Video game piracy has been around for decades, with pirate groups finding more ways to crack games. Developers are forced to use Denuvo DRM to prevent piracy even at the cost of the bad performance of their games. However, DRM technology couldn’t stop pirate groups from cracking popular games.
Most video game storefronts like Steam, Epic Games, and Battle.net have their DRM technology to prevent video game piracy. However, pirate groups have been able to bypass these through certain loopholes.
Pirate groups have recently cracked many popular games. These include games like Saints Row, Spider-Man, Diablo 2, F1 2022, Forza Horizon 5, Stray, Lego Star Wars, Death Stranding, Elden Ring, Sifu, Ghostwire: Tokyo, Shadow Warrior 3, etc.
Disclaimer: Fossbytes does not support piracy and advises users not to break copyright laws. This article is only for educational purposes.
How do pirate groups bypass DRM in video games?
Pirate groups generally decrypt the copyright protection installed on the software and then reverse engineer the game. This process leads to a crack or key generator. The crack file is a patch or part of the game that has been reverse-engineered.
Games can be played with this crack file without the original license keys or authorization. Pirate groups like CODEX have also developed emulators for popular gaming storefronts like Steam and Epic Games Store. Using these emulators, pirate groups can crack any offline game in minutes.
However, this process becomes more complicated if the game has an online requirement or Denuvo protection. After CODEX’s retirement, there’s only one active pirate group that can crack Denuvo DRM games, and they are known as Empress.
Empress has previously cracked games such as Dying Light 2, Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy, Far Cry 6, Deathloop, etc. Over the years, pirate groups have been able to crack many games, including the ones with Denuvo protection. So here’s a list of all cracked games that had DRM protection in recent years.
Note: Many VR games have also been cracked on PC and Quest 2. Users can access the VR games on the Meta Quest 2 through sideloading.
Cracked Battle.net games
After CODEX’s retirement, few pirate groups could crack the DRM protection on the Blizzard storefront. However, a new Russian group called Blizzless has achieved an offline crack for Diablo 2 Resurrected, WarCraft 3: Reforged, and StarCraft Remastered. They even released a server emulation crack for Diablo 3.
| Game | Release date | Cracked on | Pirate Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diablo 3 | 2012-05-15 | 2022-08-17 | Blizzless |
| Starcraft 2: Legacy of the Void | 2015-11-10 | 2015-11-23 | RELOADED |
| Starcraft Remastered | 2017-08-14 | 2022-07-23 | Blizzless |
| Warcraft III Reforged | 2020-01-28 | 2022-07-23 | Blizzless |
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Remastered | 2020-04-30 | 2020-05-03 | Extern/Razor1911 |
| Blizzard Arcade Collection | 2021-02-20 | 2021-02-22 | CODEX |
| Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time | 2021-03-26 | 2021-03-27 | EMPRESS/CODEX |
| Diablo II Resurrected | 2021-09-23 | 2022-07-26 | Blizzless |
Cracked Denuvo games
