Arcade games have employed various anti-cheat mechanisms since their inception to protect revenue and ensure fair gameplay. One of the most fundamental methods involves hardware-based protection. Many arcade cabinets use specialized locks on coin boxes and internal components to prevent physical tampering or theft. Additionally, custom-designed circuit boards with unique architectures make it difficult for cheaters to manipulate the game's core functions without specialized knowledge.

Software-based detection represents another crucial layer of defense. Modern arcade systems often incorporate checksum verification that continuously monitors game code integrity, detecting any unauthorized modifications. Some games implement behavior monitoring algorithms that identify patterns consistent with cheating, such as impossibly perfect inputs or abnormal score accumulation rates.

Networked arcade games frequently employ server-side validation, where critical game logic and scoring calculations occur on secure remote servers rather than the local machine. This prevents players from manipulating local data to achieve unfair advantages. Time-based protections are also common, with systems that track play duration and automatically reset if extended beyond paid limits.

Many classic arcade games featured built-in countermeasures against specific exploits. For instance, some racing games would detect consistent wall-riding behavior and penalize the player, while fighting games might identify input macros and disable special move functionality. These mechanisms continue to evolve alongside new cheating methods, maintaining the competitive integrity that defines the arcade gaming experience.