An aimbot is a game cheat that is used to automatically aim and sometimes automatically shoot in shooter games. Aimbots are special, because they are one of the few cheats that is both a game bot and a game hack. In this article I will answer the most common questions about aimbots, how they work, how to get them, how to spot and report them and so on.
What is an Aimbot?
‘Aimbot’ is the term used to describe any cheating software or game hack that allows a user to automatically aim and in some cases auto shoot in shooter games. – Because of its extreme efficiency at racking up tons of kills in online multiplayer shooters, where it is most commonly used, it is one of the most controversial game hacking methods out there. However, it is also one of the few cheating methods that are easiest to detect and Ban in existence.
The aimbot is both a game hack and a bot, requiring reading game memory to detect target positions and automated actions (bot) to automatically lock onto targets, track them and shoot them to get kills. AI aimbots are an exception, as they use visual recognition to detect targets and they do not need to interact with the game process beside generating user inputs, making them pure bots.
How do Aimbots work?
A real full-fledged aimbot is an extremely advanced cheating program that uses both game hacking techniques and automation or ‘bot’ software in order to find enemies/targets by reading the game memory and finding certain objects in the game world, then locks a player’s aim onto the target using user input, finally shooting the target. – It is in essence a combination of a Wallhack / ESP and a game bot all combined in one.
While the aiming automation is pretty straight forward, the way an aimbot finds targets to shoot is not as simple: Since a part of any online game, namely the game world around you, has to be processed on your gaming device in order to display the game to you, this graphic memory can be scanned for certain objects, even if they are hidden behind walls, which allows the aimbot to acquire targets outside of the field of view and shoot them the frame they become hittable/visible. This will stay possible until games start processing graphics server-side, which would be extremely expensive and would come with lots of lag / latency. In fact the latency issue is a fatal one in this regard as latency is absolutely vital in competitive shooters and the speed of light cannot be surpassed. So aimbots are here to stay.
What Features do Aimbots include?
There are a lot of features that some aimbots will include. The amount of features, especially masking features will usually be a good indicator of the quality of a product. Here are some of the commonly included features, all of them are usually togglable and configurable:
- Aimbot itself (auto aiming funcationaliy)
- Triggerbot (auto shooting on or off, allowing you to just lock onto targets and shooting yourself if needed.)
- Silent Aim (masks the aiming movement, gun fires in the ‘wrong direction’ but still hits, you don’t need to aim, but will hit the target)
- Limiters for aiming angle, aiming speed, delay before shooting, aiming smoothness ect (this is to mask the aimbot use and make it less easily detectable by people watching you, make the aiming process seem more natural, human and insuspicious)
- Only headshot, body shot, any shot, limb shot ect. For aiming at only certain body parts.
- Firing / aiming through walls.
- Predictive aiming considering projectile speed, target speed and direction, bullet drop ect.(This of course only works if the target does not change direction or velocity.)
- Configurable buttons / keys for aiming and aim + trigger function
- In game mod menu for configuring the aimbot, activating and deactivating individual options and limiters.
How do you get an aimbot?
Finding working game cheating software downloads can be extremely difficult at times, as there are many shady websites out there that do not at all care about their customers. Especially when looking for free aim bot downloads, as they are by far the most rare kind, people new to game cheating will struggle. - This is why HackerBot exists: We made a tool that scans all the legitimate and trusted websites on the web for the specific download you are looking for. The tool can be found here. HackerBot Advanced. This advanced version of HackerBot will allow you to search for specific game cheats, such as aim bots wallhacks, cheat tables and similar software. However, be aware that working and especially free aimbot downloads do not exist for every shooter game out there. This software is exceedingly difficult to develop and most serious developers will not create such complex software for free.
Is it illegal to use an Aimbot?
No, in most countries and jurisdictions the use of aimbots is legal. The only exception are countries that have actual laws against cheating in video games, such as South Korea. Learn more about the legal side of game cheating. However, using game cheats is often against the terms of service of most online games and therefore can easily get you banned from playing a game forever. For this reason I personally do not use any cheating software, unless I know it is 100% undetected, I tested it on another account first and I use it in a subtle way in order to avoid getting reported, avoid annoying people and treat other players with respect. I recommend this to anyone interested in using any kind of auto aim tool.