| Game | Release Date | Cracked on | Pirate Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zombie Army 4: Dead War | 2020-02-04 | 2020-12-11 | EMPRESS |
| Doom Eternal | 2020-03-20 | 2020-03-19 | Bethesda Leak/CODEX/ EMPRESS |
| Persona 4 Golden | 2020-06-13 | 2020-07-02 | whiteee |
| Total War Saga: Troy | 2020-08-13 | 2020-10-14 | CPY |
| eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2021 | 2020-09-15 | 2020-10-14 | CPY |
| Watch Dogs: Legion | 2020-10-29 | 2022-01-05 | EMPRESS |
| Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla | 2020-11-10 | 2021-03-24 | EMPRESS |
| Yakuza: Like a Dragon | 2020-11-10 | 2021-05-29 | EMPRESS |
| Football Manager 2021 | 2020-11-24 | 2021-08-05 | MKDEV |
| Immortals Fenyx Rising | 2020-12-03 | 2021-02-21 | EMPRESS |
| Persona 5 Strikers | 2021-02-23 | 2021-02-19 | whiteee |
| Megasuki: Love Through Lenses with Ayumu Sakura | 2021-03-19 | 2021-04-01 | sst311212 |
| Evil Genius 2: World Domination | 2021-03-30 | 2022-06-16 | EMPRESS |
| Resident Evil 8: Village | 2021-05-07 | 2021-07-09 | EMPRESS |
| Deathloop | 2021-09-14 | 2022-04-08 | EMPRESS |
| Far Cry 6 | 2021-10-07 | 2022-06-02 | EMPRESS |
| Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy | 2021-10-26 | 2022-06-30 | EMPRESS |
| Jurassic World Evolution 2 | 2021-11-09 | 2022-03-08 | machine4578 |
| Dying Light 2 Stay Human | 2022-02-04 | 2022-08-05 | EMPRESS |
| F1 2022 | 2022-07-01 | 2022-07-08 | sam2k8/Razor1911 |
| FIFA 15 | 2014-09-23 | 2015-02-01 | 3DM (Fixed by CPY) |
| Dragon Age Inquisition | 2014-11-18 | 2014-12-18 | 3DM (Fixed by CPY)/merumeru |
| Battlefield Hardline | 2015-03-17 | 2015-08-13 | CPY |
| Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain | 2015-09-01 | 2015-09-10 | 3DM (Fixed by CPY)/CODEX |
| FIFA 16 | 2015-09-22 | Bypassed by Turk DM | |
| Just Cause 3 | 2015-12-01 | 2017-02-28 | CPY |
| Unravel | 2016-02-09 | 2017-07-04 | STEAMPUNKS |
| Far Cry: Primal | 2016-03-01 | 2017-01-08 | CPY + CODEX |
| Total War: Warhammer | 2016-05-24 | 2017-06-17 | STEAMPUNKS |
| Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst | 2016-06-07 | 2016-10-02 | CPY |
| F1 2016 | 2016-08-19 | 2017-06-26 | STEAMPUNKS |
| Fernbus Simulator | 2016-08-25 | 2017-10-21 | CODEPUNKS |
| God Eater Resurrection | 2016-08-28 | 2016-11-08 | CPY/Voksi |
| God Eater 2: Rage Burst | 2016-08-30 | 2017-01-22 | CPY/DeltaT |
| Champions of Anteria | 2016-08-30 | 2016-12-25 | CPY + CODEX |
| FIFA 17 | 2016-09-27 | 2017-07-12 | STEAMPUNKS |
| Pro Evolution Soccer 2017 | 2016-09-30 | 2016-10-27 | CPY |
| WRC 6 FIA | 2016-10-14 | 2017-06-15 | STEAMPUNKS |
| Battlefield 1 | 2016-10-21 | 2017-02-05 | CPY |
| Football Manager 2017 | 2016-11-04 | 2017-06-27 | STEAMPUNKS/Voksi |
| Planet Coaster | 2016-11-17 | 2017-06-10 | STEAMPUNKS/Voksi/DeltaT/EMPRESS |
| Watch Dogs 2 | 2016-11-29 | 2017-01-18 | CPY + CODEX |
| Tales of Berseria | 2017-01-27 | 2017-02-17 | CPY |
| Sniper Elite 4 | 2017-02-14 | 2017-06-22 | STEAMPUNKS |
| Ghost Recon Wildlands | 2017-03-07 | 2017-07-24 | STEAMPUNKS (Fixed by CPY)/DeltaT/EMPRESS |
| Dead Rising 4 | 2017-03-14 | 2017-06-18 | Baldman/Voksi/CODEX |
| Dragon Quest Heroes II | 2017-04-25 | 2017-06-25 | Baldman/CODEX |
| Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War III | 2017-04-27 | 2017-06-13 | Baldman + Voksi |
| Battlezone Gold Edition | 2017-05-11 | 2018-05-06 | Voksi/DeltaT |
| Hunting Simulator | 2017-06-09 | 2017-08-17 | CPY/Voksi |
| White Day: A Labyrinth Named School | 2017-08-22 | 2017-08-22 | ALI213 (Fixed by Steam006) |
| F1 2017 | 2017-08-25 | 2017-09-13 | CPY/sam2k8 /Voksi |
| Monopoly plus | 2017-09-08 | 2017-10-06 | STEAMPUNKS |
| Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 | 2017-09-13 | 2017-09-22 | CPY/Voksi/DeltaT |
| WRC 7 FIA | 2017-09-15 | 2017-09-24 | CPY/Voksi/CODEX |
| Total War: Warhammer 2 | 2017-09-28 | 2017-09-28 | STEAMPUNKS/Voksi/CODEX/ DeltaT/c000005/PARADOX/EMPRESS |
| FIFA 18 | 2017-09-29 | 2017-09-29 | STEAMPUNKS |
| Middle-earth: Shadow of War | 2017-10-10 | 2017-10-11 | CODEX/c000005 |
| South Park: The Fractured but Whole | 2017-10-17 | 2017-10-18 | CODEPUNKS/CODEX |
| Assassin’s Creed: Origins | 2017-10-27 | 2018-02-03 | CPY/CODEX |
| Sonic Forces | 2017-11-07 | 2018-01-21 | CPY |
| Need For Speed Payback | 2017-11-10 | 2018-03-09 | CPY |
| Football Manager 2018 | 2017-11-10 | 2018-06-21 | Voksi |
| Star Wars Battlefront II | 2017-11-17 | 2019-06-28 | CODEX/EMPRESS |
| Star Ocean: The Last Hope HD Remaster | 2017-11-28 | 2018-01-27 | CPY/DeltaT |
| Dragon Ball FighterZ | 2018-01-26 | 2018-07-10 | Voksi/CODEX/EMPRESS |
| SWORD ART ONLINE: Fatal Bullet | 2018-02-23 | 2018-04-11 | CPY/FCKDRM/CODEX |
| Puyo Puyo Tetris | 2018-02-27 | 2018-06-28 | Voksi/CODEX |
| A Way Out | 2018-03-23 | 2018-11-12 | CPY |
| Far Cry 5 | 2018-03-27 | 2018-04-15 | CPY/CODEX |
| Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia | 2018-05-03 | 2018-07-20 | Voksi |
| Unravel Two | 2018-06-09 | 2018-09-11 | CODEX |
| Jurassic World Evolution | 2018-06-12 | 2018-09-25 | CODEX/EMPRESS |
| Shining Resonance Refrain | 2018-07-10 | 2018-07-11 | Voksi/DeltaT |
| Madden NFL 19 | 2018-08-10 | 2018-10-04 | CODEX |
| F1 2018 | 2018-08-24 | 2018-09-15 | CODEX/sam2k8 |
| Strange Brigade | 2018-08-28 | 2019-01-11 | CPY/PLAZA |
| Pro Evolution Soccer 2019 | 2018-08-30 | 2018-11-25 | CPY |
| Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker | 2018-08-31 | 2018-08-31 | 3DM /CODEX |
| Dragon Quest XI | 2018-09-04 | 2018-09-17 | CODEX |
| Zone of the Enders, The 2nd Runner | 2018-09-04 | 2019-06-26 | CODEX |
| New Gundam Breaker | 2018-09-24 | 2019-06-26 | CODEX |
| Valkyria Chronicles 4 | 2018-09-25 | 2019-01-25 | CODEX |
| Life is Strange 2 | 2018-09-27 | 2019-01-16 | CPY/EMPRESS |
| FIFA 19 | 2018-09-28 | 2018-11-30 | CPY |
| Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey | 2018-10-05 | 2018-11-10 | CPY/EMPRESS |
| The Quiet Man | 2018-11-01 | 2020-06-07 | CODEX |
| Football Manager 2019 | 2018-11-02 | 2018-11-06 | FCKDRM |
| Battlefield V | 2018-11-20 | 2018-12-12 | CPY |
| Far Cry New Dawn | 2019-02-15 | 2019-02-22 | CODEX |
| Left Alive | 2019-03-05 | 2021-05-21 | EMPRESS |
| Anno 1800 | 2019-04-16 | 2021-01-05 | EMPRESS |
| Team Sonic Racing | 2019-05-21 | 2020-06-05 | CODEX |
| Total War Three Kingdoms | 2019-05-23 | 2019-07-10 | CODEX/EMPRESS |
| Sea of Solitude | 2019-07-05 | 2019-09-14 | CODEX |
