In a press release on Blizzard’s blog, the Microsoft-acquired company said that it is rolling out security updates by requiring players to use Secure Boot on their PC when starting Windows. It highlighted that this move is intended to give gamers better protection from cheating and hacking.

• Also, don’t miss: These two adventure games are free to download

What Does Secure Boot Do?

For starters, Secure Boot is a security feature found in newer computers. It is used to combat unwanted or tampered programs, including cheat tools, by blocking them from the boot-up process and ensuring that only verified software runs. These hardware-level tools make it harder for cheaters to deploy their software.

While Activision already utilizes RICOCHET Anti-Cheat, its custom anti-cheat system, the use of Secure Boot further strengthens the anti-hacking and cheating detection and blocking mechanisms on a PC.

Players will also need to use a PC with a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 to access the game. It’s well-known that most modern computer chipsets and motherboards support TPM 2.0, so this won’t be a major hurdle for many players.

The game publisher states that these requirements will be introduced with Season 5 in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Call of Duty: Warzone. However, the full security features will be required starting with Black Ops 7, which is slated to launch later this year.

Besides Activision, EA is another prominent publisher that has required its gamers to use Secure Boot for its upcoming first-person shooter game Battlefield 6, which is already in beta testing.

How to Check and Enable Secure Boot in Your PC

On most modern Windows PCs, Secure Boot is already enabled. But if you want to check if it’s enabled on your computer, here’s how it is done.

1. Press Windows + R on your PC to open the command prompt.
2. Type msinfo32 and hit Enter.
3. Under the System Summary, look for Secure Boot State.
4. Check if it is On or Off.

If it’s off, you will need to proceed with enabling Secure Boot from the BIOS.

Remember that the steps for activating Secure Boot vary between OEMs. Activision itself has provided a step-by-step guide on how to enable Secure Boot for different manufacturers.

What are your thoughts on these game safeguards? Do you think Secure Boot is unnecessary and just adds confusion for players? We want to hear your answers in the comments.