Can your PC run CoD: Black Ops 7? The new requirement you need to check now

California: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Battlefield 6 will both require players to have TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module) and Secure Boot enabled on their PCs to play these games, marking a new era of hardware-level security integration in popular first-person shooters. These requirements are part of the publishers' efforts to combat cheating and ensure a fair gaming environment by verifying the integrity of players’ systems from startup to gameplay.

Activision confirmed that Black Ops 7, launching later this year, will enforce these security features at launch, while players of Black Ops 6 and Warzone are already being encouraged to enable them starting with Season 5. Similarly, EA's Battlefield 6 demands TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot to run the game, using these features to reinforce its Javelin anti-cheat system.

TPM 2.0 is a hardware module that offers secure cryptographic functions, and Secure Boot is a UEFI BIOS feature that ensures only trusted software loads during system startup, preventing unauthorised code injection. Combined, they create a trusted chain from power-on to gameplay, helping block cheats that require deep system access.

To meet these requirements, gamers will need Windows 10 version 22H2 or later, or Windows 11, where both TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are generally already enabled. TPM 2.0 support extends to Intel 8th Gen or newer CPUs with Intel PTT, and AMD Ryzen 2000 series or newer processors with AMD fTPM. Secure Boot requires the BIOS to be set to UEFI mode and GPT disk partition style.

Activision’s Ricochet anti-cheat team emphasises that enabling TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot is essential for a secure, fair, and fun experience across Call of Duty titles. Players without these features enabled may receive in-game notifications prompting them to comply well ahead of Black Ops 7’s release. However, some hardware older than about a decade may not support these security features, potentially leaving certain PC setups unable to play these new releases.

While these measures improve anti-cheat capabilities, they have raised concerns among players about privacy, system compatibility, and potential performance impact. Nonetheless, both Activision and EA believe such hardware-enforced security is a necessary step toward reducing cheating in competitive multiplayer environments.

In summary, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and Battlefield 6 are setting a new standard for anti-cheat security by mandating TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, signalling a future where deep hardware-level protections become a norm in PC gaming for major online shooters. Players are encouraged to verify their system compatibility and enable these features in their BIOS settings to ensure access to these highly anticipated titles.