-cheat initiative called Ricochet to help curb cheating in the popular first-person shooter franchise.

Still, even with these moves, cheaters continue to find ways to prosper. Lost Universe also spoke with Clinical Counsellor Pareen Sehat MC, RCC, who runs a streaming channel, and he detailed the ongoing battle with online cheaters.

“They put various mods and cheats that assist them in playing; it is unfair to other gamers and disrespectful to people who have worked hard to develop their skills. They steer clear of hard work and commitment in everything, and they do not care about the game or respect the rest of its players. Cheating in a game can have adverse effects on other players, as they may find it unfair and feel frustrated. When hackers outplay them, they may be tempted to use cheat codes as well.”

You hate to see it.

Hopefully, other game studios will follow Activision’s lead. The video game developer is currently banning any cheaters they catch.

You can peep the complete list compiled by Lost Universe below.

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Photo: NurPhoto / Getty

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