Call of Duty Anti-Cheating Efforts Intensify Ahead of Modern Warfare 4 Release

As the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 approaches, Activision is intensifying its battle against cheating in the series. The company has announced an update to its Ricochet anti-cheat system, which will be integral to the player experience in the upcoming title. Gamers participating in the Modern Warfare 4 beta, set to begin on August 21, will be required to enable Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 and Secure Boot, two key tools in the Ricochet system.

According to an official article posted on the Call of Duty X account, these Windows security features help establish a trusted foundation for Ricochet and make system-level tampering more difficult. This move is part of Activision's broader push to raise awareness about the effects of in-game cheating and to combat the perception that cheating is widespread in Call of Duty.

David Andrews, Activision's senior director of game security, described cheating as a systemic, industry-wide issue that every major publisher must address. He noted that it can be difficult to quantify the economic impact of cheating, but players who encounter cheaters exhibit higher churn rates and are more likely to become cheaters themselves over time.

Activision has also announced 70,000 new hardware bans intended to prevent Call of Duty cheaters from circumventing bans by creating new accounts. The company has committed to providing weekly updates on its anti-cheat efforts through the end of the first season of Modern Warfare 4.

In related news, Call of Duty NEXT 2026 is set to take place on August 21, featuring live gameplay, developer insights, and a full breakdown of what's coming to multiplayer. The Early Access Beta for Modern Warfare 4 will also go live on the same day, immediately after the broadcast ends.