How to tell if someone is using an Aimbot
Here is a list of dead giveaways and clear signs that a player in any FPS or shooter is using an aimbot that can be observed from the outside or in killcams:
- Crosshair snaps or ‘aimlock’ to target instantly. (Dead giveaway.) This is called an aim lock.
- Unnatural aiming movements: too direct, too straight, too stable, snappy, never overshooting target, insane recoil control)
- Only headshots. (Dead giveaway.)
- Instantly shoots as soon as an enemy is visible. (Because the aimbot snaps on instantly and the triggerbot shoots.)
- Weird gun movement as if snapping from target to target. (Because they are.)
- Average player suddenly develops god-like pro player aiming skills within a day. (Because they bought an aimbot.)
- Instantly shoots after crosshair reaches target. (Triggerbot with no delay.)
- Crosshairs are locked onto target and are following a point on target perfectly and instantly. (Aimbot is locked on and trigger is not pulled.)
- Any of the features of wallhacks, because they usually go hand in hand. Almost always in fact.
- Any of the aimbot features can be observed to differing degrees depending on the presence and configuration of anti-detection features such as aim slow, human-like movements, shooting delay ect.
Do people get banned for Aimbotting?
As with all cheats there will always be individuals that use them to farm faster and use them respectfully and there are also always those that abuse them to try and dominate other players. While a good aimbot user can barely be told apart from a good player, a toxic game hacker using aimbots is going to be very obvious and usually will get reported and banned quite quickly. So while aimbots and headshot hacks are infamous because of the people abusing them, these people will usually lose their accounts to bans extremely quickly, losing all their progress, and having to buy the game again, costing them a lot of money.
So overall, the fact that aimbots are extremely powerful is perfectly balanced out by the fact that abuse is easily detected and offenders banned from the game quickly. Modern server-side statistics analysis anti-cheat software is even able to automatically banning aimbots by simply analyzing their play statistics.
Does an Aimbot cost money?
Yes, generally any actual aimbot software will require payment to download. While there are free aimbots, they do not come with the support and upkeep required to keep the software working, undetected and safe at all times. Paying for premium software is generally worth it, as the risk of detection, automated bans and Malware is significantly lower. Especially if you download from legitimate sources, such as those you can find on HackerBot.
Are there any Free Aimbots?
As already mentioned, aimbots and auto aim cheats are some of the most complex game hacks in existence and at the same time one of the most abused, which is why it is extremely unlikely to find legitimate free aimbots anywhere online. Not only does it not make much sense to put in all the work to develop a free aimbot, due to the popularity and power of the software, a free version would get banned pretty much immediately on release, forcing the developer to update the software to make it undetected once more. So while it is theoretically possible to find free downloads for aimbots, it is extremely unlikely and usually atuo aim and aim bot software will be a premium download or included in the premium version of a Mod, hack or other game cheating tool.
What Gaming Platforms are they popular on?
In my experience, these are the platforms that auto aiming cheats are most often used on:
- Windows PC: Most automated aiming software is developed for Windows PC games and while the software is not exclusive on PC, this is where 90% of the aim ware is found.
- Android Mobile: Android is another developer friendly OS that allows users to relatively easily run unsigned code and apps that are not permitted on the official store, making it the OS with the second most aimbot users.
- iOS Mobile: On iOS it is quite difficult to install and properly run modified apps and join online games using modified apps, making it quite difficult to use any kind of custom code.
- Consoles: Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo consoles are making it nearly impossible to run any kind of custom apps or unsigned code right out of the box, making it nearly impossible to run automated aiming software on the latest generation of game consoles.
How do I set up an Aimbot?
In short it depends on your OS: In my personal experience using automated aiming software is easiest on PC, as all you have to do is run or install the .EXE file downloaded. However, be careful and only download from trusted providers to avoid malware! The same goes for AI auto aiming tools.
On Android and iOS mobile aimbots usually come as features in APK mods, iOS mods and mod menus. These are often pretty hard to install, as they require a device with admin access enabled. I personally recommend using an Emulator instead of tooling around with your mobile device, which can be risky.
