01How bounties usually work in Minecraft
Bounties are a classic server feature. Someone puts a price on a player's head, and whoever kills that player collects. It turns random PvP into a hunt with a reason.
Bounty systems tend to break in two ways. Friends farm each other for free money. And bounties sit forever with nobody able to find the target. A good bounty server needs both a way to find targets and rules that stop farming.
CHEAT SMP solves the finding problem with the WANTED glow and compass ping, and the farming problem with a stack of rules covered below.
02CHEAT SMP's two bounty systems
| WANTED bounty | Player bounty | |
|---|---|---|
| Who pays | The server mints it | A player, from their Cheater Cash |
| Trigger | Target overheats with PvP on | /bounty <player> <amount> |
| Amount | 250, +100 per extra overheat, max 1,000 | 100 to 10,000 per bounty |
| Duration | 180 seconds of WANTED | Refunded after 48 hours if unclaimed |
| Finding the target | Glow + compass ping | /bounty list |
All amounts are scaled by the Market Index.
03How WANTED bounties work
Every power costs Heat. Overheat in Survival with PvP on and you go WANTED for 180 seconds. The timer freezes while you are offline, in the hub or in a safe zone, so you cannot hide it out.
- WANTED players glow for 60 seconds.
- Hunters within 300 blocks get an actionbar alert and a compass ping to a 64x64 area, never exact coordinates. Distance is rounded to 50m.
- Each extra overheat while WANTED adds 100 to the bounty.
- WANTED players can drop stolen Cheat Charges, Echo Shard items that hold a power use.
Check /wanted for live targets. Deep dive: Most Wanted.
04How to post a player bounty
- Run
/bounty <player> <amount>. Minimum 100, maximum 10,000. - Your Cheater Cash goes into escrow.
- Whoever takes the target down gets paid.
- No claim in 48 hours? You get refunded.
Limits: 50,000 total per target, 5 active bounties per poster, 30-second cooldown. Big claims land in the Hall of Infamy. More: player bounties.
Posting a bounty is a cash sink as well as a grudge tool. The money leaves your wallet the moment you post, and it only comes back if nobody claims it within 48 hours. Post on players who are active, or your cash sits locked for two days.
05Why bounty farming does not work here
- A victim needs 2 hours of playtime and 25 lifetime Patches to count.
- No reward for revenge trades within 30 minutes.
- The same killer and victim pay out once per 24 hours.
- Max 3 Cheat Charges per hour.
- Same-IP kills are blocked.
06How to survive being WANTED
Sometimes you overheat on purpose. Sometimes it just happens. Either way, you have 180 seconds to get through:
- Break line of sight. You glow for 60 seconds. After that, hunters only get a 64x64 area, not your exact spot.
- Keep moving. Distance shows in 50m steps, so a few Dashes make you harder to pin down.
- Do not overheat again. Every extra overheat adds 100 to your bounty.
- Logging off will not save you. The timer freezes while you are offline, in the hub or in a safe zone, and picks up when you come back.
07Infamy: where big bounties end up
The Hall of Infamy on the website posts server moments automatically: players going WANTED, bounty claims, Legendary transfers and Cheat Cup wins. Big bounty claims land there, so a well-timed hunt becomes a permanent part of the server's history. Browse it at the Hall of Infamy.
There is also a season bounty leaderboard. In Season 1 "Most Wanted," the top bounty hunter earns the MOST WANTED title, and every participant gets S1 SURVIVOR.
08How to become a bounty hunter
- Turn on PvP with
/pvp. Only PvP-on players take part. - Pick movement powers. Dash and Short Flight close distance fast.
- Watch the actionbar and compass, or run
/wanted. - Manage your own Heat, or the hunter becomes the hunted.
Season 1, "Most Wanted," runs Dec 1, 2026 to Feb 8, 2027, and the top bounty hunter earns the MOST WANTED title. There is a bounty leaderboard too. Want the fighting side? See PvP SMP. Start hunting at play.cheatsmp.dev.
FAQFrequently asked questions
How do you put a bounty on someone in Minecraft?
On CHEAT SMP, run /bounty <player> <amount>. The cash is held in escrow and paid to whoever takes them down.
How much is a WANTED bounty worth?
250 Cheater Cash, plus 100 per extra overheat while WANTED, up to 1,000, all scaled by the Market Index.
Can I farm bounties with a friend?
No. Same-IP kills are blocked, and the same killer and victim only pay out once per 24 hours.
What happens if nobody claims my bounty?
You get refunded after 48 hours.
Earn your first cheat in two minutes
Join on Java Edition 26.3, type /survival, and Dash is yours. Nightly events at 7 PM Central. Free to play.
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Last updated 2026-10-30. Facts match the live server; prices scale with the market index.