With the launch of Season 3 this week, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone are introducing significant changes that have sparked concerns within the PC community, particularly regarding 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, introducing a new Multiplayer-only setting for Quickplay, Featured, and Party Games matches.
Starting April 4, the three settings—Multiplayer Ranked Play, Call of Duty: Warzone Ranked Play, and Multiplayer Unranked—will offer the following crossplay options:
- On: Enables matchmaking with all gaming platforms in selected playlists.
- On (Consoles Only): Enables matchmaking only with other consoles in selected playlists.
- Off: Restricts matchmaking to your current gaming platform in selected playlists.
Activision has warned that selecting "On (Consoles Only)" may negatively impact matchmaking queue times, while choosing "Off" will definitely lead to longer queue times. The introduction of console-only crossplay in regular Multiplayer has raised concerns among PC players, who fear it could lead to longer queue times due to fewer matchmaking options.
Cheating, a persistent issue in Call of Duty, is more prevalent on PC. Activision has acknowledged this, noting that unfair deaths attributed to console players are more likely due to 'intel advantage' than cheating. Consequently, many console players disable crossplay to avoid PC cheaters, which has led to the new settings. Some PC players have expressed frustration, suggesting that Activision should enhance its anti-cheat measures rather than isolating PC players.
Activision has invested heavily in combating cheating, with recent successes in shutting down prominent cheat providers like Phantom Overlay. Despite these efforts, the battle against cheating remains challenging. With Season 3, Activision promises improved anti-cheat technology, which will be crucial as Verdansk returns to Warzone, potentially drawing in a large influx of players.
However, many casual console players might not even notice or utilize the new settings, as they typically don't delve into patch notes or settings. They play unranked Multiplayer for fun and might not realize the option for console-only crossplay exists or understand its purpose. This point was emphasized by Call of Duty YouTuber TheXclusiveAce, who addressed PC player concerns on social media.
TheXclusiveAce noted that PC players will still matchmake with the majority of the player base, as most won't be aware of the new setting or will keep it on by default. He suggested that it's the players opting for console-only crossplay who might experience longer queue times, but this choice is now available to them for the first time in public matches.
As Season 3 approaches for Black Ops 6 and Warzone, it will be interesting to observe how these changes affect matchmaking and whether Activision's ongoing efforts against cheating will yield noticeable improvements.
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