With the launch of Season 3 this week, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone are set to undergo significant changes, particularly in the realm of crossplay settings. These updates, announced in the Season 3 patch notes by Activision, are primarily focused on the Multiplayer mode. The patch introduces a separation between Multiplayer Ranked Play and Call of Duty: Warzone Ranked Play settings, and it also adds a new Multiplayer-only setting for Quickplay, Featured, and Party Games matches. Starting April 4, players can choose from three crossplay options for these 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 explicitly warned that selecting "On (Consoles Only)" or "Off" may negatively impact matchmaking queue times. This change has sparked concern within the PC community, with some players fearing longer wait times due to console players opting out of crossplay to avoid PC cheaters.

Cheating has long been a contentious issue in Call of Duty, particularly on PC. Activision has acknowledged the higher prevalence of cheating on PC, noting that unfair deaths attributed to console players are more likely due to 'intel advantage' rather than actual cheating. As a result, many console players disable crossplay to minimize encounters with potential PC cheaters, a practice that the new settings may exacerbate.

PC players have expressed frustration over these changes. Reddit user exjr_ lamented, "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 criticized the update, saying, "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 user, @CBBMack, added, "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 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, investing millions in efforts to shut down cheat providers. Recent successes include the closure of Phantom Overlay and four other cheat providers ahead of Verdansk's anticipated return to Warzone. Despite these efforts, the fight against cheating remains challenging. Activision promises enhanced anti-cheat technology with Season 3, which may help alleviate PC players' concerns.

However, many in the console community may not even be aware of these new settings. The majority of casual Call of Duty players typically do not delve into patch notes or spend time adjusting settings. They jump into unranked Multiplayer for casual fun and may not realize the option for console-only crossplay exists or why it might be necessary. As a result, most console players will likely continue playing with crossplay on by default.

Call of Duty YouTuber TheXclusiveAce addressed PC player 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 the 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 intriguing to observe the impact of these changes on the player base, particularly as Activision's efforts to combat cheating continue.