As for consoles: It is almost impossible to set up automated aim on any Xbox, PlayStation or Nintendo consoles, as you need a modified console that is able to run unsigned code and a software that enables aiming features in a specific game. Overall, it is far easier to just buy a Windows PC or Android device.
Other Names: Headshot Hacks, Headshot Mods ect
Automated aiming software is known by many names: Aimbot, auto aim, aim assist, aim hacks, aim lock, trigger bots, headshot hacks, aim mod ect. Especially the term ‘headshot hack’ has become more popular among people that are unaware of aimbots, since the most obvious instance of the abuse of this kind of software is players simply setting their tool to ‘headshot only’ and dominating matches by getting headshot kills through walls, across the map and just generally being extremely toxic and showing no respect, often resulting is the toxic game cheater getting banned from playing the game, as they of course should. However, not all aim assist tools will go for headshots, in fact any tool worth its salt will offer options to hide ones suspicious activity and allow one not to go for any headshots at all to stay unreported and undetected and not get banned as quickly.
Review of my personal Experience of using Aimbots
Having used aimbots in many shooters, FPS games and 3rd person shooters I can say that using an aimbot can be an accelerating experience at first if you are not used to performing well in shooter and are used to be bottom of the scoreboard. However, as awesome as it might be to survive longer, get lots or kills and experience and survive longer, the clear downside is that using automated aiming software will ruin any sense of achievement and fun you get from playing a shooter. Yes, I get a lot of kills, but I did not actually earn them in any way. The sense of achievement and progress you get when playing shooters, especially online multiplayer shooters is entirely lost. Also you have to constantly be afraid of getting your account banned and reported for cheating, which is not enjoyable at all. It is much more rewarding and enjoyable to me personally to improve my skills, my knowledge of the maps and strategies instead of using aim hacks. So overall, if unlocking things is your goal this strategy will get you there, but if you want to enjoy the game you are playing and make friends, then this is not the way to go. It would be much easier for me to recommend using wallhacks only instead of aiming tools for retaining some sense of skill in your gameplay.
The Morality of using Aimbots
Aim bots are without question one of the most morally questionable cheats out there: If abused they have the potential to make games extremely ‘un-fun’ for all parties involved. – However, this aspect is balanced out by how easily aimbots are detected and banned from any multiplayer online shooter and very often people abusing this kind of software to not only augment their lack of skill, but to dominate entire matches will not only be instantly reported by the enemy team but their own team as well, resulting is extremely quick and permanent bans. – In the end how morally gray the use of auto aim cheats is solely depends on how a player choses to use them. If used correctly no one will be able to tell the difference between a skilled player and an aim cheater, if used with adequate respect for other players and the game, they may even get outperformed by skilled players. Overall, if a game offers a decent report system, a good killcam and is not afraid of banning players, there really should not be any impact on the user experience from the use of aimbots, as the cases that are truly problematic will be banned after a game or two. Also auto aim tends to make a game quite boring to play, as it eliminates any sense of achievement, as opposed to ESP wallhacks, making players not stick around for long, even if they should escape bans. TL;DR Do not be toxic.
Conclusion
Overall, aimbots are clearly the most powerful game cheating tool for online multiplayer shooter games. However, auto aiming software is risky to use, as games will try to Ban players using this kind of tool by recognizing the behavior, reporting and banning the player account. Aimbots in response will use features, such as silent aim, human movement scripts, and configurable aiming movements and other features to hide their suspicious movements and sudden aim locks. And with the technical facts that make recognizing players on the map possible unlikely to go away, aim cheats will be here to stay for many, many more years to come. – However using them is while effective not very much fun, as it ruins the users game experience arguably even more than it has the potential to annoy others.
If for some reason and despite the moral issues you are looking to download aimbots, we recommend using this tool to find working game cheats for trusted sources.
Sources / References
[1] https://hackerbot.net/wiki/11-game-hack
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheating_in_online_games
[3] https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Aimbot
[4] https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/aimbot
[5] https://www.definitions.net/definition/aimbot
