As a gamer, you’ve probably come across the term cracked games more than once. These are games that have been modified to bypass copy protection or Digital Rights Management (DRM), allowing players to download and play without needing to pay for the official version. While the ethics of using cracked games are highly debatable, there’s one thing that many gamers have noticed—cracked games sometimes run faster and perform better than their legitimate counterparts. But why is this the case? And why is Denuvo, one of the most well-known DRM systems, often the subject of so much hate?

What Are Cracked Games?

Cracked games are essentially pirated copies of official releases. A group of skilled hackers, commonly known as crackers, removes the game’s DRM to make it freely accessible. DRM is a form of software protection designed to prevent piracy, but it often ends up creating unintended problems for legitimate buyers. Cracked games strip away these protections, allowing users to install and play without activation codes, online checks, or other restrictions.

However, this is where things start to get interesting—many players report that these cracked versions run smoother and perform better. Why?

Why Do Cracked Games Sometimes Perform Better?

Here’s where the surprising part comes in: removing the DRM from a game often leads to better performance. But how?

1. DRM Puts Extra Strain on Your System

Many DRM systems, especially ones like Denuvo, continuously run in the background, checking to ensure that the game isn’t pirated. While this may sound harmless, these checks consume valuable system resources—both CPU and memory—which can lead to:

  • Longer load times
  • Lower frame rates
  • Increased stuttering

When a cracked version of a game is released, it comes without these constant checks. This means less strain on your system, resulting in smoother gameplay. So, ironically, the very mechanism designed to stop piracy often ends up punishing paying customers.

2. No Need for Always-Online DRM

Some games require an always-online connection to verify their legitimacy, even in single-player mode. This can lead to problems such as:

  • Lag and server issues that affect your experience.
  • Game crashes when the connection drops.

Cracked games remove this online verification, so players can enjoy the game without the fear of being disconnected or suffering from bad server performance.

Denuvo: The DRM Gamers Love to Hate

Among all DRM systems, Denuvo has become the most notorious. When Denuvo is part of a game, you can almost guarantee there will be backlash from the gaming community. But why?

1. Performance Hits

Denuvo is widely known to cause significant performance issues. Players of games like “Assassin’s Creed: Origins” and “Resident Evil Village” have reported lower frame rates, stuttering, and longer load times due to Denuvo’s heavy impact on system resources. When the cracked versions of these games were released without Denuvo, many gamers noticed an immediate performance boost.

Why does this happen? Denuvo’s constant encryption and decryption processes demand a lot from the CPU, even for small game tasks. So, while you’re playing, your system is also working to keep Denuvo happy, which can drag down the game’s overall performance.

2. Treating Legitimate Buyers Like Criminals

DRM like Denuvo doesn’t just slow your game down—it also comes with frustrating restrictions for paying customers. For example, if you want to play a game on a new device or offline, you might run into issues because Denuvo limits how many times a game can be installed or requires constant online verification.

Meanwhile, pirates playing the cracked versions don’t have to deal with any of this. It’s ironic, but in many cases, people who pirate games enjoy a better experience than those who bought them legally.

3. Does It Even Stop Piracy?

Despite all the inconvenience it causes, Denuvo doesn’t even seem to be that effective. Many high-profile games are cracked within days of their release. A game like “Resident Evil Village” was cracked just a week after launch, making the DRM seem pointless.

So, in the end, what’s the cost of Denuvo? Worse performance, frustrated gamers, and not much protection from piracy. No wonder so many players hate it.

Why Do Some Gamers Prefer Cracked Games?

Let’s be clear: Pirating games is illegal and deprives developers of the revenue they need to continue making great games. However, there’s a growing segment of gamers who prefer cracked versions simply because they offer a better user experience—no DRM restrictions, smoother performance, and no need to be connected online.

For gamers who feel burned by DRM-heavy games, cracked versions feel like a breath of fresh air. This doesn’t justify piracy, but it highlights the deep frustration many gamers feel toward DRM practices, especially when they’re paying full price for a suboptimal product.

Final Thoughts: The Real Issue with DRM and Cracked Games

DRM, in theory, is supposed to protect intellectual property, but in practice, it often makes games worse for the people who actually paid for them. Cracked games perform better because they remove these barriers, leaving only the game itself. While it’s important to support developers and buy games legally, the reality is that DRM solutions like Denuvo create friction between game creators and their audiences.

If publishers can find a way to protect their games without negatively affecting the user experience, it would go a long way toward reducing the need for cracked versions. Until then, the debate between DRM and cracked games is likely to rage on, with players continuing to voice their frustration over systems like Denuvo.