Call of Duty Ranked Console Players Can Disable Crossplay

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. Many players believe the prevalence of cheaters is severely impacting competitive gameplay. Activision previously acknowledged shortcomings in its initial anti-cheat implementation for Season 1, admitting that Ricochet Anti-Cheat didn't meet expectations, especially in Ranked Play.

A recent blog post details Activision's comprehensive anti-cheat plan for 2025. The company revealed over 136,000 Ranked Play accounts have been banned 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 ban 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 crossplay disabling for console players in Black Ops 6 and Warzone Ranked Play. This addresses the widely held belief that a significant portion of cheating originates on PC. Console players have long disabled crossplay in standard multiplayer; now, Ranked players will have the same option. Activision will closely monitor the impact of this change and consider further adjustments to maintain game integrity.

Despite Activision's efforts, the company's anti-cheat updates often face skepticism from the community. While cheating is not exclusive to Call of Duty, it has become a major reputational concern for Activision, especially since the explosive popularity of the free-to-play Warzone in 2020. Activision has invested heavily in anti-cheat technology and legal action against cheat developers, achieving several high-profile victories.

Prior to Black Ops 6's launch, Activision aimed to ban cheaters within an hour of their first match. The game launched with an updated Ricochet kernel-level driver (also implemented in Warzone), incorporating new machine learning systems to rapidly detect and analyze gameplay for aimbotting. Activision acknowledges the sophisticated nature of cheat developers, describing them as organized, illegal groups actively seeking vulnerabilities within the game's code. However, the company emphasizes that cheat developers inevitably leave traces, providing opportunities for detection and removal.