Fact Check: Can you turn off Skill-Based Matchmaking in Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2?

Skill-Based Matchmaking has been a matter of controversy since the release of Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2. While the developers have stated that the feature was present in the game from the beginning, the release of Modern Warfare in 2019 and its strong SBMM mechanism changed the community's perspective.

While some fans enjoy the addition of SBMM, the majority of the community is against it, stating that the feature takes away the casual gaming experience and makes matches overly difficult and competitive. SBMM has recently been the center of heavy criticism, with the effects of Skill-Based matchmaking in Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 being fairly substantial.

Being a source of constant frustration for players, a few guides have been making rounds claiming that users can simply turn off SBMM. This article will take a closer look at the claims of Call of Duty players being able to disable Skill-Based Matchmaking in Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.

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Is it possible to disable SBMM in Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2?

As mentioned earlier, a few guides have spread within the CoD community, saying that players can turn off SBMM by taking advantage of the Party Finder option. Unfortunately, this is false. At the moment, there is no way to disable Skill-based Matchmaking in Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.

As per the guide, users are advised to follow the steps mentioned below to disable Skill-Based Matchmaking:

1. 1) First, launch Call of Duty HQ and head over to a game mode of your preference.
2. 2) Then select Find a Party and continue to the Preferences tab.
3. 3) Set the Playstyle option to 'Casual' for both Primary and Secondary.
4. 4) Now start the queue and players will find easier lobbies.

Selecting Casual for both Primary and Secondary playstyle in Modern Warfare 2 (Image via Activision)

The Party Finder simply searches for players who are on the same terms as you. This ensures that you play the game with party members who share the same mentality and change nothing else about your team or enemy players.

Moreover, the Party Finder seems to be buggy at the moment. To search for casual parties (not team members or enemies), gamers will have to use the 'Start Search' feature from the Party Finder menu itself. This area is grayed out, with nothing happening when you click on it.

Start Search option is greyed out in Party Finder (Image via Activision)

While some players suggest that using this technique leads to easier lobbies as your party members will be casual, it can be easily refuted. This is due to the fact that the entire Party Finder feature is buggy and there's no way to make use of it. When users set the party playstyle to 'Casual', they're not making use of the Party Finder and are rather simply queuing for a normal game mode.

Based on the community's responses in the past, Skill-Based Matchmaking has ruined the experience for many. It has been a bane for numerous Call of Duty players who simply want to enjoy the game without having to grind. Follow Sportskeeda's Esports and Gaming section for more exciting news about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.