do video games read hardware id

Okay, so today I was messing around with my PC and got to thinking, do video games actually read your hardware ID? I mean, I’ve heard of people getting banned from games and stuff, but does that mean the games can see, like, the guts of your computer? It was bugging me, so I decided to dive in and figure it out.

First thing I did was hit up the internet, just to get a general idea, you know? I found some forum posts talking about “HWID bans” and how they supposedly work. Apparently, HWID stands for “hardware ID,” and it’s like a unique fingerprint for your computer’s parts. Some folks were saying that if you cheat in a game, they can ban your HWID, and that means even if you make a new account, you’re still screwed. But then there were others saying it’s not that simple, and that you can change your HWID by swapping out hardware or using some kind of software to fake it.

I wanted to see if I could find my own HWID, just to see what it looks like. Some websites said you could find it using the Device Manager, Command Prompt, or PowerShell. So, I opened up the Device Manager first. After that I found the Sound video and game controllers option and I saw my Realtek High Definition Audio. I right-clicked it and hit up “Properties”. I clicked on “Details”, in the “Property” box and chose the option “Hardware Ids”, there it was! A bunch of letters and numbers that supposedly make my computer unique.

But then I started wondering, can games actually see this stuff? I mean, it’s one thing to find it in the Device Manager, but it’s another for a game to just grab it. Some people online were talking about games using anti-cheat software that can detect your HWID, but I wasn’t sure how true that was.

So, I decided to do a little experiment. I downloaded this random game that I didn’t really care about. I played it for a bit, then I went and changed my HWID using some tool I found online (it seemed legit, I swear!). I restarted my computer, launched the game again, and guess what? Nothing. The game didn’t care. I was still able to play like normal.

My conclusions

• It looks like HWID bans might be a real thing, or might not, some games might be able to read your hardware ID.
• But it’s probably not as easy as just grabbing it from the Device Manager. There’s gotta be more to it than that.
• Changing your HWID might not be as simple as swapping out some RAM, also using some random tool you found online might not be the best idea.

Anyway, that’s my little adventure into the world of HWID and video games. It was fun to dig into, but I definitely didn’t come out with all the answers. Maybe I’ll do some more testing later, but for now, I’m just gonna go back to playing games and not worrying too much about it. After all, I’m not a cheater, so I should be good, right?