Cheaters and hackers in Call of Duty: Warzone are not necessarily banned immediately when caught cheating. There can also be a “shadow ban,” which allows cheaters to still access the game but only play with other cheaters.
Since the release of Call of Duty: Warzone, the battle royale has been plagued by an unfair problem: cheaters. Despicable cheaters use programs or hardware to gain an advantage in the game:
- They can see all opponents even through walls
- Aim bots automatically target enemies
- Cheaters instantly unlock all items in the game
There are many ways to cheat, and those who get caught usually receive a ban and cannot play Warzone with their account anymore. However, with a shadow ban, cheaters can still access the game – we’ll show you how this works on MeinMMO.
What is a Shadowban?
With this “light variant” of an actual ban, the developers want to group players they are very suspicious of together. If there are inconsistencies in the data, such as a very high headshot or hit rate, a shadow ban may occur.
At this point, the developers are not yet completely sure whether the player is indeed a cheater. Therefore, such players are first placed on their own server. In these matches, players with a shadow ban only meet players who are also considered suspicious by the developers.
The usual matchmaking is completely disabled, and only players with suspicious values populate these matches.
How can I recognize a Shadowban?
There is no indication in the game or on any website that shows you whether you are affected by a shadow ban. However, there are a few signs that you can look for in the game:
- Long matchmaking times
- High ping
- No chance in matches
Queues: Your pool of potential opponents is significantly smaller than normal. This can lead to very long matchmaking times.
Ping: Reports indicate that shadow ban servers often have a high ping. It may be that matchmaking no longer considers a player’s region, so you end up playing on servers far from your home region.
No chance: If you suddenly notice that every match is an unfair slaughter and you have no chance anymore, this could indicate a shadow ban. You are then only matched with “suspects” and potential cheaters on a server.
What can be done against a Shadowban?
If you feel you have received a shadow ban based on the three mentioned detection features, the first step is to wait. Play a few more matches to be sure. If you still believe that you are only on shadow ban servers, you have two options:
- Wait 7 to 14 days
- Report to Activision
According to various reports, you must either wait 7, 8, or 14 days to be unbanned. Of course, this is assuming you have not cheated.
You can also contact the publisher Activision support. There is a website for “ban appeals” (via support.activision.com). Log in with your CoD account and submit a complaint.
Warning about Permanent Bans: If your account has been completely banned, you usually have no chance of getting it back. Only in the case of “unauthorized access” do you have a chance to retrieve your account.
If someone else took over your account, played Warzone, and cheated, the ban can be lifted. However, you should be able to prove this in some way.
Why are there Shadowbans?
With such a light ban, normal players are protected from suspicious or blatant accounts. If there are irregularities, but it is not yet 100% certain that a player is actually a cheater, a shadow ban is imposed. This protects regular players in case of doubt, without issuing a permanent ban.
The accounts of the alleged cheaters are thus also better protected. A permanent ban is usually final in Call of Duty, and it is rare to get the banned account back. The shadow ban is, therefore, a sort of “probation period,” and the account is not immediately lost.
During this probation period, the developers can check how the suspicious player performs in the shadow ban lobbies. Winners in a match full of shadow ban players will probably find themselves at the top of the kill list.
If you want to read more about the anti-cheat measures of Call of Duty, check out our article about “RICOCHET.” The system goes live on Warzone on December 8th: CoD Warzone will soon have a new anti-cheat system – This is “RICOCHET”
