GAMEBOUNTY
GAMEBOUNTY/Safety & Privacy

Safety & Privacy

This page covers two things: why antivirus software flags game files, and a few simple tips to keep your system clean.

Why Antivirus Flags Game Files

The launch files for most games on GameBounty are patched — modified so the game runs without checking with the original storefront. That patching looks, to an antivirus, very similar to what malware does. So you'll often see warnings on files like:

  • The game's main .exe
  • steam_api.dll / steam_api64.dll
  • Goldberg or other emulator DLLs

These detections are generic heuristics — the AV isn't claiming to recognise a specific virus, it's just flagging the behaviour pattern. That's why the same file gets flagged on a brand-new release that nobody has ever reported, and unflagged a week later: vendors update their lists.

What's normal

  • Generic detections like HackTool, RiskWare, Patcher, Wacatac, Win32/Generic.
  • Detections only on the game's .exe or its steam_api*.dll.

What's not normal

If you see any of the following, don't run the file — report it:

  • Detections on files outside the game folder (e.g. anything written to C:\Windows, %APPDATA%, or Temp).
  • Named detections like Coinminer, Stealer, RedLine, Lumma, Phorpiex, Emotet.
  • Outbound network alerts to domains unrelated to the game.

Report it on the Discord with the game name and ideally a VirusTotal link.

Antivirus Exclusions

Because of the above, you need to tell your antivirus that one folder is allowed. Don't disable the antivirus — just exclude the single folder where you keep your games.

Step-by-step instructions for Windows Defender and major third-party AVs are in the Installation Guide.

A Few Privacy Tips

These aren't required, but they help keep your browsing experience cleaner and your network traffic less visible.

Browser

  • uBlock Origin — blocks the overlay ads and fake "Download" buttons on file-host pages. Strongly recommended.
  • FastForward — auto-skips wait timers on link shorteners. Open-source.

Avoid any extension that promises to "accelerate downloads," "generate premium links," or "auto-solve captchas." Those categories are full of malware.

Network

  • You don't need a VPN to use the site — downloads are over HTTPS, so the file contents are encrypted in transit.
  • A VPN is only useful if your ISP throttles certain file hosts or you specifically want to hide your traffic from them. If you use one, pick a paid no-logs provider — free VPNs aren't free.
  • Switching DNS to Cloudflare 1.1.1.1 or Quad9 is an easy one-time change that hides your domain lookups from your ISP.

Account safety

Never log into a real account (Google, Discord, Steam) on a file host's "verify to download" page. Legitimate file hosts don't require third-party logins to download. If a page asks you to do that, close it.