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 plans to allow console players in Ranked mode to disable crossplay with PC players. The issue of cheating has intensified since the introduction of Ranked Play, with many players citing it as a significant detriment to the competitive experience.

Activision's Team Ricochet, responsible for anti-cheat technology, previously acknowledged shortcomings in their initial Season 1 implementation of Ricochet Anti-Cheat, particularly impacting Ranked Play. They've since issued over 136,000 bans for Ranked Play violations.

A recent blog post details Activision's 2025 anti-cheat strategy. Season 2 will feature enhanced client and server-side detection systems, along with a crucial kernel-level driver update. Further advancements, including a novel player authentication system designed to identify and target cheaters, are promised for Season 3 and beyond. Specific details on this new system are being withheld to prevent cheat developers from exploiting the information.

A key short-term solution arriving with Season 2 is the option for console players in Black Ops 6 and Warzone Ranked Play to disable crossplay. This addresses the widely held belief that a significant portion of cheating originates on PC platforms, mirroring a practice already common in standard multiplayer modes.

Activision will closely monitor the impact of this change and consider further adjustments to maintain game integrity. While acknowledging ongoing skepticism from the community regarding anti-cheat updates, Activision highlights its substantial investment in anti-cheat technology and legal action against cheat developers, citing several recent successful cases.

Prior to Black Ops 6's launch, Activision aimed for sub-one-hour detection and removal of cheaters from their first match. The game launched with an updated Ricochet kernel-level driver (also implemented in Warzone), incorporating new machine learning systems for faster detection and gameplay analysis to counter aimbots. Activision emphasizes the organized and profitable nature of cheat development, highlighting the continuous effort to identify and remove cheaters through analysis of their actions within the game.