Windows 10 now has an anti-cheat system for gaming called TruePlay

We recently took a look at six things we like (and five we don't) about the recently-released Windows 10 Fall Creators Update. But there's one particular aspect of it that we didn't get into, because Microsoft, for some reason, hasn't made much noise about it: It's a new anti-cheat system called TruePlay.

"A game enrolled in TruePlay will run in a protected process, which mitigates a class of common attacks," Microsoft explained. "Additionally, a Windows service will monitor gaming sessions for behaviors and manipulations that are common in cheating scenarios. These data will be collected, and alerts will be generated only when cheating behavior appears to be occurring."

Phrases like "monitor gaming sessions" and "data will be collected" might flip your Privacy Alarm switch (and rightfully so), but Microsoft says data will only be shared with developers after it has been determined that "cheating is likely to have occurred." In case that's not sufficiently reassuring, players will also have the option of opting out of the monitoring completely—and because TruePlay is not a "block on launch" system, as Microsoft put it, developers will have the ability to protect only the parts of their game that actually need it. So even if you opt out, you should still be able to play your game.

Functionally, in a very general sense, TruePlaysounds similar to Valve Anti-Cheat, but it only works with Universal Windows Platform (UWP) games. That fits with Microsoft's desire to carve out a place for itself in the world of PC gaming, but it also puts a pretty tight leash on its utility. It never hurts to have more tools at your disposal, but it'll likely be awhile before this one sees much use.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.