Activision Allows Console Players to Disable PC Crossplay in Call of Duty Amid Cheating Surge

Activision has taken significant steps to address the growing concerns about cheating within the *Call of Duty* community, particularly in *Black Ops 6* and *Warzone*. In response to widespread complaints following the launch of Ranked Play in Season 1 last year, the company has introduced several measures aimed at curbing cheating and enhancing the competitive integrity of the game.

Last month, Activision’s anti-cheat division, Team Ricochet, acknowledged that their initial efforts to combat cheating at the start of Season 1 were insufficient. They admitted, “After a series of updates our systems are in a better place today across all modes; however, we did not hit the mark for the integration of Ricochet Anti-Cheat at the launch of Season 01 — particularly for Ranked Play.”

In a recent blog post, Activision detailed their comprehensive plan to tackle cheating in *Call of Duty* throughout 2025. They reported issuing over 136,000 account bans in Ranked Play since its inception. With the upcoming Season 2, players can expect new and enhanced client and server-side detection systems, alongside a major update to the kernel-level driver. Looking ahead to Season 3 and beyond, Activision teased the introduction of innovative technology, including a new system designed to authenticate legitimate players while targeting cheaters. However, they refrained from providing specifics to prevent cheat developers from gaining insights into their strategies.

A significant short-term change coming with Season 2 is the option for console players to disable crossplay in *Black Ops 6* and *Warzone* Ranked Play. This move addresses the belief that cheating is more prevalent among PC players. Console players have long opted out of crossplay in standard Multiplayer to avoid cheaters, and now, Ranked players will have the same opportunity. Activision stated, “We'll be monitoring closely and will consider further changes to prioritize the integrity of the ecosystem, and we’ll have more details to share as we get closer to the launch of this feature.”

Despite these efforts, Activision's anti-cheat updates often face skepticism from the *Call of Duty* community. Cheating has been a persistent issue for the franchise, particularly since the rise of the free-to-play *Warzone* in 2020. The company has invested heavily in anti-cheat technology and legal actions against cheat developers, achieving several notable victories in court.

Prior to the launch of *Black Ops 6*, Activision set a goal to remove cheaters from the game within one hour of their first match. *Black Ops 6* and *Warzone* were equipped with an updated kernel-level driver and new machine-learning behavioral systems designed to quickly detect and analyze gameplay to combat aim bots.

Activision described cheat developers as organized, illegal entities that meticulously analyze game data to exploit vulnerabilities. They emphasized, "The people behind cheats are organized, illegal groups that pick apart every piece of data within our games to look for some way to make cheating possible. These bad guys are not just some script kiddies poking around with code they found online. They are a collective who profit from exploiting the hard work of game developers across the industry. But cheat developers are flawed (clearly — they have to pretend to be good at video games). Every time they cheat, they leave breadcrumbs behind. We’re always looking for those breadcrumbs to find the bad actors and get them out of the game."