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 following the introduction of Ranked Play in Season 1, has sparked considerable outrage within the Call of Duty community. Activision's Team Ricochet, responsible for the Ricochet Anti-Cheat system, acknowledged previous shortcomings in preventing cheating, particularly at the launch of Season 1.
A recent blog post details Activision's 2025 anti-cheat roadmap. The company revealed 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 major kernel-level driver update. Further advancements, including a novel player authentication system designed to identify and ban cheaters more effectively, 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. This allows console players to compete exclusively against other console players, addressing the widely held belief that a significant portion of cheating originates from PC players. This option mirrors the existing crossplay disabling feature already available in standard Multiplayer modes.
Activision will closely monitor the impact of these changes 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 developing its technology and pursuing legal action against cheat developers, achieving several notable victories. 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 to detect and address aimbotting.
Activision acknowledges the sophisticated nature of cheat developers, describing them as organized, profit-driven groups constantly seeking vulnerabilities. However, the company emphasizes its commitment to identifying and removing these cheaters, highlighting that even the most advanced cheats leave detectable traces.
