Today, it’s 2022, and cracked games and piracy continue to be a problem on the Internet. Regardless of what others think, you are convinced that online piracy is a problem that will never go away. Cracked video games are a serious problem nevertheless. But a lot of people are waiting for an accurate answer about whether downloading cracked games is a good option? Here we will deeply analyse that.
Is it Safe to Download Cracked Games?
A simple and straightforward answer to whether you should download cracked or modded games is NO! YOU SHOULD NEVER DOWNLOAD THEM.
There are some undeniable security risks associated with downloading cracked games even if you have no moral objections.
Unfortunately, new and exciting video games are released on a regular basis, but they are expensive. Consequently, some gamers resort to piracy because they can’t afford to buy every new game out there.
However, piracy isn’t safe even when it comes to older games either. Even if you ignore ethical considerations, it’s risky to play pirated or cracked games. We will look into this in detail in this guide.
The Age of Piracy
It’s surprising that piracy has risen even as the cost of Internet streaming services and software has come down for the average consumer. Cable TV subscriptions fell to 67% in the US in 2019, compared to Netflix’s estimated 76% of US subscribers in 2019, which overtook them.
Torrenting websites, on the other hand, have seen a significant rise in traffic. In spite of the fact that there are numerous other uses for torrenting, the fact remains that torrenting sites are the preferred method for people to illegally share content.
Cracked games, also known as piracy, have a negative impact on the video game industry. Truth be told, the subject of piracy is a thorny one. You may have heard that gamers who don’t want to pay for the products and services they use are only a small part of the problem with piracy, but this isn’t the case.
Piracy, on the other hand, is used in a variety of ways depending on the situation. To see if they want to spend their hard-earned money on a game, players will sometimes pirate it. Preorder bonuses like betas and demos are making it more difficult to determine whether or not a game is worth your time and money.
As a result, if they enjoy the gameplay, some players will pirate a game and then buy it. Pirating a game, on the other hand, exposes players and their devices to online risks, which could prove harmful in the future.
5 Real Security Dangers of Downloading Cracked Games
Cracked online games are a serious problem. No matter how unconcerned you are about the security implications of downloading cracked games, you should be aware of these five obvious dangers as soon as possible.
Essentially, if you’re not paying for something, you are the product. Cracked games are the same way. As a result, when you don’t pay for games, you forfeit a lot of your online privacy and security.
There’s no such thing as legal piracy anymore. There are too many dangers associated with downloading and playing cracked games, aside from the ethical considerations. However, if you have made up your mind to download your favorite game as a cracked version, here are some reasons to avoid it:
1. Cracked Games Could Infect Your PC With Malware
Piracy of any kind of software is inherently dangerous, as we all know. The file you’re downloading is likely to be exactly what the distributor says it is if you get it from a reputable source. If a legitimate game store distributed malware, it would face serious consequences.
However, you lose that trust when using public torrents. When uploading a file, how can you be sure that no one else has altered it?
One of Kaspersky’s stories about a player who got ransomware while trying to download a cracked game should serve as an example of what can happen. Even if you have a backup of your files, is it really worth $60 (or less) to spend hours restoring your system?
When the first Watch Dogs game was released, many people who downloaded it illegally were infected with malware that mined Bitcoin, according to The Register. This was a way for the malware creator to make money by wasting their system’s resources.
Every cracked game download is not going to be infected with malware. When a new game is released, hackers have a wide-open field of opportunity to prank their victims and make money. If you’re impatient, you might make a costly mistake by jumping on the first crack of a new game.
2. You Could Lose Online Gaming Privileges
Playing pirated games on consoles, such as Xbox One or PlayStation 4, can result in a ban. Xbox Live users who hacked their consoles and played pirated games were banned by Microsoft in 2009, according to CNET.
If you are caught pirating a game, you could face a range of punishments, including account restrictions and even permanent suspension. Once your Xbox Live Gold subscription is canceled, you’ll lose access to all of the digital games you own.
Above all, trying to save a few bucks by pirating games costs a lot of money.
Xbox Live Community Standards Page states the following:
Accessing or using content in inappropriate ways can contribute to fraud and spoil great experiences for other players, sapping the magic of Xbox Live . . . .
