Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 beta will have the same Secure Boot requirements that derailed some FPS fans from Battlefield 6 on PC

A woman with tattoos looking up during the trailer for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7.
(Image credit: Activision)

The Call of Duty devs have already been talking up the big anti-cheat features in store for Black Ops 7 for some time, including the fact that it's going to be making use of TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot. Today, they've confirmed that these features will be part of the beta, so if you don't want to suffer the same fate as those poor, unfortunate Battlefield 6 beta players, you might want to make sure your PC is ready to go right now.

"On PC, the Black Ops 7 Beta will require TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot," according to a new blog post from the devs. "Together with our upgraded RICOCHET Anti-Cheat detection systems, these features strengthen machine integrity, improve detections, and create a more secure environment that catches more cheating."

Our guide on how to enable Battlefield 6 Secure Boot will get you set up just as well when Black Ops 7 beta access begins, because it's the exact same thing: a Windows security feature that essentially makes sure only safe software is running. It does offer strong protection against cheats – but equally, it's a major annoyance to PC players who don't like overly restrictive security measures digging their way into the lower levels of the hardware.

Either way, Secure Boot is just the start for what the devs are calling "the most advanced and robust anti-cheat protections players will find in gaming." Starting with the beta, they'll be testing "a new generation of machine learning systems and detection tools built to make cheating riskier and less effective." Essentially, they're building an array of AI-based ways to stamp out aimbots and wall hacks.

The Black Ops 7 beta times and dates kick off soon, but in the meantime check out our Big Preview on how Treyarch is redefining what Call of Duty can be with Black Ops 7.

Dustin Bailey
Staff Writer

Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.

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