Activision Will Let Call of Duty Black Ops 6 and Warzone Ranked Console Players Disable Crossplay With PC as Cheating Complaints Ramp Up

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 Call of Duty community. Activision previously acknowledged shortcomings in its initial Ricochet Anti-Cheat implementation, admitting that it fell short of expectations, especially in Ranked Play.

A recent blog post details Activision's comprehensive anti-cheat plan for 2025. This includes the announcement of over 136,000 account bans issued since the launch of Ranked Play. 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 it.

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 addresses the widely held belief that a significant portion of cheating originates from PC players, a concern that has led console players to disable crossplay in standard Multiplayer for years.

Activision assures continued monitoring and potential future adjustments to maintain game integrity, promising further updates as the crossplay disabling feature approaches launch.

Despite these announcements, skepticism remains among the player base, as past anti-cheat updates have often been met with mixed results. While cheating is a prevalent issue across many online games, it has become a significant reputational challenge for Activision, especially since the explosive popularity of Warzone in 2020. Activision has invested heavily in anti-cheat technology and legal action against cheat developers, achieving several high-profile victories recently.

Prior to Black Ops 6's release, Activision stated its goal of banning cheaters within an hour of their first match. The game launched with an improved Ricochet kernel-level driver (also implemented in Warzone), incorporating new machine-learning systems for faster detection and gameplay analysis to counter aimbots. Activision acknowledges the sophisticated and organized nature of cheat developers, emphasizing its ongoing efforts to identify and remove these "bad actors" from the game.