Black Ops 6 Ranked Play explained: Ranked rewards, SR, skill divisions, more

Ranked Play is on the way to Black Ops 6 as the most competitive players gear up for the real test. But from new features to a raft of rewards, there’s plenty to learn before jumping 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 is set to debut its take on Ranked Play much earlier than usual, with Season 1 marking the arrival of the elite playlist. 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.

When does Ranked Play go live in Black Ops 6?

Ranked Play arrives in Black Ops 6 alongside the Season 1 update on Thursday, November 14, 2024.

It’s currently unclear exactly what time the new update may be deployed, but we’ll keep you updated here as we get closer to launch day.

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 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.

The ranking system progresses as follows:

• Bronze
• Silver
• Gold
• Platinum
• Diamond
• Crimson
• Iridescent
• Top 250

Each has a certain number of tiers to advance before you can reach the next rank.

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.

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.

Ranked Play rewards

Of course, what would a Ranked Play mode be without some exclusive rewards. By ranking up, you can earn yourself a number of cosmetic goodies only available to the very best Black Ops 6 players.

Starting off, once you reach the Gold Rank, you instantly unlock two Ranked skins for the Competitor Operator. These are the Home [Rogue Black Ops] and Away [Crimson One] skins.

Though the real draw of any season is for the truly elite who manage to finish among the Top 250. There’s an exclusive skin on offer for the lone player who reaches the very top spot on the leaderboard each season, and we know it comes with a fiery skull and shiny crown.

Everyone else who places in the Top 250 at the end of the season also earns the ‘Top 250 Competitor’ Operator skin variant for the aforementioned Home and Away cosmetics.

Beyond these, we also know to expect plenty of seasonal rewards as Ranked Play gets underway, meaning cosmetics that are only available during a given season. From Blueprints to calling cards, there’ll be plenty on offer with each passing season.