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 concerns among the PC gaming community, particularly regarding matchmaking queue times. Activision has released the Season 3 patch notes, which confirm a major update to the regular Multiplayer mode. The update introduces separate settings for Multiplayer Ranked Play and *Call of Duty: Warzone* Ranked Play, along with a new setting for Multiplayer-only matches in Quickplay, Featured, and Party Games.

Starting April 4, these three settings will offer 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 explicitly warned that choosing "On (Consoles Only)" may lead to longer matchmaking queue times, and selecting "Off" will definitely impact queue times negatively. It’s the introduction of console-only crossplay in regular Multiplayer that has raised alarms among PC players. They fear that console players opting out of crossplay with PC users could result in extended queue times for them. This concern stems from the prevalent issue of cheating within the *Call of Duty* community, which is more common on PC. Activision itself has acknowledged this, noting that unfair deaths attributed to console players are more likely due to 'intel advantage' than outright cheating. As a result, many console players disable crossplay to avoid encounters with potential PC cheaters.

The reaction from the PC community has been vocal and varied. Some PC players, like redditor exjr_, expressed frustration but understanding: “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, such as X / Twitter user @GKeepnclassy, were more critical: “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 lamented, "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."

Many in the PC community have suggested that Activision should focus on improving its anti-cheat systems rather than segregating players. As redditor MailConsistent1344 stated, “Maybe they should fix their anti-cheat instead of isolating PC players.” Despite Activision's efforts, which have included spending millions to combat cheating and shutting down prominent cheat providers like Phantom Overlay, the battle against cheating remains challenging.

Activision has promised enhancements to its anti-cheat technology with the launch of Season 3. It will be crucial to observe whether these updates alleviate the concerns of PC players, especially with the anticipated return of Verdansk to *Warzone* expected to draw in a surge of new and returning players.

However, it's worth noting that a significant portion of the *Call of Duty* player base on consoles might not even be aware of these new settings. Most casual players do not delve into patch notes or settings menus, preferring to jump straight into unranked Multiplayer for a quick session of fun. As *Call of Duty* YouTuber TheXclusiveAce pointed out, the majority of players will likely continue playing with crossplay on by default, unaware of the new options or the reasons behind them.

TheXclusiveAce addressed the concerns of PC players, 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 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. 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*, the community will closely watch whether these changes impact gameplay and player experience, especially as Activision continues its ongoing battle against cheaters.