Call of Duty Disables Crossplay Between PC and Console in Ranked Play

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 more control over crossplay.

The surge in cheating reports, particularly since the introduction of Ranked Play in Black Ops 6 and Warzone last year, has sparked considerable backlash from the community. Activision previously acknowledged shortcomings in its initial anti-cheat implementation 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 roadmap, 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 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 it.

A key immediate change for Season 2 is the introduction of crossplay disabling for console players in Ranked Play for both Black Ops 6 and Warzone. This addresses player concerns that a significant portion of cheating originates on PC. Console players have long disabled crossplay in standard multiplayer; this update extends that option to Ranked Play. Activision will closely monitor the impact of this change and consider further adjustments to maintain game integrity.

Despite these announcements, Activision's anti-cheat efforts continue to face skepticism from the community. Cheating, while not exclusive to Call of Duty, has become a major reputational challenge for Activision since the rise of Warzone in 2020. The publisher has invested heavily in anti-cheat technology and legal action against cheat developers, achieving several notable victories.

Prior to Black Ops 6's release, Activision stated its goal of banning cheaters within an hour of their first match. The game launched with an updated Ricochet kernel-level driver (also implemented in Warzone), incorporating machine learning to improve detection speed and analyze gameplay patterns to identify aimbots. Activision emphasizes that cheat developers are sophisticated, organized groups, but their actions inevitably leave traces that the company actively seeks to uncover and eliminate.