📃 Understanding Bans in Call of Duty (COD)
This page will help you understand how bans work in Call of Duty, including the differences between shadow bans, disconnect bans, temporary bans, and permanent/HWID bans.
🚫 Shadow Bans (SB)
A shadow ban is typically triggered by receiving a high number of player reports or sometimes simply by playing on a new account (rare, but possible). If shadow banned:
You'll experience longer matchmaking queues.
Your ping will spike significantly.
You'll be placed into lobbies with other shadow-banned players.
Don’t panic. Shadow bans are usually temporary and harmless after the first 24 hours. Since the release of MWII, false shadow bans have become common.
Duration: 1 to 14 days
You can check your account status here.
🔌 Disconnect (DC) Shadow Bans
Disconnect shadow bans happen when your account has a low trust factor, similar to how it works in CS:GO. This can be caused by:
Frequent reports
Low playtime
Suspicious behavior
To increase trust factor:
Verify your account with a valid phone number and email
Play consistently (e.g. 2+ hours daily for 1–2 weeks)
Maintain a legit-looking playstyle, even when no one is watching
This improves your matchmaking and lowers the chance of false flags or disconnections.
⏳ Temporary Bans
A temporary ban can occur from:
Using unlock tools (especially for unreleased camos, operators, or rewards)
Abusing glitches or exploits
These bans can last from 1 to 30 days, though they may initially appear as permanent.
While waiting out the ban:
Create a new account
Build up your trust factor (see Disconnect Shadow Bans above)
Avoid risky actions to prevent immediate bans
You can verify if your ban is temporary or permanent here.
🛑 Permanent & HWID Bans
These are the most serious types of bans:
Permanent bans mean your account is completely lost and unrecoverable.
HWID bans (Hardware ID bans) target your device and prevent any new accounts from functioning without additional steps.
These usually happen if you:
Use detectable cheats (aimbots, ESP, radar hacks, movement tools)
Bypass anti-cheat protections
To continue playing after a permanent or HWID ban:
Purchase and configure a spoofer (available here)
Create a new account
Follow safe play practices going forward
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