Are pirated games making a comeback?

Why do game developers still rely on Denuvo encryption despite vulnerabilities?

It’s quite a tough situation—“Resident Evil: Requiem,” which uses the industry’s most mainstream anti-tampering technology, Denuvo, was cracked just one hour after release.

One hour, friends. Some players might not have even finished downloading the game before pirated versions were already flooding the internet. The world really is a giant makeshift stage.

This isn’t the first time I’ve discussed Denuvo with everyone. Last year, when the Queen’s Gambit group reemerged and boasted about cracking “GTA 6,” we briefly introduced it then.

Back then, Denuvo was already widely hated, and now it seems even worse—like it’s on the brink of death.

Before we go further, let me explain what Denuvo is.

As mentioned earlier, Denuvo is an anti-tampering technology, officially called Denuvo Anti-Tamper. Its main purpose is to prevent unauthorized copying, modification, or cracking of games. This technology originates from Austria-based Denuvo Software Solutions, which was later acquired by Irdeto.

Denuvo is considered the industry leader, collaborating with major companies like Capcom, Sony, and Ubisoft. Recent blockbuster games using Denuvo include “Black Myth: Wukong,” “Assassin’s Creed: Mirage,” “Civilization 7,” “Yakuza 8,” and “Persona 3 Reload.”

Its technical principles can be simplified into five parts: anti-tampering to prevent hacking and reverse engineering, encrypted executable files that block pirates from accessing the game, code obfuscation to confuse hackers, continuous validation during startup and gameplay, and hardware binding to match user hardware configurations.

From this description, you can see that Denuvo puts a lot of effort into anti-piracy measures. It targets key points that hackers tend to focus on.

If all goes well, it acts as a gatekeeper for legitimate games, a savior for developers, tasked with fighting against hackers.

However, as expected, it has been cracked repeatedly since its inception.

From China’s 3DM to the Queen’s Gambit group abroad, hackers of different countries and scales treat Denuvo almost like their pet dog—play with it however they want.

And that’s not all. Some players have also noticed that Denuvo seems to impact legitimate game performance, increasing CPU and system resource usage, leading to longer load times and frame drops—basically, punishing legitimate players.

Although Irdeto claims that Denuvo does not affect performance, real-world tests by players show otherwise. Who’s right?

I reached out to Zhang Tao, CEO of Titanium Network, the developer of “Shadow Torch” and “Animal Punk,” who told me that whether Denuvo affects game performance depends on the developer’s technical implementation.

If all the core code is encrypted blindly, there will be an impact. If only critical parts are encrypted, the load will be lighter.

But for players, who cares about technical details? As consumers, poor experience means complaints.

Nine years ago, players already complained that Austria brought us Hitler—now, they’re using Denuvo to mess with us again.

Perhaps it’s just fate that seems to enjoy tormenting the unfortunate. Last year, at the end of the year and early this year, someone suddenly revealed the latest Denuvo vulnerability—one that could be fatal.

The cracked “Resident Evil: Requiem” was due to this vulnerability.

Before you read further, I must strongly advise against playing pirated copies or exploiting this vulnerability—it’s arguably the biggest computer security risk game hackers have encountered. It can threaten not only Irdeto and game developers but also your own life.

This vulnerability is fundamentally different from previous cracks.

Earlier, cracking Denuvo required specialized skills and high technical barriers. But this new flaw allows anyone with basic computer skills to access a trial version within three minutes.

No exaggeration—on domestic platforms, tutorials teaching how to bypass Denuvo are already under two and a half minutes long.

Compared to traditional cracking methods, this new vulnerability doesn’t directly attack Denuvo by modifying files. Instead, it creates a virtual environment that tricks Denuvo into thinking everything is normal.

It’s easy to see that this flaw can potentially bypass Denuvo-protected games across the board. Some titles previously uncrackable can now be played using this unscrupulous method.

You might think, “Isn’t the game industry doomed? No one can make money anymore, might as well wait for the end.”

But it’s not that simple. Virtual machine techniques are versatile but come with major drawbacks.

First, the technology still has a learning curve.

It’s like advanced calculus—if you can’t learn it, you just can’t. Comments on tutorial videos are full of people using brute-force methods like screen recording with their phones, asking how to fix system errors.

So, ordinary users should avoid this. If you mess up any settings, your computer might not boot, and only a repair technician will profit from fixing it.

The second, and most critical, problem with virtual machine methods is that they require disabling system protections and permanently turning off Secure Boot.

This means that when you run a virtual machine for a cracked game, your PC is essentially exposed online. Downloading malicious files could leak your privacy, or worse, steal your accounts and passwords.

Even on resource-sharing sites, many warn repeatedly that this method is dangerous.

Some might wonder—since virtual machine exploits have existed for months, why do game developers still use Denuvo if Irdeto hasn’t fixed the virtual machine loophole?

The answer is simple. First, many game companies had already partnered with Irdeto before this vulnerability was discovered, and their codebases are intertwined—changing that isn’t easy.

Second, from the developers’ perspective, they can’t be sure how much piracy the Denuvo vulnerability causes. But they do know that abandoning Denuvo altogether would likely lead to even more piracy, which would be disastrous.

Remember, 50% of game activations happen within four days of release, and 80% within two weeks. If they break with Irdeto and piracy explodes, the consequences are severe.

So, taking a gamble is the best option for publishers.

Most importantly, despite all the criticism, Denuvo might still be the best among its peers.

People say, “Resident Evil: Requiem was cracked in an hour, Denuvo might be dead,” but they don’t mention that hackers have also cracked Steam DRM, Capcom Anti Tamper, VMProtect, and SteamStub.

Denuvo can also be blamed on virtual machine vulnerabilities, but other companies providing anti-tampering tech—like V社, Capcom, and third-party firms—haven’t faced such issues.

If Denuvo is still being cracked, it just shows that hackers are still too weak.

Don’t think Denuvo is invincible; many low-priced game developers might want to use it but can’t afford it.

It’s expensive—Zhang Tao says each product costs over a dollar. Plus, the licensing isn’t a one-time fee; it depends on usage time, and after expiration, you must renew or stop using it.

Some public info suggests that Denuvo’s fees may also vary based on sales volume or platform distribution.

Irdeto’s pricing is high, but their service is thorough, which is why they dominate the market.

Besides PC and mobile anti-crack solutions, Irdeto also offers anti-cheat and anti-piracy services. Anti-cheat is straightforward, but anti-piracy is less known.

In simple terms, Irdeto employs dedicated intelligence analysts who track and analyze information. They conduct undercover investigations on hacker forums, chat rooms, and even the dark web—similar to the FBI.

They use open-source intelligence tools to gather info, uncover profit chains, and coordinate law enforcement actions—truly capable of putting hackers behind bars.

Game developers can just relax, drink coffee, and let Irdeto handle evidence collection, takedown notices, law enforcement coordination, and expert testimony.

But sometimes, Irdeto’s actions are confusing.

Like the virtual machine loophole—months have passed, and it’s still not fully fixed.

Recently, a foreign media outlet claimed Denuvo would get a major update. When I checked, it was just industry insiders discussing how Denuvo might respond to virtual machine vulnerabilities—no official statement from Irdeto.

People are angry at Denuvo, blaming any game that uses it. But tearing down Denuvo and smashing it to bits won’t solve the core issue.

Piracy isn’t just about hackers; it’s about countless people wanting to play pirated games.

Breaking into a mountain of enemies is easy; breaking into the heart of the problem is hard.

Solving piracy is an endless tug-of-war. Perhaps the most effective strategy is to improve players’ experience with legitimate games, making them prefer to buy rather than pirate.