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Are AI Bots Allowed in StarCraft Tournaments? Rules and Fair Play

Blizzard’s default is no unauthorized gameplay automation. A StarCraft II bot API or a separate bot competition does not automatically permit bots in human tournaments.
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Usually not in an ordinary StarCraft II tournament unless Blizzard and the event organizer expressly authorize the bot. Blizzard’s End User License Agreement (EULA) prohibits bots that automate control of a game or platform feature when Blizzard has not authorized them. A dedicated bot-versus-bot competition is different: it may permit AI under its own rules, but that does not grant permission to use a bot in a human-player event.

What Blizzard’s rules mean for tournament entrants

Blizzard’s EULA defines a bot as code or software, not expressly authorized by Blizzard, that enables automated control of a game or platform feature. Its cheating rules also cover unauthorized software that changes or facilitates gameplay. For entrants, the practical default is to treat gameplay-controlling automation as prohibited unless the relevant authorization and event rules clearly allow it. Blizzard End User License Agreement

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Blizzard’s StarCraft II fair-play guidance says legitimate play uses an unaltered game client and warns that cheating, hacks, or modifications can lead to a permanent ban. That article is older than the EULA, so use the EULA for the direct bot definition and the fair-play page as context. Blizzard’s StarCraft II cheating guidance

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Why the StarCraft II API does not grant tournament permission

Blizzard’s StarCraft II API repository documents an interface for external control of the game and describes uses including scripted and machine-learning bots, replay analysis, and tool-assisted human play. It also points to community bot ladders. That establishes that bot development and bot competition exist; it is not blanket permission to enter a human tournament with automated play. The event’s rules and any applicable Blizzard authorization still control.

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Human tournaments and bot competitions are different formats

Event type What to expect What establishes permission
Ordinary human-player tournament Assume gameplay-controlling bots are not allowed unless expressly authorized. Blizzard authorization that covers the use, plus the event’s current rules.
Dedicated bot competition AI opponents may be part of the event’s design, with format-specific technical and match rules. The competition’s own rules and applicable Blizzard authorization.

For example, an AIIDE 2010 StarCraft competition paired bots in one-on-one matches with the objective of destroying the opposing forces. That is a historical example of a purpose-built bot event, not evidence that bots may enter human tournaments generally. AIIDE 2010 StarCraft competition paper

What to confirm with the organizer before entering

Ask for the current rulebook and get clear answers in writing before running a bot, script, API integration, input-automation tool, or modified client. Rules can differ by event, organizer, region, and date.

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  1. Does the event permit AI or software to control gameplay, or is it restricted to human play?
  2. Does the organizer have Blizzard authorization covering this bot and this use?
  3. Are scripts, external tools, APIs, input automation, or modified clients restricted?
  4. Which StarCraft II build, API, maps, and match formats apply?
  5. Must entrants disclose bots or obtain approval in advance? How are suspected violations reported, rulings appealed, and disputes handled?

If the organizer cannot confirm that the proposed use is allowed, do not use the bot in that event.

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Community competition licenses are not player-bot approvals

Blizzard’s Community Competition License page, updated September 13, 2024, sets terms for qualifying community competitions. It lists prize limits of $25,000 for a single competition and $100,000 across events organized under the license during the prior 12 months. Those are event-organization limits, not permission for an entrant to use a bot. Organizers should review the current Community Competition License and entrants should still check event rules and bot authorization.

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How to report suspected bot use

Use the tournament’s official report or dispute process first or alongside Blizzard’s available channels. Blizzard’s published guidance describes reporting through the in-game score screen and submitting a replay to its hacks team; because that guidance is historical, check Blizzard’s current support route before relying on those exact steps. Avoid publicly accusing a player based on suspicion alone. Blizzard’s reporting and fair-play guidance

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