How to see if you’re shadow banned in Call of Duty, what it does

Just like many other games and apps, shadow bans exist in Call of Duty; but what do they actually do and how can you tell if you’re affected?

Moderating user interactions is one of the most difficult things to handle for any tech company. The internet is all kinds of toxic these days and toxicity can run off new users. That said, tech companies also don’t want to chase off their established user base by restricting access.

The solution that many of these entities have come to is shadow bans. While this term is far-reaching, as seen with Pokemon GO’s comparatively loud shadow bans, the generally common thread between them is that shadow-banned users can still enjoy the experience, but are either subtly inconvenienced or are muted in some way. So how do shadow bans work in Call of Duty, and how can you tell if something’s wrong?

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What is a shadow ban in Call of Duty?

A shadow ban in Call of Duty is a separate matchmaking pool that is predominantly made up of suspected cheaters.

Shadow bans are used in response to players who are suspected of cheating, but don’t get flagged by the Ricochet anti-cheat engine. Activision has not revealed its exact methodology for when it shadow bans an account. However, the common belief among shadow-banned users is that it occurs after a user receives a certain volume of in-game reports. It’s uncertain whether these are strictly related to suspicious gameplay, or if toxic communications can contribute to a shadow ban.

Regardless, players who receive a shadow ban in Call of Duty are guaranteed a significantly worse experience. Because shadow ban recipients are placed against others who have been flagged, it means that players are far more likely to encounter cheaters. Given how Ricochet is widely regarded as one of the worst anti-cheat engines in the industry, it means that players who are stuck in this secret queue for an extended period of time will likely be competing with hackers for some time.

How to tell if you have a shadow ban

Players can look at their account status on the Call of Duty ban appeal website.

Here’s how to do so:

• Visit the Call of Duty ban appeal website
• Log into the account you suspect is shadow banned
• Click on “Appeal a Ban”

Call of Duty players who have received a shadow ban will be shown as having “limited matchmaking” in certain games. The official description states that shadow bans are applied due to “due to a potential violation.” Players who are shadow banned from one Call of Duty won’t necessarily receive a shadow ban for every game in the series.

Shadow bans cannot be appealed and there are no specific criteria for when it is lifted. Players aren’t given any explicit in-game notification when the ban ends. As such, players will need to return to the site to confirm whether the ban has been lifted.

All Call of Duty players can do is keep on playing and hope for the best.