Black Ops 6, Warzone to Disable Crossplay Due to Cheating Spike

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 following the introduction of Ranked Play in Season 1 of Black Ops 6 and Warzone, has sparked considerable backlash from the community. Activision's Team Ricochet, responsible for the game's anti-cheat technology, previously acknowledged shortcomings in its initial Season 1 implementation.

A recent blog post details Activision's comprehensive anti-cheat plan for 2025. This includes over 136,000 account bans issued since the launch of Ranked Play. Season 2 will feature enhanced client and server-side detection systems, alongside 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 its vulnerabilities.

A key immediate change for Season 2 is the introduction of console crossplay disabling in Ranked Play for Black Ops 6 and Warzone. This addresses concerns that a significant portion of cheating originates from PC players, a practice already widely adopted by console players in standard Multiplayer modes.

Activision will closely monitor the impact of these changes and consider further adjustments to maintain competitive integrity.

While Activision's anti-cheat efforts are often 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 launch, Activision stated its goal of banning cheaters within an hour of their first match. The game launched with an updated Ricochet kernel-level driver and advanced machine-learning systems to detect and address aimbotting. Activision acknowledges the sophisticated nature of cheat developers, emphasizing their continuous efforts to identify and remove cheaters from the game.