What You Need to Know About Activision Shadow-bans

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Why Activision "shadow-bans" happen, how to check your account, appeal, and more

Written by Travis Boylls

Last Updated: May 30, 2024 Fact Checked

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How to Appeal a Shadow-ban

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What Is Shadow-banning?

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Checking if You've Been Shadow-banned

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How Do You Get Shadow-banned?

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Can You Be Shadow-banned by Mistake?

When Call of Duty players that run afoul of Activision's Security and Enforcement policy, they may find themselves shadow-banned, if not permanently banned altogether. However, some players have reported that they suspect they have been shadow-banned for no good reason. How can you tell if you've been shadow-banned? This wikiHow article answers all your questions about Shadow-banning from Activision.

Shadow-banning in Call of Duty

Shadow-banning occurs when a player is suspected of cheating or engaging in inappropriate conduct. They are placed in a limited matchmaking state where they can only match with other players suspected of cheating or engaging in inappropriate conduct.

Section 1 of 5:

How to Appeal a Shadow-ban

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Use the Activision Appeals page to submit an appeal. Activision will not respond to multiple appeals or appeals sent through other channels. There is no guaranteed timeline for when you will hear back from Activision. You will need to keep an eye on your email to see when they respond. Use the following steps to submit an appeal:^{[1]
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- Go to https://support.activision.com/ban-appeal in a web browser.
- Click Log in to Continue.
- Log in to your Activision account.
- Click Continue.
- Read the notice and click Agree and Continue.
- Write a detailed appeal explaining why you think you should not be penalized.
- Click Submit.

Section 2 of 5:

What Is Shadow-banning?

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Shadow-banning occurs when your account is placed into limited matchmaking. This occurs with accounts that are suspected of cheating or running afoul of Activision's Security and Enforcement policy. While in limited matchmaking, you will only be able to match with other players who have also been placed under limited matchmaking.^{[2]
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- While you are under limited matchmaking, you may encounter a large number of cheaters in your game, you will have consistently high ping, and longer wait times in the queue, and your account will be labeled as limited matchmaking.

Section 3 of 5:

Checking if You've Been Shadow-banned

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Use the following steps to check if you've been shadow-banned. If you suspect you've been shadow-banned, you can use the following steps to check to see if you are shadow-banned:^{[3]
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- Go to https://support.activision.com/ban-appeal in a web browser.
- Click Log in to Continue.
- Log in to your Activision account.
- Click Continue.
- Read the notice and click Agree and Continue.
- Check the status of your account.
  - If your account reads "Under review" there's a good chance you have been shadow-banned. If your account reads "No ban detected" you are probably not shadow-banned.

Section 4 of 5:

How Do You Get Shadow-banned?

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You get shadow-banned by violating the Security and Enforcement policy. This mostly involves cheating, but it may also include derogatory and offensive behavior. In addition to shadow-banning, you may also receive a temporary suspension, a permanent ban, you may also have your stats, emblems, and weapons customizations reset, and you may be banned from the leaderboards. The following are some ways your account may be penalized by Activision:^{[4]
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- Spoofing: This is an attempt to hide or disguise the hardware you are playing on.
- Circumventing security measures: This is an attempt to get around the moderation methods and anti-cheat systems.
- Using cheating/modding/hacking software: This includes any unauthorized software that is meant to modify gameplay in an unfair way. This can include aimbots, wallhacks, trainers, injectors, stat hacking software, leaderboard hacking software, and more.
- Using pirated software: This is any copy of a Call of Duty game that was obtained illegally.
- Using unsupported peripherals and applications: This is using any external device, hardware, or software that is designed to assist with cheating or gain an unfair advantage in the game.
- Boosting: This is colluding with another player to exploit the game to gain XP, prestige, game score, weapon level, or unlockable content.
- Glitching: This is exploiting a flaw in the game to gain an unfair advantage over other players.
- Griefing: This is purposely preventing another player from playing the game as intended or engaging in unsportsmanlike conduct.
- Offensive behavior: This can include cyber-bullying or engaging in aggressive, offensive, derogatory, or culturally charged language.
- Improperly obtaining downloadable or unlockable content: This is using improper means to gain access to content that is locked or behind a paywall.
- Decompiling or reverse-engineering game data: This is any attempt to gain unauthorized access to, reverse engineer, or decompile game code or game data.
- Malicious reporting: This is using the game's in-game reporting system for malicious intent or making false reports against another player.

Section 5 of 5:

Can You Be Shadow-banned by Mistake?

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Activision has anti-cheat systems in place to mitigate cheating, but it's not perfect. Some players have reported being shadow-banned for no good reason. Some players can get shadow-banned after being mass-reported by other players. If you believe you have been shadow-banned by mistake, submit an appeal. Activision will investigate and hopefully, you will be found innocent of any wrongdoing.^{[5]
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