When you uninstall a game, you might assume everything it installed goes with it. Usually the anti-cheat does too — but not always, and a leftover anti-cheat component is worth cleaning up.
Why something can be left behind
Anti-cheats often install as a separate component — sometimes a system service or a driver — rather than as part of the game folder. A well-behaved uninstaller removes it. But shared anti-cheats are sometimes installed once and used by several games, so an uninstaller may leave them in case another game still needs them. The result is that an anti-cheat service or driver can outlive the game that brought it.
Check the installed programs list
The first place to look is the Windows list of installed apps (Settings, or "Add or remove programs"). Common anti-cheats — such as Easy Anti-Cheat and BattlEye — frequently appear there as their own entry, separate from any game. If you see one and no longer have any game that uses it, you can uninstall it from there directly. EAC also ships a small standalone uninstaller with many games.
Check services
Anti-cheats sometimes run as a Windows service. You can open the Services console (services.msc) and look for an entry named after the anti-cheat. A leftover service that no longer has a game is a sign the removal was incomplete. Do not start deleting things blindly — identify it first — but a clearly orphaned anti-cheat service is a candidate for proper removal.
Do it the supported way
Prefer the official removal path. Use the anti-cheat's own uninstaller or its entry in the installed-programs list rather than manually deleting driver files, which can leave a system in an odd state. If you are unsure whether another installed game still needs that anti-cheat, the safe move is to leave it — an idle anti-cheat is mostly harmless.
The takeaway
Uninstalling a game usually removes its anti-cheat, but shared anti-cheats can linger by design. Check the installed-programs list and, if needed, services. Remove leftovers through the official uninstaller — and when in doubt about whether another game needs it, leaving it is the safer choice.