PC Players 'Penalized' by Console-Only Crossplay 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 concern among the PC community, particularly about potential impacts on matchmaking queue times. Activision has released the Season 3 patch notes, confirming a major overhaul in regular Multiplayer settings. The update introduces separate settings for Multiplayer Ranked Play, Call of Duty: Warzone Ranked Play, and a new Multiplayer-only setting for Quickplay, Featured, and Party Games matches.

Starting April 4, these three settings will feature 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 cautioned that selecting On (Consoles Only) may lead to longer matchmaking queue times, while choosing Off will definitely result in extended wait times. The introduction of console-only crossplay in regular Multiplayer has raised alarms within the PC community, who fear this could lead to longer queue times for them.

Cheating remains a significant issue in Call of Duty, particularly on PC. Activision has acknowledged that cheating is more common on this platform, and some console players disable crossplay to avoid encounters with cheaters. This has led to frustration among PC players, who feel unfairly penalized. For instance, redditor exjr_ expressed understanding but also concern: "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."

Others echoed this sentiment, with X / Twitter user @GKeepnclassy stating, "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 noted, "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 combating cheating, spending millions to shut down cheat providers, as reported by IGN. Notable successes include the recent closure of Phantom Overlay and four other cheat providers just before the much-anticipated return of Verdansk to Warzone. Despite these efforts, the fight against cheating remains challenging. Activision has promised enhanced anti-cheat technology with Season 3, which may help address PC player concerns.

However, it's worth noting that many casual console players may not even be aware of these new settings. As pointed out by Call of Duty YouTuber TheXclusiveAce, the majority of the playerbase might not notice or bother with the new settings, continuing to play with crossplay enabled by default. TheXclusiveAce emphasized, "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."

As Season 3 approaches for Black Ops 6 and Warzone, the impact of these changes on matchmaking and the ongoing battle against cheaters will be closely watched.