What Is Shadow Banning In Warzone?
Find out what it means to get shadow-banned in Warzone.
Are you curious about what shadow banning is in Warzone? This term has been flying around the Warzone community as of late, and it has a lot of people wondering what shadow banning is exactly. So, if you've never heard of shadow banning before, the guide below will detail what shadow banning is, how to tell if you've been shadow-banned, and how to get unbanned in Warzone.
- The term "shadow banning" became popularised when Nadia "Nadia" Amine claimed Activision shadow-banned her in Warzone.
What Is Shadow Banning In Warzone?
Shadow bans are dished out to Warzone players that Activision believes are engaging in illegitimate activity, like cheating or hacking. Unlike with a typical ban, shadow-banned players are still allowed to play Warzone. The catch? When you get shadow-banned, you are isolated to lobbies that consist purely of other shadow-banned competitors. This leads to Warzone matches filled entirely with cheaters and hackers.
- Hopefully, cheating isn't as serious an issue in Warzone 2 because Activision promises to upgrade anti-cheat against Warzone 2 hackers.
Warzone Shadow Banning Explained
The idea of shadow banning is to separate suspected fraudsters from legitimate players and make them suffer with their own kind. But this begs the question, what's the point of shadow banning in Warzone? Why not just permanently ban cheaters and hackers and be done with it?
Well, first off, it's assumed that many times when you ban a cheater or hacker, they'll just go ahead and make a new account — especially in a free game like Warzone. So, if you shadow-ban them instead, you buy some time before they return to their crooked ways.
Additionally, the period in which a suspected cheater is shadow banned serves as an opportunity for Activision to review the player's alleged infractions. It's entirely possible to get wrongfully reported and, in turn, shadow banned. So instead of handing out a bunch of unjust perma-bans, Activision has an opportunity to determine if the presumed cheater is guilty or not.
How To Tell If You Have Been Shadow Banned In Warzone
Shadow banning gets its name because it's sort of like a secret ban. Activision sends no notifications or provides any warning when they shadow-ban someone. While there's no way to confirm 100% whether you are shadow banned in Warzone or not, there are a few tried and true signs:
- You are suffering from extraordinary long queue times
- You're dealing with abnormally high ping
- You suspect that an unusually excessive number of your opponents are cheating and hacking
How To Get Unbanned In Warzone
Typically, shadow bans only last a week or two, so if you're an innocent player that believes they've been wrongly shadow banned, you can always wait it out and see if things return to normal after a break.
Alternatively, you can check the status of your account and appeal a ban on the Appeal A Ban webpage on Activision Support. Log in with your Activision account to learn where your account stands with Activision, whether that be No Ban Detected, your Account is Under Review, or Permanently Banned. If you have indeed been banned, you can submit a support ticket to appeal the ban in hopes of getting it lifted.
It's become common for Warzone streamers, and even your average player, to speculate that they've been shadow-banned in Warzone. Whether there's any truth behind their claims, the next time you hear this term thrown around, you'll know exactly what they're referring to.
Don't completely discount when a streamer claims they've been shadow-banned, as Activision says they know some "high-profile" streamers use cheating software.
About The Author
Coleman Hamstead
Coleman is a freelance journalist at GGRecon. While gaming has always been his passion, it wasn’t until he worked as a Sports Journalist at the Community College of Baltimore County that he found his enthusiasm for writing. In the time since Coleman has had his work featured in publications such as The Washington Post/Launcher and ESTNN. Coleman is a graduate of Towson University with a degree in Sport Management and Business Administration.