| Madden NFL 20 | 2019-08-02 | 2019-08-28 | CODEX |
| eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020 | 2019-09-10 | Bypassed by Titikaka | |
| Planet Zoo | 2019-11-05 | 2020-09-23 | EMPRESS |
| Need for Speed Heat | 2019-11-08 | 2019-12-27 | Leaked CODEX crack |
| Football Manager 2020 | 2019-11-19 | 2020-06-18 | MKDEV |
| The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit | 2018-06-26 | 2019-01-16 | CPY |
| Lords of the Fallen | 2014-10-28 | 2015-07-26 | CPY |
| Batman Arkham Knight | 2015-06-23 | 2015-07-28 | CPY |
| Mad Max | 2015-09-01 | 2015-10-20 | 3DM (Fixed by CPY) |
| Rise of the Tomb Raider | 2016-01-28 | 2016-08-08 | CPY/DeltaT |
| Hitman | 2016-03-11 | 2017-03-15 | CPY |
| Adr1ft | 2016-03-28 | 2017-06-09 | STEAMPUNKS |
| Doom | 2016-05-13 | 2016-09-07 | CPY |
| Homefront: The Revolution | 2016-05-17 | 2017-03-06 | PLAZA |
| Sherlock Holmes: The Devil’s Daughter | 2016-06-10 | 2017-02-28 | CPY |
| Inside | 2016-07-07 | 2016-08-23 | CPY |
| ABZÛ | 2016-08-02 | 2017-06-12 | STEAMPUNKS |
| Deus Ex: Mankind Divided | 2016-08-23 | 2016-11-10 | CPY/SKIDROW |
| Titanfall 2 | 2016-10-28 | 2017-07-14 | CODEX |
| Moto Racer 4 | 2016-11-03 | 2017-06-19 | STEAMPUNKS |
| Yesterday Origin | 2016-11-10 | 2016-11-10 | ALI213 (Fixed by CPY) |
| Dishonored 2 | 2016-11-11 | 2017-06-05 | STEAMPUNKS |
| Resident Evil 7: Biohazard | 2017-01-24 | 2017-01-29 | CPY |
| Conan: Exiles | 2017-01-31 | 2017-01-31 | Kortal /Voksi/CODEX/DeltaT/c000005 |
| 2Dark | 2017-03-10 | 2017-04-13 | CPY |
| Train Sim World 2020 | 2017-03-16 | 2017-06-26 | Baldman/CODEX |
| NieR: Automata | 2017-03-19 | 2017-05-07 | Baldman/CPY |
| Mass Effect Andromeda | 2017-03-24 | 2017-05-04 | CPY |
| Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition | 2017-04-07 | 2017-06-16 | Baldman |
| Syberia 3 | 2017-04-20 | 2017-04-23 | SomeRandomAntiDenuvoGuy |
| Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 | 2017-04-25 | 2017-05-07 | Baldman/CPY |
| Prey | 2017-05-05 | 2017-05-14 | Baldman/CPY/Voksi |
| RiME | 2017-05-26 | 2017-06-01 | Baldman |
| Constructor HD | 2017-05-26 | 2017-06-14 | CPY/Voksi |
| Tekken 7 | 2017-06-02 | 2017-06-06 | Baldman/CPY/Voksi/CODEX /EMPRESS |
| Agents of Mayhem | 2017-08-15 | 2017-08-25 | CPY |
| Sonic Mania | 2017-08-29 | 2017-09-05 | CPY/Voksi |
| Life is Strange: Before the Storm | 2017-08-31 | 2017-09-01 | Steam006 (Fixed by CODEX) |
| Dishonored: Death of the Outsider | 2017-09-15 | 2017-09-23 | STEAMPUNKS/Voksi |
| Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite | 2017-09-19 | 2017-09-25 | CPY |
| Transroad USA | 2017-11-09 | 2017-11-11 | Potato_of_Doom/SKIDROW |
| Injustice 2 | 2017-11-14 | 2018-07-03 | Voksi/CODEX |
| Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age | 2018-02-01 | 2018-02-18 | CPY |
| Final Fantasy XV** | 2018-03-06 | 2018-03-02 | 3DM/sam2k8/CPY/CODEX |
| Bus Simulator 18 | 2018-06-13 | 2020-02-17 | c000005 |
| Yakuza 0 | 2018-08-01 | 2018-12-11 | CPY |
| Monster Hunter World | 2018-08-09 | 2018-12-02 | CODEX/CPY/PARADOX |
| Two Point Hospital | 2018-08-29 | 2018-08-29 | SKIDROW |
| Shadow of The Tomb Raider | 2018-09-14 | 2018-11-17 | CPY/CODEX |
| Mega Man 11 | 2018-10-02 | 2018-11-06 | FCKDRM |
