A New Free Steam Game Is Topping the Most-Played Charts, But It’s Also Leading to False Bans

A new game called TBH: Task Bar Hero has emerged out of nowhere as one of Steam’s most played games, but there’s also a lot of drama surrounding it.

The new game was released on Steam last month for free, and it currently has over half a million concurrent players, making it the third most-played game on Steam behind Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2. The new game is unique in that you don’t actually have to play it. As the name implies, Task Bar Hero embeds itself into your PC’s taskbar, and little pixel characters go on adventures, fight foes, and collect loot all while you work, browse the web, or leave your PC running. Of course, you can take control yourself if you want to, but it’s an RPG that is constantly active so long as you open the game.

The loot can even be sold on the Steam marketplace for real money, which can then be used to buy other things on Steam. However, there’s a lot of controversy surrounding this new viral game. Users are reporting false bans against their Steam accounts, which are reportedly being triggered by the game’s anti-cheat. Although it’s a single-player game, it uses anti-cheat to prevent people from illegally obtaining items that can then be sold for profit on the Steam market. The anti-cheat has allegedly flagged various harmless programs running on people’s PCs, leading to bans.

Not only is getting a ban annoying, but it also tarnishes the reputation of your Steam account. Valve labels bans on people’s public profiles, meaning people can see if you’ve been banned before.

This game has some of the most aggressive anti-cheat and monitoring systems I’ve ever seen,” reads one negative Steam review. “The second you launch it, it starts watching everything you do. If it detects anything even slightly suspicious, it can log and report you without any warning. Hit that threshold more than twice and you’re done — permanent ban from the marketplace, plus a big red “Cheater” label permanently stamped on your profile for everyone to see.”

Despite its high player count, Task Bar Hero has a mixed rating on Steam due to its issues. Players have also stated that their items have randomly disappeared, creating frustrations for those who have spent dozens or hundreds of hours farming for loot.

As for the game’s effect on the Steam market, players are listing some items for hundreds and even thousands of dollars. For more common items, players are selling them for pennies or a few bucks. Nevertheless, it’s clear that there is discourse around this game.

Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.