Season 3 cross-play change across Warzone & Black Ops 6 has huge ramifications

There’s a new cross-play setting arriving as part of Season 3 across Warzone and Black Ops 6. The option allows console players to stick together and it looks to be a game-changer.

Just a few console generations ago, the thought of playing with friends on other platforms was laughed off. PlayStation, Xbox, and PC marketplaces would never co-exist in such a way, we thought then.

Fast forward and now you can’t find a multiplayer game that doesn’t mix players from all platforms into every single lobby. It’s the way of things today, yet while it may sound more inclusive and beneficial on paper, it does have its downsides.

For one, console players are often exposed to more cheaters as they predominantly stir the pot with PC software. Call of Duty players know this pain all too well, having dealt with thousands of pesky hackers over the years.

Now, developers are handing out a new option that puts more control in the hands of the players. If you prefer, you can strip back the cross-play function thanks to a new feature arriving as part of the Season 3 update.

Warzone & Black Ops 6 Season 3 update brings new cross-play setting

Starting in Season 3, alongside the highly anticipated return of Verdansk, CoD players will have a new third option when it comes to cross-play.

Up until now, the two existing settings have been to either enable or disable cross-play entirely. With it on, you’re searching for lobbies with players across all platforms. With it switched off, you’re limiting your search to only players on the same platform.

Now, devs are “giving console players more granular options,” at least for some core playlists. Now, when searching for games across Warzone Ranked or Multiplayer (Ranked or Unranked), a third option is available. This option turns crossplay on, but only searches across console platforms.

Essentially, it opens the matchmaking field to all consoles but excludes PC players. On paper, this should be a huge help in avoiding cheaters where it matters most, in the competitive playlists across both Multiplayer and the Battle Royale.

For the time being, there’s no word about whether this setting will eventually be accessible for regular Warzone matches as well. There’s the obvious concern about queue times, as limiting the player pool could have you sitting in the menus for a few minutes at a time while searching for 149 other players.

Despite the presence of Ricochet, CoD’s proprietary anti-cheat system, lobbies are often still inundated with hackers of all kinds. From aimbot to outright shutting down lobbies if they get killed, we’ve seen it all in recent times, and this cross-play change is a helpful step for console players to avoid the frustration. PC players, you’re still out of luck for now.