The Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 multiplayer beta launched with an unwelcome surprise. Players began reporting cheaters within hours of the servers going live, posting clips showing suspected aimbots and wallhacks in PC lobbies.
The allegations came fast. Some players said they encountered obvious cheating in their very first matches, describing enemies snapping between targets with perfect accuracy and tracking opponents through solid walls. Video evidence quickly circulated showing suspicious gameplay that bore the hallmarks of classic FPS cheats.
Not everyone shared the same experience. Several players reported multiple hours of clean matches without encountering any suspicious behavior. The varied reports suggest cheating is present but not necessarily widespread, though the true scale remains unclear.
The bigger question centers on Activision’s Ricochet anti-cheat system. The company previously announced new security requirements for PC players, including mandatory Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 support. These measures aim to block low-level cheats that traditional detection methods struggle to catch.
But those requirements aren’t fully enforced during the beta. At least one player confirmed they could launch and play the beta without Secure Boot enabled, suggesting the stricter security measures won’t activate until the full release in late 2025.
This timeline makes sense from a development perspective. Betas often serve a dual purpose: testing gameplay while collecting data on cheat behavior. The less restricted environment lets Activision see what cheating methods emerge, then refine their detection systems before launch.
Ricochet combines kernel-level drivers with server-side analytics to catch cheaters. Since its 2021 introduction, the system has evolved through periodic updates and ban waves. Still, it faces constant pressure from cheat developers who treat each new Call of Duty release as a fresh challenge.
Crossplay adds another layer to the problem. Console players in mixed lobbies can potentially face PC cheaters unless they disable crossplay in their settings. PC players generally lack this option, leaving them more exposed to compromised matches.
Early access periods have become prime testing grounds for cheat developers. They use betas to see which methods evade detection before the game launches to millions of players. Activision likely expects this activity and uses the data to strengthen Ricochet before Black Ops 6 officially releases.
