When will Ricochet anti-cheat release for Warzone?

Since its initial release in March 2020, Call of Duty: Warzone has had a cheater problem. The issue has escalated over time, and in July 2021, the game became practically unplayable due to rampant cheating according to high-profile content creators and players, including the likes of JGOD and NICKMERCS, with the latter preferring Apex Legends more often than not due to this issue.

Following the official unveiling of COD Vanguard, Activision announced a new kernel-level anti-cheat called Ricochet in October, the code of which has allegedly already been leaked to cheat developers. While many are still hopeful that the new anti-cheat will vanquish cheaters from Warzone, there is some confusion on when Ricochet and its kernel-level driver will release.

Ricochet anti-cheat Warzone release date

Many fans might assume that the Ricochet anti-cheat system as a whole will arrive in Warzone when COD Vanguard releases on 5th November 2021.

This assumption is wrong, unfortunately, as it is likely we won't see the full effectiveness of the system until December.

To be clear, the Ricochet system basically has two release dates from what we can tell. First off, on 5th November, there will be some backend anti-cheat security features in place.

Activision explains in the Warzone section of their content plan for Vanguard's launch and beyond: "Our upcoming initiative, supported by a team of dedicated professionals focused on fighting unfair play, will already have several backend anti-cheat security features by Vanguard’s launch on November 5."

This alludes to some new anti-cheat systems coming to Warzone on 5th November. 

Here's where things get interesting. The Ricochet anti-cheat kernel-level driver will release with the Warzone Pacific Season 1 update on 2nd December 2021, 3rd December if you don't own Vanguard.

The kernel-level driver will only be available on PC and for Warzone at this time and will assist in identifying cheaters. The Ricochet anti-cheat will also deploy "server-side upgrades". 

To summarize, players might not see the full effects of the Ricochet anti-cheat system in all its glory until Warzone Pacific Season 1 releases. The kernel-level driver will subsequently release for Vanguard at a later, undisclosed date.

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Featured image courtesy of Activision.