| Soulcalibur 6 | 2018-10-19 | 2018-10-23 | CODEX/EMPRESS |
| Hitman 2 | 2018-11-13 | 2018-11-15 | FCKDRM/CPY |
| Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden | 2018-12-04 | 2019-01-14 | CPY |
| Just Cause 4** | 2018-12-04 | 2018-12-05 | CPY/EMPRESS |
| Resident Evil 2 | 2019-01-25 | 2019-02-01 | CODEX/Venom |
| Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown | 2019-02-01 | 2019-02-15 | CPY |
| Metro Exodus | 2019-02-15 | 2019-02-20 | CPY |
| Devil May Cry 5 | 2019-03-08 | 2019-03-08 | sam2k8 |
| Mortal Kombat 11 | 2019-04-23 | 2020-10-16 | EMPRESS |
| RAGE 2 | 2019-05-14 | 2019-05-14 | BzinhoGames/CODEX |
| Conan Unconquered | 2019-05-29 | 2019-09-19 | PLAZA |
| Octopath Traveler | 2019-06-07 | 2019-09-08 | CPY |
| Police Simulator: Patrol Duty | 2019-06-18 | 2021-01-23 | CODEX |
| F1 2019** | 2019-06-27 | 2022-04-12 | Razor1911 |
| Heavy Rain | 2019-06-24 | 2019-11-24 | CPY |
| Beyond: Two Souls | 2019-07-22 | 2020-06-18 | CODEX |
| Wolfenstein: Youngblood | 2019-07-26 | 2019-08-16 | CODEX |
| Borderlands 3 | 2019-09-13 | 2019-10-29 | CODEX/EMPRESS |
| Code Vein** | 2019-09-27 | 2019-10-01 | CODEX |
| Moons of Madness | 2019-10-22 | 2019-11-08 | CODEX |
| Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order | 2019-11-15 | 2019-11-18 | CODEX |
| Dragon Quest Builders 2 | 2019-12-10 | 2020-01-09 | whiteee |
| Detroit: Become Human | 2019-12-12 | 2020-06-18 | CODEX |
| Resident Evil 3 | 2020-04-03 | 2020-10-01 | chronos |
| Resident Evil Resistance | 2020-04-03 | 2020-10-01 | chronos |
| Trials of Mana | 2020-04-24 | 2020-06-08 | CODEX |
| F1 2020 | 2020-07-10 | 2021-09-30 | PLAZA |
| Death Stranding | 2020-07-14 | 2020-10-14 | CPY |
| Train Sim World 2 | 2020-08-20 | 2021-08-22 | hazarxxx |
| Marvel’s Avengers | 2020-09-04 | 2020-10-18 | CPY |
| Crysis Remastered | 2020-09-18 | 2020-10-20 | CPY |
| Mafia: Definitive edition | 2020-09-25 | 2020-10-14 | CPY |
| Dirt 5** | 2020-11-06 | 2022-04-03 | Razor1911 |
| Dragon Quest XI Definitive Edition | 2020-12-04 | 2021-05-28 | CODEX |
| Balan Wonderworld | 2021-03-26 | 2021-09-22 | CODEX |
| NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139 | 2021-04-23 | 2021-10-20 | CODEX |
| Mass Effect Legendary Edition | 2021-05-15 | 2021-06-08 | FLT |
| Legend of Mana | 2021-06-24 | 2021-12-10 | SKIDROW |
| Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin | 2021-07-09 | 2022-07-07 | SKIDROW |
| Kings Bounty II | 2021-08-24 | 2022-02-17 | CODEX |
| Bravely Default II | 2021-09-02 | 2022-02-26 | FLT |
| Bus Simulator 21 | 2021-09-07 | 2021-12-10 | CODEX |
| Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars | 2021-10-28 | 2022-04-28 | FLT |
Video game piracy
Most of these cracks have been done by scene groups such as FLT, Empress, Codex, CPY, Skidrow, and more. Despite copyright laws, these groups upload games online for everyone to download. These groups are known as “The Scene,” an affiliation of groups competing to be the first to release new stuff.
This list only includes Denuvo and Battle.net games, as the complete list of cracked games might be too long. You can check our subreddits like r/CrackWatch, for more news about video game piracy and the latest cracked games.
