Cheaters Curbed: Call of Duty Disables PC Crossplay for Black Ops 6 and Warzone Console Players

Activision Tackles Call of Duty Cheating with New Anti-Cheat Measures and Crossplay Options

Activision has responded to widespread player concerns regarding cheating in Call of Duty's Black Ops 6 and Warzone, announcing significant updates to its anti-cheat strategy and offering console players in Ranked Play the option to disable crossplay with PC players.

The surge in cheating reports, particularly since the introduction of Ranked Play in Season 1 of Black Ops 6 and Warzone, has sparked considerable outrage within the community. Activision's Team Ricochet, responsible for the game's anti-cheat technology, previously acknowledged shortcomings in its initial Season 1 implementation, stating that it "did not hit the mark" in preventing cheating, especially within Ranked Play.

A recent blog post details Activision's 2025 anti-cheat roadmap, highlighting the banning of over 136,000 Ranked Play accounts since the mode's launch. Season 2 will introduce enhanced client-side and server-side detection systems, along with a major kernel-level driver update. Further advancements are promised for Season 3 and beyond, including a novel player authentication system designed to identify and target cheaters more effectively. Specific details on this new system are being withheld to prevent cheat developers from exploiting the technology.

A key immediate change for Season 2 is the introduction of console crossplay disabling in Ranked Play for Black Ops 6 and Warzone. This feature allows console players to compete exclusively against other console players, addressing the widely held belief that a significant portion of cheating originates from PC players. This mirrors the existing crossplay disabling option already available in standard Multiplayer modes. Activision will closely monitor the impact of this change and consider further adjustments to maintain game integrity.

While Activision's anti-cheat efforts are frequently met with skepticism, the company has invested heavily in its Ricochet anti-cheat technology and pursued legal action against cheat developers, achieving notable successes. Prior to Black Ops 6's release, Activision aimed to ban cheaters within an hour of their first match, implementing an updated kernel-level driver and machine-learning systems to detect and analyze suspicious gameplay patterns. The company acknowledges the sophisticated and organized nature of cheat developers, emphasizing its ongoing efforts to identify and remove cheaters from the game.