New Console-Only Crossplay Option 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 could impact matchmaking queue times, especially for the PC community. Activision's Season 3 patch notes have introduced a major update to regular Multiplayer, separating the settings for Multiplayer Ranked Play and *Call of Duty: Warzone* Ranked Play, and adding a new Multiplayer-only setting for Quickplay, Featured, and Party Games matches.

Starting April 4, each of these three settings will offer 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 warned that selecting On (Consoles Only) may lead to longer matchmaking queue times, while choosing Off will almost certainly result in longer waits. It's the introduction of console-only crossplay in regular Multiplayer that has raised concerns among PC players. They fear that console players opting out of matchmaking with PC players could lead to longer queue times for them.

The issue stems from the prevalence of cheating in *Call of Duty*, which is more common on PC. Activision has acknowledged this, stating that unfair deaths attributed to console players are more likely due to 'intel advantage' than actual cheating. As a result, some console players routinely disable crossplay to avoid potential encounters with PC cheaters.

The PC community's reaction has been vocal. Redditor exjr_ expressed their frustration, saying, “As a PC player…. hate this change but I get it. I hope it doesn’t affect queue times for the game in the long-run so I’m not forced to buy the game on PS5 to have a good experience.” Similarly, X / Twitter user @GKeepnclassy stated, “This is awful for PC players because this just killed PC. Terrible idea because now PC players that ARE NOT cheating are being penalized. This is bullshit.”

Another player, @CBBMack, voiced concerns about already slow matchmaking due to skill-based matchmaking (SBMM), saying, “My lobbies barely fill already to being with on PC due to sbmm. This will without a doubt make it worse. Time to plug in the console I guess.”

Some PC players argue that Activision should focus on improving its anti-cheat measures rather than isolating PC players. Redditor MailConsistent1344 commented, “Maybe they should fix their anti-cheat instead of isolating PC players.”

Activision has been actively fighting cheating in *Call of Duty*, investing millions of dollars and achieving several high-profile successes. For instance, Phantom Overlay announced its shutdown in March, and four cheat providers were closed down ahead of the anticipated return of Verdansk to *Warzone*. Despite these efforts, the battle against cheating remains challenging. With the launch of Season 3, Activision has promised enhanced anti-cheat technology, which could affect the PC player experience, particularly with the expected influx of players due to Verdansk's return.

However, many in the community point out that the vast majority of casual *Call of Duty* players on consoles may not even be aware of these new settings. Most players do not delve into patch notes or spend time adjusting settings, preferring to jump straight into unranked Multiplayer for a casual experience. As a result, these players are likely to continue playing with crossplay enabled by default, unaware of the console-only option or its purpose.

*Call of Duty* YouTuber TheXclusiveAce addressed the PC community's concerns in a social media post, stating, “I see a lot of pushback with this change from PC players concerned that they won't be able to find games in lesser played modes or that matchmaking will take too long. To be clear, PC players will still be matchmaking with the largest pool of the playerbase since that majority of players won't even notice this setting exists so they'll stick to the default or even if they are aware of it, many will choose to leave it on. If anything, it's the players that decide to turn console-only crossplay on that will be limiting their matchmaking pool but that's a choice that's now in their hands for the first time in Pubs and it's a tradeoff that many of us will be happy to make.”

As Season 3 approaches for *Black Ops 6* and *Warzone*, it remains to be seen whether these changes will significantly impact the game's ecosystem as Activision's efforts to combat cheating continue.