Black Ops 6 Ranked Play, explained: Rules, banned weapons, maps, and more

The wait for Ranked Play in Call of Duty this year is much shorter than previous games, because it’s already time to rank up in Black Ops 6.

BO6’s Ranked Play mode is already here, giving players the opportunity to show off their skills like a Call of Duty League pro, using the same weapons and rules that the superstars do. If you’re ready to grind, get ready to make some loadouts and head into the playlist to hit the top rank each season.

Read on below for everything we know about Ranked Play in BO6.

BO6 Ranked Play, explained

In Ranked Play, players queue up for matches using the same settings, modes (Hardpoint, Search and Destroy, Control), maps (TBD), and restrictions used by the Call of Duty League. Play, win matches, rank up through Skill Divisions with your Skill Rating (SR) points, and unlock rewards along the way.

“SR is awarded after each Ranked Play win and the amount earned is determined by the player’s distance away from their projected Rank, their match performance, and the margin of victory,” Treyarch said. “SR is deducted after losses.”

Your SR adds up to propel you through the game’s different Skill Divisions, all of which have three different tiers within each, except for Iridescent

BO6 Ranked Play Skill Divisions

• 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-plus SR

Ranked Play in BO6 is “the definitive ranked play experience that Treyarch has been building towards” since developing the mode in both Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3 over the past few years. Treyarch says that it’s taken everything it’s learned in the past couple of games to make BO6‘s Ranked Play the best one yet, including some new additions and changes. But the basic info about the mode remains the same.

What’s new in BO6 Ranked Play?

Ranks are being updated from previous games, with Treyarch removing Progressive Rank and Victory Stars entirely. Instead, it’s all about SR gains and losses to move your way up and down the ranks to better focus on skill solely.

New features this year include the ability to veto maps. Before each match in Ranked Play, three separate map and mode combos will show up for the players. The two teams can then vote to decide which maps to veto, with the decision being either the one map that wasn’t vetoed or a random selection from two that weren’t vetoed.

Players will also be able to forfeit matches that they are getting stomped in as opposed to having to wait for it to come to an end. Forfeit will become available in the Options menu when a winning team reaches 100 points in Hardpoint, after the first round of Control, or after the third round of Search and Destroy.

Updates to existing features include the ability to party up with four players (skill matchmaking will be based on the highest ranked player), some less painful punishment on seasonal rank resets for players in lower ranks, and loss forgiveness meaning that each player’s first loss of the day won’t subtract SR.

How to unlock Ranked Play in BO6

Before queuing up for Ranked Play, you need to win 50 matches in BO6 multiplayer. This is to prevent hackers and cheaters from playing on new accounts and ruining the experience for many, but also so players can familiarize themselves with the game’s modes and maps before playing Ranked.

BO6 Ranked Play maps and modes

Hardpoint

• Hacienda
• Protocol
• Red Card
• Skyline
• Vault

Control

• Hacienda
• Protocol
• Vault

Search and Destroy

• Hacienda
• Protocal
• Red Card
• Skyline
• Vault

All banned items in BO6 Ranked Play

This list is up to date as of the BO6 season one patch notes on Nov. 20.

Weapon Restrictions

Assault Rifles

• AS VAL

SMGs

• Tanto .22

Pistols

• 9MM PM, Grekhova, GS45

Sniper Rifles

• Restricted in Hardpoint and Control
  • LW3A1 Frostline, LR 7.62
• All Modes
  • SVD

Marksman Rifles

• All

Shotguns

• All

Launchers

• All

Special Weapons

• All

Attachment Restrictions

Optics

• Thermal Optics
  • All
• Night Vision Optics
  • All
• Pistols Only
  • Kepler Pistol Scope

Muzzle Attachments

• Suppressors
  • All

Barrel Attachments

• Suppressed Barrels
  • All
• Headshot Multiplier Barrels
  • All

Underbarrel Attachments

• Underbarrel Launchers
  • All

Magazine Attachments

• Extended Mags
  • All

Laser Attachments

• Lasers
  • All

Fire Mod Attachments

• Rapid Fire
  • All
• FMJ Rounds
  • All
• 3-Round Burst Mod

Snipers Only

• Sniper Attachments
  • All

Loadout Restrictions

Equipment

• Lethals
  • Impact Grenade, C4, Molotov, Blast Trap, Drill Charge, Combat Axe, Thermo Grenades
• Tacticals
  • Restricted in Hardpoint & Control
    • Smoke
  • All Modes
    • Spy Cam, Stim Shot, Prox Alarm, Decoy, Shock Charge

Field Upgrades

• Spring Mine, Scrambler, Signal Lure, War Cry, Tac Insert, Acoustic Amp, Morphine Injector, Neurogas, Sleeper Agent

Scorestreaks

Restricted in Hardpoint & Control

• RC-XD

All Modes

• Scout Pulse, Sam Turret, UAV, Counter UAV, Archangel Launcher, Care Package, Napalm Strike, LDBR, Sentry Turret, Watchdog Helo, AGR Mark 1, Interceptors, Strategic Bomber, HARP, Chopper Gunner, Dreadnaught, Nuke, Hand Cannon

Perks

• Combat Specialties
  • All
• Enforcer
  • Assassin, Bruiser, Bankroll
• Recon
  • Scavenger, Ghost, Engineer, Tracker, Forward Intel
• Strategist
  • Dispatcher, Shadow, Guardian, Gearhead

Wildcards

• Tactical Expert, Overkill, Danger Close, Prepper

BO6 Ranked Play rewards

A variety of different rewards will be available each season, including the above skins that players can obtain by reaching certain Skill Divisions, including Top 250. But the main, rare prize is the Champion skin for the player who finishes first overall in a season.

Win challenge rewards (all-time)

Seasonal rewards

Each season will have its own individual rewards, too, such as blueprints, decals, and calling cards depending on which rank you reach, and more.

This article will be updated with any new and relevant information once it becomes available.