Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Will Require Secure Boot to Play – What You Need to Know
As anticipation builds for the release of Call of Duty Black Ops 7 Bot Lobbies, Activision has quietly confirmed a major technical requirement that's stirring up conversation among PC gamers: Secure Boot will be mandatory to play the game on PC. This security feature, built into modern PCs, is designed to prevent malware and unauthorized software from running during the boot process. While this requirement may not affect all players, it's a significant move in the fight against cheaters—and it comes with some pros, cons, and complications that players should understand before launch.
What Is Secure Boot?
Secure Boot is a security standard developed by members of the PC industry to ensure that a device boots using only software that is trusted by the PC manufacturer. It's part of the UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) specification that replaced the older BIOS system.
When Secure Boot is enabled, your PC will only load signed, verified software during startup. This prevents malicious drivers or rootkits from taking control before the operating system even starts.
Why Is Black Ops 7 Requiring Secure Boot?
The main reason Activision is mandating Secure Boot is to combat cheating and hacking in Black Ops 7, especially in the competitive multiplayer and ranked modes. Like many modern online shooters, Call of Duty has struggled to keep cheaters out, even with frequent anti-cheat updates and bans. Despite the use of kernel-level anti-cheat software like Ricochet, bad actors often find workarounds.
Secure Boot is being used as an additional barrier, making it harder for cheat developers to load unsigned drivers or tamper with the system at a low level. Combined with Ricochet, Secure Boot should significantly raise the technical bar for cheats to work at all.
What Does This Mean for PC Players?
For many modern PCs running Windows 10 or Windows 11, Secure Boot is likely already enabled—especially for systems that came with Windows pre-installed in the last 5–7 years. These users may not need to do anything.
However, for PC gamers who built their own rigs, use dual-boot setups with Linux, or modified UEFI settings for overclocking, Secure Boot may be disabled. These players will need to manually enable it in their motherboard's UEFI/BIOS settings before being able to launch Black Ops 7.
How to Check If Secure Boot Is Enabled
To find out if Secure Boot is enabled on your system:
Press Win + R, type msinfo32, and press Enter.
In the System Information window, look for “Secure Boot State.”
If it says Enabled, you're good to go.
If it says Disabled or Unsupported, you may need to change settings in the BIOS or update your firmware.
How to Enable Secure Boot (General Steps)
Warning: Be careful when modifying BIOS/UEFI settings. Improper changes can prevent your PC from booting properly.
Reboot your PC and enter the BIOS/UEFI (commonly by pressing Delete, F2, or F10 during startup).
Navigate to the Boot or Security tab.
Locate the Secure Boot option and set it to Enabled.
Ensure your system is using UEFI mode, not Legacy BIOS.
Save and exit.
If your system isn't set up properly for Secure Boot (e.g., installed Windows in Legacy mode), you may need to convert your drive to GPT and reinstall Windows—an advanced process that's not ideal for everyone.
What If My PC Doesn't Support Secure Boot?
This is where things get controversial. Some older systems—especially ones with BIOS-only firmware or without UEFI—may not support Secure Boot at all. If you're using a machine like this, Black Ops 7 simply won't run on your system.
Activision has not announced any exceptions or workarounds for players on unsupported hardware. This has led to frustration among some users who feel locked out of the game despite having otherwise capable hardware.
Community Reactions
Reactions from the community have been mixed:
Security advocates and anti-cheat supporters praise the move as necessary for keeping online lobbies fair.
PC modders, Linux users, and custom builders are frustrated by the mandatory requirement, viewing it as intrusive or limiting their system control.
Some worry that future games might follow this trend, locking more users out unless they conform to tighter system restrictions.
As of now, Activision has stood firm in its decision, emphasizing that the benefits to the player base in terms of cheat prevention outweigh the drawbacks.
Final Thoughts
The requirement of Secure Boot for Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is a bold and polarizing step in the ongoing battle against cheaters. While most modern PC users won't have an issue meeting this requirement, a vocal segment of the community is raising concerns about accessibility and control.
Whether you support the change or not, the message is clear: Activision is doubling down on protecting the integrity of Call of Duty multiplayer. If you're planning to play CoD Black Ops 7 Bot Lobbies on PC, it's wise to check your Secure Boot status now to avoid any launch day headaches.
The era of system-level security in gaming is here—and it might be here to stay.