"New Console-Only Crossplay Penalizes Non-Cheating PC Players in Call of Duty Multiplayer"

With the launch of Season 3 this week, *Call of Duty: Black Ops 6* and *Warzone* are set to undergo significant changes that have sparked concerns within the PC community about potential impacts on matchmaking queue times. Activision released the Season 3 patch notes, confirming a major update to regular Multiplayer. The update separates Multiplayer Ranked Play and *Call of Duty: Warzone* Ranked Play settings and introduces a new Multiplayer-only setting for Quickplay, Featured, and Party Games matches.

Starting April 4, when Season 3 goes live, each of these three settings—Multiplayer Ranked Play, *Call of Duty: Warzone* Ranked Play, and Multiplayer Unranked—will include the following crossplay options:

• On: Enables matchmaking with all gaming platforms when playing in the selected playlists.
• On (Consoles Only): Enables matchmaking only with other consoles when playing in selected playlists.
• Off: Restricts matchmaking to your current gaming platform only in selected playlists.

Activision has explicitly warned that selecting "On (Consoles Only)" may result in longer matchmaking queue times, and opting for "Off" will definitely lead to negatively impacted queue times.

The introduction of console-only crossplay in regular Multiplayer has alarmed some members of the *Call of Duty* PC community. They fear that console players opting out of crossplay could lead to longer queue times for PC players. This concern stems from *Call of Duty*'s history with cheating, which is more prevalent on PC. Activision recently acknowledged that unfair deaths attributed to console players are more likely due to 'intel advantage' rather than cheats. As a result, some console players disable crossplay to avoid potential encounters with PC cheaters.

Reactions from the PC community have been strong. Redditor exjr_ expressed their dismay but understanding of the change, hoping it wouldn't drastically affect PC queue times. X / Twitter user @GKeepnclassy criticized the move, arguing it unfairly penalizes non-cheating PC players. @CBBMack noted that their PC lobbies already struggle to fill due to skill-based matchmaking (SBMM), predicting further deterioration with this update.

Some PC players have suggested that Activision should focus on improving its anti-cheat measures rather than isolating PC players. Redditor MailConsistent1344 echoed this sentiment, calling for better anti-cheat solutions. Activision has indeed invested heavily in combating cheating, with recent successes including the shutdown of prominent cheat providers like Phantom Overlay and others ahead of Verdansk's return to *Warzone*. Despite these efforts, the battle against cheating remains challenging, and Activision has promised enhanced anti-cheat technology with Season 3.

However, many in the community believe that the majority of console players, who are often casual gamers, may not even be aware of these new settings. Most *Call of Duty* players typically do not delve into patch notes or settings, instead opting for unranked Multiplayer sessions for casual fun. As such, they might not utilize the console-only crossplay option or understand its purpose. This perspective was highlighted by *Call of Duty* YouTuber TheXclusiveAce, who addressed PC player concerns on social media.

TheXclusiveAce pointed out that PC players will still matchmake with the largest pool of players, as most console players will either not notice the new setting or choose to keep crossplay enabled. He emphasized that it's the players opting for console-only crossplay who will limit their matchmaking pool, a choice now available to them in public matches.

As Season 3 approaches for *Black Ops 6* and *Warzone*, it remains to be seen how these changes will affect the gaming experience and whether Activision's ongoing efforts to combat cheating will alleviate PC player concerns.