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

With the launch of Season 3 this week, *Call of Duty: Black Ops 6* and *Warzone* are set to undergo a significant transformation that has sparked concerns among the PC gaming community about potential impacts on their matchmaking queue times.

Activision released the Season 3 patch notes, confirming a pivotal change to regular Multiplayer. The update separates the settings for Multiplayer Ranked Play and *Call of Duty: Warzone* Ranked Play, introducing a new Multiplayer-only setting for Quickplay, Featured, and Party Games matches. This change will roll out on April 4 and includes the following crossplay options for the three settings:

• 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 result in longer matchmaking queue times, while choosing "Off" will definitely impact queue times negatively.

The introduction of console-only crossplay in regular Multiplayer has raised alarms among PC players, who fear longer queue times due to console players opting out of PC matchmaking. This concern stems from the prevalent issue of cheating in *Call of Duty*, particularly on PC platforms. Activision has acknowledged the higher incidence of cheating on PC, noting that unfair deaths attributed to console players are more likely due to 'intel advantage' rather than outright cheating. As a result, many console players disable crossplay to avoid potential cheaters.

PC players have voiced their frustrations on social media. Redditor exjr_ expressed understanding but also apprehension, stating, "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." Another user, @GKeepnclassy on X / Twitter, lamented, "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." Similarly, @CBBMack highlighted the existing challenges, saying, "My lobbies barely fill already to begin 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 enhancing 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 invested heavily in combating cheating, with recent successes including the shutdown of prominent cheat providers like Phantom Overlay. Despite these efforts, the battle against cheating remains challenging. Activision has promised improved anti-cheat technology with the launch of Season 3, which may alleviate some concerns for PC players, especially with the anticipated return of Verdansk to *Warzone*.

However, many within the community believe that the average, casual *Call of Duty* player on consoles may not even notice these new settings, as they typically do not delve into patch notes or settings adjustments. These players usually jump into unranked Multiplayer for a quick session and may continue to play with crossplay enabled by default, unaware of the option to disable it.

*Call of Duty* YouTuber TheXclusiveAce addressed the PC community's concerns, 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 will be fascinating to observe how these changes affect the gaming community, especially in the ongoing fight against cheaters.