Cheaters in Black Ops 6 Face Bans in Ranked Play, But at a Slow Pace

What You Need to Know

Ricochet, the anticheat engine behind the Call of Duty franchise, diligently works to shield both Black Ops 6 and the latest iteration of Warzone from cheaters. Recently, the team shared an update unveiling that they’ve banned 19,000 cheaters from ranked play and continue to perform regular sweeps to ensure fair play by clearing the leaderboard of dishonest players. However, the majority of the community feels this isn’t making a dent, as encountering a cheater seems inevitable in ranked matches or Warzone these days, especially for console players forced into crossplay with PC users.

Let me put it this way: if you’re resorting to cheats in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, I’m not angry; just disheartened. It’s baffling how some spend their hard-earned money on hacks instead of embracing and enjoying the challenge like the rest of us.

Forgive the rant. Let’s get back to the news. Ricochet’s developers have given us a glimpse of the battleground a week after Black Ops 6 ranked mode was unveiled.

On the surface, the announcement sounds promising. Ricochet is ramping up its efforts with AI systems to speed up enforcements, boasting over 19,000 bans since the launch of ranked play, along with hourly cleanups to uphold leaderboards’ integrity. But while 19,000 bans might seem substantial, it’s merely a fraction of the entire player base. While any action against cheaters is a step in the right direction, the problem persists, which suggests there’s room for improvement.

Despite the ongoing challenges, it’s a relief to see Ricochet taking strides to maintain fair play. Within mere hours of the mode’s release, suspicions arose about cheaters infiltrating the top 250 leaderboard positions. Not the most surprising turn of events, given your typical gamers’ predictions.

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Console gamers are somewhat justified in their frustrations. Crossplay with PC players in ranked Black Ops 6 exposes them to PC cheaters. While console players aren’t entirely innocent, the prevalence is significantly lower compared to their PC counterparts, particularly those using devices like Cronus.

I personally find Black Ops 6 quite enjoyable, even though I’m far from a pro. Regular matches with blatant cheaters are usually sparse, but step into ranked play, and you’ll probably encounter them every single game, which can be annoying—even in lower divisions. Pulling off a win against them brings satisfaction, but it’s undeniably grating.

While it’s tough to pinpoint a foolproof solution, I sincerely hope one exists. A cycle of new accounts popping up as swiftly as the old ones are banned is utterly draining. Remember when EA blamed the Steam Deck for cheating woes? Ultimately, we just crave a fair gaming experience. Dealing with cheaters really ruins the fun.