Activision will require TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot on PCs to access the Call of Duty Black Ops 7 beta, a move intended to raise the difficulty for would-be cheaters ahead of the October test weekend.
The Black Ops 7 beta runs from October 2 to October 8, with pre-order early access from October 2 to October 5, and general beta access from October 5 to October 8. The announcement says the new requirements apply to PC players for the beta build.
In an X post published on September 22, 2025, Activision stated that adding TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot will make it harder for bad actors to load cheats before entering a match, and that these steps help “raise the bar for security in PC gaming.”
— Call of Duty Updates (@CODUpdates) September 22, 2025
Activision highlighted work from Team Ricochet, saying the measures give the publisher a stronger foundation to develop further protections. “With this foundation in place, Team Ricochet will continue pushing forward, developing new ways to stay ahead of cheaters and safeguard the future of fair play in Call of Duty,” the statement reads.
Ricochet has recently been active in catching cheaters using third-party hardware. Activision reported that over 55,000 cheaters have been affected by mitigations that stopped them from performing certain in-game actions.
Requiring TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot means some PCs will need firmware or hardware changes to participate in the beta. Players who plan to test the game should check their motherboard and firmware settings to confirm both features are enabled, or consult their OEM for support.
These measures target the pre-match loading process, not in-match detection systems, so they act as a gate that raises the technical bar for cheats that rely on low-level access. Will this reduce incidents in online amateur tournaments and lower-tier competitive play? It could, by limiting some of the avenues recent cheaters have used.
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