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 surge in cheating reports, particularly since the introduction of Ranked Play in Season 1 of Black Ops 6 and Warzone, has ignited intense debate within the Call of Duty community. Many players believe rampant cheating is undermining competitive integrity. Activision previously acknowledged shortcomings in its initial anti-cheat deployment for Season 1, stating that Ricochet Anti-Cheat didn't meet expectations, especially in Ranked Play.

A recent blog post details Activision's 2025 anti-cheat strategy, revealing over 136,000 Ranked Play account bans since the mode's launch. Season 2 will introduce enhanced client-side and server-side detection systems, along with a significant 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 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 addresses the widely held belief that a significant portion of cheating originates from PC players. Console players have long disabled crossplay in standard Multiplayer; this option will now extend to Ranked Play. Activision will monitor the impact and consider further adjustments to maintain game integrity.

While Activision's anti-cheat efforts are often met with skepticism, the company has invested heavily in Ricochet technology and legal action against cheat developers, achieving notable successes recently. Prior to Black Ops 6's release, 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 and improved machine learning systems to detect aimbots more quickly. Activision recognizes the sophisticated and organized nature of cheat developers, emphasizing their ongoing efforts to identify and remove cheaters.