Don’t:
- Play a pirated game
- Play a game before its release date
- Share your profile with another person
- Try to access accounts you don’t own
- Use someone’s intellectual property in a way that’s not permitted
3. It is Illegal to Pirate Video Games
In the United States, piracy of video games is a federal crime, just like illegally downloading music or movies. Penalties may include anything from restitution to jail time for the infringer.
Of course, there are many people who illegally download software and video games, and the FBI can’t catch them all. If you download an illegal copy of Battlefield, you probably won’t spend half a decade in prison.
Despite this, you’re still doing something wrong, so it is better not to do. And since your Internet service provider and the government keep track of everything you do online, proving that you’ve committed piracy isn’t too difficult.
4. The Game Might Not Even Work
When it comes to fighting cracked game players, many developers don’t wait for the government to intervene. Digital rights management (DRM) systems are sometimes employed to prevent the use of illegal copies at all.
Others, on the other hand, use in-game copyright measures to greater effect. Furthermore, you will encounter a lot of lags and stutters when playing any cracked video game.
The SNES RPG EarthBound, released in 1994, is one of the most well-known examples of copyright protection. As soon as the game detects that you’re using an illegal copy, it displays anti-piracy messages and greatly increases the number of enemies in the game.
This was a dreadful experience to play through, but the climax of the game is the most gruesome. As soon as you’re ready to take on the final boss, the game freezes and deletes all of your save files.
There have been new ways to annoy cracked game players in recent years. In the original Crysis, your bullets are replaced by chickens, preventing you from defeating your enemies.
During the introduction of Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman’s glide move drops him to the ground, making it impossible to progress. After a few hours of play, the Talos Principle locks the pirated game players in an elevator.
A simulation game, Game Dev Tycoon, was released in 2013 and allows you to create and market new video game concepts. Piracy was targeted by the developers, who released a cracked version on illegal download sites as part of their strategy to shut down piracy.
You can’t make a profit if you use the cracked version of the game because pirates keep stealing your game without paying. However, pirates, as explained on the Greenheart Games blog, turned up on message boards to express their displeasure with the game’s piracy, thereby incriminating themselves.
If you look at the above and other examples, it’s clearly evident that you may not even get a usable video game after pirating it! Because of this, you’re harming independent developers who rely on sales from games to make a living—especially small teams.
5. You Might Get More Than You Bargained For
However, this is still a problem and needs to be addressed. Entering the world of game piracy puts you at risk of encountering objectionable material. In addition to malicious software, searching for a cracked copy of a game on pirate sites may expose you to pornographic or otherwise NSFW material. But if you want to know about some NSFW SIMS 4 mods, we have covered them.
Inadvertently clicking on the wrong download button can result in explicit popups or the installation of a malicious program. Who is to say that the “game” you’re pirating is even the correct video game in the first place?
In any case, you already know that a person who illegally distributes a video game has a questionable moral compass. Someone like that could easily replace your game with disgusting videos or something else of the sort.
When you enter the wild west of illegally accessing games, you open yourself up to anything and everything in those sections of the Internet. Keep an open mind, and don’t be surprised if your game has more than you bargained for.
How Can You Stay Safe?
If you are not sure about how you can stay safe from online cracked games and software, here are some tips you should keep in mind:
1. Do Not Use Pirated/Cracked/Modded software
It’s a cinch. Don’t download pirated files via Torrent, or any other peer-to-peer file sharing protocols. You can buy original games and software at the official store. If you don’t have enough money right now, you can always wait for the annual sales to come around again. Discounts are always available at online video game stores like Steam and Epic.
2. Avoid Unknown Pirate Sites
Torrenting websites appear from time to time. A well-known torrent site employs a team of moderators to keep an eye on the files that are uploaded to their service. Because they have been around for a long time, the chances of getting a virus from their platform are lower than they would be on a newer site.
3. Install An Antivirus and Never Disable it
You can’t cry and say, “My device got infected,” if you don’t have a reputable antivirus software protecting it. If you don’t take any precautions, you’re leaving yourself open to bad actors. Although Windows Defender is enough for day-to-day tasks, but if you are really in a need to download cracked games or software, make sure to invest in a reputed antivirus.
Well, that’s all we have here about whether it is safe to download and play cracked games on your PC. We hope this guide helped you. If you liked this, make sure to check out how you can fix Steam content file locked error.
