Ranked play is live in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 multiplayer. And Activision has decided to explain how it works when it comes to ranking Play matchmaking, which is different from non-ranked, or standard matchmaking.

Ranked Play arrived as part of Season 01, accessible to all players who reached 50 total wins in the multiplayer game.

Ranked Play Matchmaking

While Activision’s Call of Duty team shared before more details and a technical white paper about how to make a match in Call of Duty Multiplayer, Ranked Play matchmaking uses some unique mechanisms to take into account a player’s rank and skill while searching for the best possible.
connection.

Rank Play considers three major search parameters when matchmaking: A player’s connection quality, search time, and relative skill to the rest of the available player population. When creating Rank Play games, Activision intentionally allows longer search times to improve game quality.

Competitive Integrity Restrictions

These features cover all the ways the devs preserve the competitive integrity of Ranked Play. Restrictions are put in place to ensure a fair and competitive experience for all players. In-game features like loadout restrictions are designed even on the playing field, while matchmaking restrictions help balance lobbies before the game.

Connection – As previously shared, connection is a critical factor in the matching process.

Rank, Skill, Performance – Players can progress through eight ranks. Ranked matchmaking will attempt to group players of the same or similar rank. The range of suitable ranks will expand if there are not enough players available to produce a high quality game in the current target range.

Each player’s individual skill rating plays an important role in Play matchmaking rankings. The team started the game’s ranked quests with a small target skill rating difference between players and expanded the range of what was acceptable over time. Matching players of similar skill levels in the Ranked Game gives everyone a chance to have an impact on the game.

Match Time – This factor is to ensure that players spend more time playing the game and less time waiting for matches to start. Ranked Play lobbies prioritize competitive integrity, sometimes resulting in longer match search times to create lobbies with properly matched players.

New in Black Ops 6

The core principles of Ranked Play remain the same: Play competitive multiplayer matches using the same settings, maps, modes, and weapon restrictions as Call of Duty League. Black Ops 6 Ranked Play has many streamlined features, innovations, and updates:

Cross-Play: For Ranked Play in Black Ops 6, cross-play is active for all players. This allows the largest
Player population is possible to maximize the matching of players with others of the same rank and skill rating. The devs continue to gather community feedback, and are working hard on all aspects, including responding to reports of cheating with Ricochet, the anti-cheat technology.

Matchmaking: Ranked Game Launch

Rank matching will continue to place players with high skill ranks in the division of games appropriate to their skill. As more players reach higher Ranks, we will gradually begin to tighten our matchmaking parameters.

Full Parties of four can now play together in Ranked Play regardless of their individual rank. However, skill matching will be based on the highest ranked player in the party. Party skill restrictions still apply to parties consisting of two or three players.

Updated Ranking System

The 1-50 rank and skill division system seen in previous versions of the Ranked Game has been combined into a single Rank system. Gain SR and progress through 8 ranks: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Crimson, Iridescent, and Top 250. The progressive rank and Victory Stars system seen in previous installments of Rank Play removed to streamline the experience and focus on skills.

What is SR?

Skill Rank: Advance through the Ranks by earning SR by winning Ranked Play games. SR is awarded after each Ranked Match win and the amount earned is determined by the player’s distance from their projected Rank, their match performance, and margin of victory. SR is taken after losses. SR determines your rank.

Update: Loss Forgiveness: Regardless of your rank, every player’s first loss of the day will be forgiven and not deducted from SR. It doesn’t stack. Additionally, the three game loss waiver granted when you are promoted to a new rank or at the start of the season now only counts after Losses.

Other New Features

Map and mode veto: Before each ranked match, three map and mode combinations are presented to the lobby and Ranked Play teams, who can independently vote to veto one of the presented options. This gives players some control over what they play in Ranked Play and gives players and teams the opportunity to veto map and mode combinations they are not as skilled at or want to avoid. After both teams make their veto picks, the remaining option is chosen. If both teams veto the same option, the map/game mode will be randomly selected from the two non-vetoed options.

UPDATE: Seasonal Setback: The end-of-season skill rating setback has been adjusted in Black Ops 6 Rank Play to reduce the impact players feel early in their Rank journey. Each new season, your Rank can be reset based on where you finished the previous season, as follows: Bronze or Silver Rank players are not affected by Seasonal setback and can choose where they finished each Season no skill rating deduction.

Gold or Platinum players will start the next Season in Tier I of Gold or Platinum respectively.

Diamond players and above all will start the next Diamond I Season.

Ranked Game Rewards: Ranked Game has a variety of exclusive rewards that players can earn to demonstrate their skill and engagement in the mode, including Ranked Skins earned by achieving Gold Rank or longer in a season, rewards earned for reaching certain Career Win milestones, seasonal challenge rewards, and Top 250 Competitor and #1 overall Champion Skin.

Coming soon: Forfeit: Later this season, vote with your team to end a game early if your team is disbanded, or you lose a teammate. All teammates must vote on the forfeit for it to pass and the game ends. Lost matches are considered a standard loss and will not result in penalties or skill rating suspension. When enabled, Forfeit can be used in the Options Menu at a designated point in each mode:
Hardpoint: The Winning Team reaches 100 Points
Control: After 1st Round
Search and Destroy: After the 3rd Round