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 the option to disable crossplay with PC players in Ranked Play.
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. Many players believe the prevalence of cheaters is severely undermining the competitive experience. Activision previously acknowledged shortcomings in its initial anti-cheat deployment, admitting that the Ricochet Anti-Cheat system didn't meet expectations at the Season 1 launch, especially in Ranked Play.
A recent blog post details Activision's comprehensive plan to combat cheating in 2025. The company revealed over 136,000 Ranked Play accounts have been banned since the mode's inception. 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 addresses the widely held belief that a significant portion of cheating originates on PC platforms. Console players have long disabled crossplay in standard Multiplayer; this feature will now extend to Ranked Play. Activision will closely monitor the impact of this change and consider further adjustments to maintain game integrity.
While Activision's anti-cheat efforts are often met with skepticism from the community, the company has invested heavily in its Ricochet 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 enhanced machine-learning systems focused on rapid 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 them from the game.
