Ranked Play is now live in Black Ops 6. From new features to a raft of rewards, there’s plenty to learn before diving in, and we’ve got the full rundown.
With each new CoD, players are always looking to prove who’s the very best. Outside of the Call of Duty League itself, the best way to gauge the competition is through Ranked Play. It’s the ultimate arena where wins, losses, and individual performance all truly matter.
Black Ops 6 added Ranked Play much earlier than usual. Though while a great deal will be familiar to experienced competitors, there’s a fair bit that’s changing as well.
So to get you fully up to speed before diving in, here’s a comprehensive overview of how Ranked Play works in Black Ops 6.
How to access Ranked Played in Black Ops 6
To unlock Ranked Play in Black Ops 6, you first have to win 50 matches in standard multiplayer playlists. That’s right, wins, not just matches complete, but you have to come out on top in 50 games.
This is a different requirement to previous years as many earlier CoD titles simply locked Ranked Play access behind level 55. Now, you can reach Ranked Play sooner, but only if you’re winning.
For those who have been on the grind since Black Ops 6 was released, you’re in luck. Any wins already piled up before Season 1 arrives all count towards the requirement.
Rank system breakdown
There are eight ranks to climb through in Black Ops 6, and they’ll be familiar to experienced CoD players. All players begin their first Competitive Season at Bronze I Rank with 0 SR.
The ranking system progresses as follows:
- Bronze – Starting Rank
- Silver – 900 SR
- Gold – 2,100 SR
- Platinum – 3,600 SR
- Diamond – 5,400 SR
- Crimson – 7,500 SR
- Iridescent – 10,000 SR
- Top 250 – 10,000+ SR
Black Ops 6 removed the Progressive Rank and the Victory Stars system seen in previous Ranked Play installments to streamline the experience.
How Ranked Play works in Black Ops 6
Ranked Play is pure competitive Call of Duty, meaning 4v4 matches with CDL rules enabled. It’s designed to have players competing like the pros in an online setting.
You can grind solo or as part of a duo, trio, or full squad of four. Keep in mind though, if searching as part of a group, matchmaking is always based on the highest rank in the team.
Your goal is to advance through the tiers listed above by earning Skill Rating (SR). The better you perform, and the more wins you rack up, the more SR you’ll earn. Though there’s a bit more nuance to it than just that.
A number of factors are considered when it comes to earning SR, including the following: Your distance from your projected rank, your individual performance in a given match, and the margin of any given victory.
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As you’d expect, SR is deducted with every loss, regardless of how well you might have played individually. Wins are factored above all else. Thankfully, your first loss of a day is forgiven and won’t impact SR, so you get some time to warm up.
Ranks are then reset at the end of every season, and depending on where you finish up, it’ll impact where you start the next season. Below is a breakdown courtesy of Activision:
- Bronze or Silver Ranked players are not impacted by the Seasonal setback and will be able to pick up where they ended each Season with no SR deduction.
- Gold or Platinum players will start the next Season in Tier I of Gold or Platinum respectively.
- Diamond and above players will start the next Season at Diamond I.
New Ranked Play features
Shaking things up a bit in this year’s Ranked component are two essential new features. First is the ability for teams to veto certain maps and modes.
At the start of every ranked match, lobbies are presented with three map and mode combinations. Each team then votes to remove one of the options. When two are removed, the match loads up on the remaining map and mode.
If both teams happen to veto the same map and mode, however, it’s then a coinflip to determine which remaining option is picked.
Alongside the veto system, Black Ops 6 also introduces the ability for teams to forfeit. Teams can vote to end a match early if they’re getting stomped or a teammate has dropped out. Votes have to be unanimous and if they go through, it counts as a normal loss in terms of SR.
Maps and modes
Here is the complete maps and modes list for Ranked Play in Season 1. These are all subject to change in future updates based on community feedback and Call of Duty League player votes.
| Hardpoint | S&D | Control |
|---|---|---|
| Protocol | Protocol | Protocol |
| Vault | Vault | Vault |
| Rewind | Rewind | Rewind |
| Skyline | Skyline | |
| Red Card | Red Card |
Ranked Play Restrictions
Here is a list of every weapon, Perk, attachment, equipment item, and Scorestreak restricted in Ranked Play. Anything not seen below will be available to use in the game mode.
