- Crossplay Disabled for Console Ranked Players: Starting in Season 2, console players in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone Ranked Play can disable crossplay, limiting matches to other console users and reducing exposure to PC-based cheaters.
- Major Anti-Cheat Updates: Activision’s Team Ricochet plans to introduce enhanced detection systems, a kernel-level driver update, and advanced authentication measures in 2025 to combat cheating across all modes.
- 136,000 Bans Issued in Ranked Play: Since the launch of Ranked Play, Activision has banned over 136,000 accounts, with promises of further anti-cheat innovations for Seasons 3 and beyond.
Activision has announced a significant change for Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone Ranked Play, allowing console players to disable crossplay with PC users. This decision comes in response to growing complaints from the community about cheating, which has become a prominent issue since the launch of Ranked Play during Season 1 last year. Many players feel that the competitive experience has been undermined, prompting demands for stricter anti-cheat measures.
Cheating concerns reached a tipping point after the launch of Ranked Play, with players accusing Activision of not doing enough to protect the integrity of competitive multiplayer. Activision’s anti-cheat division, Team Ricochet, acknowledged shortcomings in its systems during Season 1. Although updates have improved detection capabilities, the company admitted its anti-cheat tools failed to meet expectations at launch, particularly for Ranked Play.
To address these challenges, Activision revealed its 2025 anti-cheat roadmap in a recent blog post. It disclosed that over 136,000 Ranked Play accounts had been banned since the mode’s debut. Upcoming updates, including new client and server-side detection systems, a kernel-level driver update, and enhanced authentication measures, aim to bolster anti-cheat efforts in Season 2. The company also hinted at further advancements in Season 3 and beyond but refrained from sharing specifics to prevent tipping off cheat developers.
With Season 2, console players in Ranked Play will gain the option to disable crossplay, restricting matches to other console users. Historically, cheating has been more prevalent among PC players, leading many console users to disable crossplay in standard multiplayer modes. Extending this feature to Ranked Play is expected to offer a more controlled and fairer competitive environment for console players.
Despite these measures, skepticism remains within the Call of Duty community. Cheating has long been a thorn in Activision’s side, particularly after Warzone’s explosive popularity in 2020. The publisher has invested heavily in anti-cheat technology and legal action against cheat developers, achieving notable successes. However, the fight is ongoing, with Activision reaffirming its commitment to protecting the competitive integrity of its games while rolling out new tools to combat bad actors in the ecosystem.
