Call Of Duty Warzone Open Matchmaking Update

For six years, Call of Duty multiplayer relied on skill-based matchmaking, a system designed to group players according to performance rather than connection quality. Introduced with the 2019 Modern Warfare reboot, it aimed to maintain fairness across lobbies by ensuring that new or casual players would not constantly compete against highly skilled opponents.

Despite its intentions, the system became a divisive feature within the community. Many players argued that it limited variety and created an overly competitive environment in matches meant for casual play. With Black Ops 7, developer Treyarch has shifted to open matchmaking, a move that emphasizes broader player pools and less restrictive skill filtering—a change Warzone plans to adopt in its upcoming update.

Warzone Is Reducing Its SBMM in Season 1

Raven Software’s Season 1 update introduces a major shift in Warzone’s matchmaking philosophy. The change, called Open Matchmaking, moves away from heavily skill-sorted games and instead focuses on connection quality and latency. Players in Resurgence, Battle Royale, and limited-time modes will now find themselves in lobbies that form faster, with less emphasis on individual performance metrics.

This revised approach doesn’t remove all skill factors but reduces them to a minor part of the matchmaking algorithm. As a result, lobbies will be more unpredictable—highly skilled players may face casual participants in the same match. This creates mixed-skill sessions that vary in pace and outcome, producing a looser competitive environment.

According to the developers, the new system should reduce queue times and make gameplay feel more dynamic. While Skill-Based Matchmaking (SBMM) helped keep matches evenly balanced, many players felt it made every match feel like a competitive ranked game. The Season 1 adjustment aims to strike a more casual balance without isolating newcomers or forcing consistently tough matchups.

The shift follows years of community debate. Activision had previously defended SBMM because it improved retention and match completion rates, with data suggesting up to 90% of players performed better when matched against similarly skilled opponents. However, many players criticized that system for punishing streaks of strong performance. Under Open Matchmaking, they expect more variety and less stress when switching between casual and serious play sessions.

A side-by-side comparison of matchmaking changes appears below:

Fans responded enthusiastically to the change, calling it a significant step toward restoring the “fun-first” style that earlier Call of Duty titles offered.