Black Ops 6 Ranked Play is live for those players who want to take on more serious competition following the rules of the Call of Duty League. The ranked competition will reward exclusive cosmetic items to those who reach certain milestones, including an exclusive champion skin that will be awarded only to the player who comes out on top at the end of the season.
Separate to Black Ops 6’s Prestige ranks, Ranked Play is designed for the most dedicated players who want to play multiplayer matches with the same settings, maps, modes, and weapon restrictions as COD’s official esports league. In order to qualify for Ranked Play, players first have to log 50 wins in match-made multiplayer games to unlock access to the ultra-competitive mode. All wins logged since the game was released count towards this, even if the games were played before the start of Season 1.
Ranked Play has changed a little from previous COD titles, with the ranking system being simplified. In Black Ops 6, players will work through eight ranks: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Crimson, Iridescent, and Top 250. Progress through the ranks can be made by earning Skill Rating (SR), which can also be lost by losing a match.
The rewards on offer for Ranked players include a number of Ranked Skins for the Competitor operator, which are unlocked starting at Gold rank. These skins will be unlocked as soon as you achieve a new rank, rather than being rewarded at the end of the season–with the exception of the Top 250 and overall Champion skins. The peak reward, which is set to be one of the most exclusive skins in Black Ops 6, is the Champion skin, resembling a flaming, crowned, skull-headed operator.
Other rewards can be unlocked by reaching certain milestones in Ranked Play, and include the Ranked Competitor Skin, Knife Blueprint, a Frag Grenade Skin, a win-tracking Gunscreen, and more. Each season will also come with its own set of unique seasonal rewards that will only be available to earn during that season.
Cross-play is mandatory for Ranked Play, meaning console players have the potential to be matched against PC players in all matches. This decision hasn’t been popular with fans, with many requesting the option to disable cross-play for the hyper-competitive mode.
If you’re looking at getting competitive in Black Ops 6, check out our guide to the best MP weapon loadouts for Season 1.