Why Secure Boot Suddenly Matters For PC Gamers
Secure Boot is a security feature built into modern PCs and used heavily by Windows 11. It checks the firmware and software that load when your PC starts and only allows code that is properly signed and trusted. In simple terms, it tries to stop low level malware, rootkits, and yes, some forms of cheats, from loading before Windows itself.
Secure Boot relies on special cryptographic certificates to decide what is trusted. The original certificates that shipped with many systems, known as the 2011 CA certificates, are expiring in June 2026. Because of this Microsoft has started rolling out updated 2023 CA certificates through regular Windows updates so that Secure Boot can keep doing its job.
For most users this will be completely invisible. Your PC will quietly receive the new certificates through Windows Update and everything will keep working. But for PC gamers there is an important angle to this change. A growing number of popular anti cheat systems require Secure Boot to be enabled and properly configured. If your machine is still relying on the expiring certificates and somehow misses the update, you might run into problems launching certain games after the expiry date.
That is why this background security change has ended up being surprisingly relevant to gaming PCs.
How This Affects Anti Cheat And Your Games
Several major anti cheat solutions now rely on Secure Boot as part of their protection stack. These include:
- EA's Javelin
- Epic's Easy Anti Cheat
- Activision's Ricochet
- Riot's Vanguard
These tools aim to block cheats that operate at a very low level inside your system. That means they want to be sure the environment they are running in has not been tampered with before Windows fully starts. Secure Boot helps enforce that.
The trade off is that if Secure Boot is misconfigured, disabled, or no longer fully trusted because of expired certificates, those same anti cheat systems may refuse to run. In practice that can look like:
- Games failing to launch with vague anti cheat or security errors
- Online modes not working even though your hardware seems fine
- Confusing error messages telling you to enable Secure Boot or update Windows
Some gamers already dislike kernel level or low level anti cheat tools because they have been linked to occasional system instability and blue screens in the past. On top of that there are constant debates over how effective this approach really is against sophisticated cheat developers. However from the perspective of many studios Secure Boot has been a useful extra layer. One Battlefield technical director even described it as hugely helpful in the fight against cheating.
With the 2011 certificates expiring Microsoft is trying to avoid a situation where Secure Boot can no longer be trusted on older systems. That could break both security assumptions and anti cheat requirements, which is why the certificate rollout is being pushed ahead of the June 2026 deadline.
Checking Your PC And Staying Ready For June
The good news is that many modern PCs already have the newer 2023 CA certificates installed at the firmware level. According to Microsoft, most Windows PCs manufactured since 2024 ship with the updated Secure Boot certificates out of the box, especially systems that came with Windows 11 or will receive the Windows 11 25H2 update.
If you are on an older system or you simply want to verify that you are ready, there are a few ways to check your setup.
One method uses Windows PowerShell, as recommended by Dell, to see if your system has the 2023 certificates. Here is how to do it:
- Open the Start menu, search for PowerShell, then right click and select Run as administrator
- Paste and run this command:
([System.Text.Encoding]::ASCII.GetString((Get-SecureBootUEFI db).bytes) -match 'Windows UEFI CA 2023') - If the result shows True your PC already has the 2023 certificates
- If it shows False you are still on the older certificates and should make sure Windows Update is enabled so your machine can receive the new ones
You generally will not need to manually install anything. Microsoft is delivering the updated certificates via regular monthly Windows updates. OEMs are also pushing firmware updates where needed to make sure everything stays compatible.
The main thing you should do is allow your PC to update regularly, especially as June 2026 gets closer. Avoid pausing updates for long periods, and consider running Windows Update manually from time to time if you tend to postpone restarts.
If you are unsure whether Secure Boot itself is enabled on your gaming rig there is another easy option. The Steam client now has a built in check that tells you if Secure Boot is active, which is particularly handy for players of games that require it. In Steam you can open the system information view to see whether Secure Boot is switched on without digging through your motherboard firmware menus.
For advanced users who have deliberately disabled Secure Boot to run certain tools, alternate operating systems, or custom drivers, it is worth being aware that more future games may depend on it. As anti cheat systems tighten requirements, you could find yourself having to choose between full flexibility and straightforward access to competitive online titles.
For everyone else the key takeaway is simple. Keep Windows updated, let your machine install firmware and security updates, and by the time the old Secure Boot certificates expire your system should already be using the new 2023 CA versions. That will help keep your PC secure and reduce the chance of surprise problems when you just want to jump into your favorite multiplayer game.
Original article and image: https://www.pcgamer.com/software/windows/secure-boot-certificates-used-by-anti-cheat-software-are-set-to-expire-in-june-but-new-ones-are-already-in-the-mail/