Treyarch confirmed that the restrictions will be updated over the next few weeks to reflect the CDL competitive ruleset.
Weapons
- AS VAL
- Tanto. 22
- 9mm PM
- Grekhova
- GS45
- SVD
- All Marksman Rifles
- All Shotguns
- All Launchers
- Al Special Weapons
- Restricted in Hardpoint & Control: LW3A1 Frostline & LR 7.62
Attachments
- All Thermal Optics
- All Night Vision Optics
- Kepler Pistol Scope
- All Suppressors
- All Suppressed Barrels
- All Headshot Multiplier Barrels
- All Underbarrel Launchers
- All Extended Mags
- All Lasers
- All Rapid Fire attachments
- All FMJ Rounds attachments
- All Sniper Attachments
Lethals
- Impact Grenade
- C4
- Molotov
- Blast Trap
- Drill Charge
- Combat Axe
- Thermo Grenades
Tacticals
- Spy Cam
- Stim Shot
- Prox Alarm
- Decoy
- Shock Charge
- Restricted in Hardpoint & Control: Smoke Grenades
Field Upgrades
- Spring Mine
- Scrambler
- Signal Lure
- War Cry
- Tac Insert
- Acoustic Amp
- Morphine Injector
- Neurogas
- Sleeper Agent
Scorestreaks
- Scout Pulse
- Sam Turret
- UAV
- CUAV
- Archangel Launcher
- Care Package
- Napalm Strike
- LDBR
- Sentry Turret
- Watchdog Helo
- AGR Mark 1
- Interceptors
- Strategic Bomber
- HARP
- Chopper Gunner
- Dreadnaught
- Nuke
- Hand Cannon
- Restricted in Hardpoint & Control: RC-XD
Perks
- Al Combat Specialities
- Assassin
- Bruiser
- Bankroll
- Scavenger
- Ghost
- Engineer
- Tracker
- Forward Intel
- Vigilance
- Cold-Blooded
- Dispatcher
- Shadow
- Guardian
- Gearhead
Wildcards
- Tactical Expert
- Overkill
- Danger Close
- Prepper
Ranked Play rewards
Here is a breakdown of every reward in Ranked Play during Season 1.
Rank Operator Skins
Operator skins are available at the launch of this first season and can be earned in any season. All Gold through Iridescent operator skins are awarded immediately, but the Top 250 rewards are given out at the end of the season.
Win Challenges
Win Challenges are achieved over the course of your Ranked Play Career and don’t reset when a new season starts.
- 5 Wins: Emblem: Ranked Play Competitor
- 10 Wins: Operator Skin: Black Ops Ranked Competitor (Home & Away)
- 20 Wins: Blueprint: Pro Issue Frag Skin
- 30 Wins: Gunscreen: Ranked Play Win Tacker
- 40 Wins: Loading Screen: Ranked Play Locker
- 50 Wins: Camo: SR Collector
- 100 Wins: Charm: 100 Ranked Wins
- 250 Wins: Spray: 250 Ranked Wins
- 500 Wins: Large Decal: 500 Ranked Wins
- 1000 Wins: Blueprint: 1000 Win Knife Skin, Animated Emblem: 1000 Ranked Wins
Season 1 Rewards
- 10 Season 1 Wins
- 100 Season 1 Wins
- Reach Silver: Calling Card
- Reach Gold: Calling Card & Large Decal
- Reach Platinum: Calling Card & Large Decal
- Reach Diamond: Calling Card & Large Decal
- Reach Iridescent: Calling Card & Large Decal
- Finish in Top 250: Calling Card & Large Decal
- Finish #1 in Top 250: Calling Card
That’s everything we know about the game mode. For more information, check out our guide on the best Ranked Play loadouts.