Does Black Ops 6 have SBMM? CoD skill-based matchmaking, explained

If you’ve played Call of Duty in the past five or so years, and many other multiplayer games for that matter, you’ve likely heard and talked about skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) ad nauseum.

Skill is one of several factors taken into account for the formula of matchmaking in multiplayer, according to Activision, along with things like input device, internet connection, recent maps or modes played, platform, and more.

Naturally, players are wondering if SBMM has continued into Treyarch’s latest effort, as it has been a consistent feature in CoD for several years. Add on the fact that Activision was quite secretive about it for almost all of those years, and it’s likely going to continue to be a topic of controversy for quite some time.

What is SBMM in CoD?

Skill-based matchmaking in CoD is an algorithm that matches players in multiplayer games based on their determined skill level, which is decided by “how well a player can be expected to perform against the rest of the population in a given game mode, based on their previously observed performance.”

For many years, players would describe SBMM as a system forcing people to play against players of a similar skill level, making the game more competitive or “sweaty” as a result, and the experience unenjoyable as a result for a very vocal minority.

Activision’s 25-page report about its findings and deployment methods of SBMM is full of more detailed information, but in short, it answers our very valuable question of the moment.

Is there SBMM in Black Ops 6?

Yes, Activision will continue to use SBMM in Black Ops 6, and likely all other CoDs in the future because the company believes it enhances the player experience for the majority of players within the community.

In July 2024, Activision released the above report detailing its findings around skill-based matchmaking, and deduced that loosening “the constraints on skill in matchmaking” in previous tests made the game worse overall for its playerbase, judging by how many players left matches, stopped playing, and other factors.

This was found in a test that Activision secretly ran in early 2024 where half of the players in North America were placed into their own modified version of the game’s matchmaking algorithm with “lower SBMM” in place. In fact, it was determined that only the top 10 percent of players had a positive experience.