Fariha Bhatti 
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has upgraded Richochet anti-cheat aimed at filtering out cheaters quickly, but players are claiming they’ve received a bogus shadow ban. Here’s all we know about it.
A few days before the release of Black Ops 6, many Warzone players were mistakenly banned while Treyarch was testing new upgrades to the Ricochet anti-cheat system. According to the developer, the anti-cheat measures were implemented too aggressively, but the bans were eventually reversed. The update blog also promised an improved experience for Black Ops 6.
However, some players are now encountering a “limited matchmaking” error.
Limited matchmaking, more popularly known as “shadow ban” in the CoD community, is preventing players from getting the ideal multiplayer experience. Here’s what it means and how to check if you’ve been shadow-banned in Black Ops 6.
What is the shadow ban in Black Ops 6?
Shadow bans occur when Ricochet detects suspicious gameplay, but it’s uncertain whether a third-party cheat is involved.
The anti-cheat system puts the account in a timeout while it investigates it for cheating. This stretch is labeled as “Limited matchmaking.”
During this time, players are only matched against those in the same boat, preventing them from queuing with regular players. Players refer to it as a shadow ban, as there is no notification or error indicating their addition to the blacklist. There are two possible outcomes of a shadow ban; players may either be moved back to regular lobbies after a few days or they will receive a notification informing them of a temporary or permanent ban.
While it’s an excellent way to filter out cheaters, players suspect Richochet is glitching again, distributing false shadow bans to legit players in Black Ops 6.
How to check if you’re shadow-banned in Black Ops 6
Players can see if they’ve been shadow-banned in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 by checking out the ban appeal website.
Increased queue times may be indicative of a shadow ban. This results from the game trying to match players with similarly punished players. Those who experience long waiting times and expect they’ve been shadow-banned can check their account status by using this method:
- Go to Activision’s official ban appeal website
- Log in with your account credentials
- Click on “Appeal on a ban”
- Shadow-banned players will see a “not eligible for ban appeal” header. Under this header, the history will show a “Limited matchmaking” sign.
Unfortunately, players can’t appeal a false shadow ban and must wait for it to turn into a temporary or permanent ban to appeal it.
