Call of Duty Ricochet Anti-Cheat Errors and BSOD Fix

Published

On this page

A Call of Duty crash to blue screen with UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP is a known conflict between Ricochet’s kernel driver and Windows Memory Integrity, not a hardware failure. This guide covers that crash plus the more common non-BSOD case: Ricochet blocking launch entirely over Secure Boot and TPM 2.0.

Call of Duty Ricochet Anti-Cheat Errors and BSOD Fix

The BSOD case: UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP

Black Ops 6’s Season 2 update expanded Ricochet with new kernel-level drivers to cover Ranked Play across multiplayer and Warzone. Players who updated started seeing crashes to a blue screen citing UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP (referencing ntoskrnl.exe) during or shortly after launching the game — widely reported and covered by outlets including Windows Central. The cause is Ricochet’s driver conflicting with Windows Memory Integrity, a Core Isolation feature that also runs in kernel mode.

Step 1 – Update everything first

Activision has shipped partial fixes for this issue, including in the Season 2 Reloaded patch, and reports have dropped since. Before touching a security setting:

  1. Update Call of Duty / Battle.net to the latest version.
  2. Update your GPU drivers.
  3. Run Windows Update and install any pending updates.
  4. Reboot and try launching again — you may not need Step 2 below at all.

Step 2 – Disable Memory Integrity (workaround, not a permanent fix)

If the crash persists after updating, the most widely reported workaround is turning off Memory Integrity.

  1. Open the Start menu, search “Core Isolation”, and open it.
  2. Toggle Memory Integrity off.
  3. Reboot your PC.

This is a real trade-off: Memory Integrity blocks a category of driver-based (BYOVD) attacks system-wide, not just in-game. Disabling it removes that protection everywhere, not just for Call of Duty. Turn it back on once Activision ships a permanent fix, and re-check periodically — later patches have addressed this for many players.

The common case: Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 requirements

Most Ricochet errors aren’t the BSOD above — they’re a launch-blocking security check. Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 are both required for Black Ops 6, Warzone, and Black Ops 7 on PC, the same baseline Riot’s Vanguard enforces for Valorant and League of Legends. If either is off, the game won’t start and shows a security requirement message instead of loading.

Step 3 – Confirm and enable Secure Boot and TPM 2.0

  1. Press Win + R, type msinfo32, press Enter.
  2. Confirm Secure Boot State: On and BIOS Mode: UEFI.
  3. Press Win + R, type tpm.msc, press Enter — it should read TPM 2.0, ready for use.

If either is missing, enable it in BIOS using your board’s guide:

Step 4 – Fix the false-positive TPM error on AMD systems

If tpm.msc and Windows Settings both already show TPM 2.0 as enabled, but Ricochet still throws the “TPM 2.0 not enabled” message, this is a known false-positive on some AMD systems using firmware TPM (fTPM). Certain 3.x.0.x firmware builds fail Ricochet’s attestation check even though the module itself reports ready.

  1. Update your motherboard BIOS/firmware to the latest version through your manufacturer’s site — how to update your BIOS safely.
  2. Fully shut down your PC (not just reboot) and power it back on — this forces the game to re-read your system’s security state.
  3. Launch Black Ops 6 or Warzone again.

Most Ricochet problems are Secure Boot/TPM requirements or, less often, a Memory Integrity conflict causing a blue screen. Update the game and your drivers first, then work through these steps — the BSOD case in particular has been getting fixed patch by patch.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Call of Duty blue-screen with UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP?

This crash is a documented conflict between Ricochet's kernel-level anti-cheat driver — expanded with Black Ops 6's Season 2 update to cover Ranked Play — and Windows Memory Integrity (Core Isolation). It's not a hardware failure; it's two kernel-mode drivers stepping on each other.

Is it safe to turn off Memory Integrity to fix the crash?

It works, but it's a real trade-off — Memory Integrity is a core Windows security feature that blocks a class of driver-based attacks, and disabling it removes that protection system-wide, not just for Call of Duty. Only disable it if you're comfortable with that trade-off, and re-enable it once Activision ships a permanent fix.

Do I need Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 for Call of Duty?

Yes. Ricochet requires both Secure Boot and TPM 2.0 to be enabled for Black Ops 6, Warzone, and Black Ops 7 — the same baseline requirement Riot's Vanguard enforces for Valorant and League of Legends. Without them, the game blocks launch with a security requirement error.

Why does the game say TPM 2.0 isn't enabled when Windows shows it is?

This is a known false-positive, especially on AMD systems using firmware TPM (fTPM) — certain 3.x.0.x firmware versions fail Ricochet's attestation check even though tpm.msc reports TPM 2.0 as ready. Updating your motherboard BIOS to the latest version usually resolves it; a full shutdown-and-restart (not just a reboot) also forces the game to re-read your system state.

Has the BSOD issue been fixed?

Activision has pushed partial fixes in later updates, including the Season 2 Reloaded patch, and reports of the crash have dropped since. Make sure Black Ops 6/Warzone and your GPU drivers are fully updated before trying the Memory Integrity workaround — you may not need it anymore.