Since the season three update on April 3, Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile players reported their lobbies are full of bots, and frustrations are now beginning to boil over.
On launch day, the developers explained the change in an update post on X, formerly Twitter, where they stated that it might be too hard for the players to queue up in a match with 120 players. To address this, they adjusted various matchmaking parameters to smoothen the experience for new players.
Community members weren’t pleased with the changes, however, voicing their concerns in a rapidly growing Reddit thread. One of them wrote, “Playing in lobbies full of real people was fun and challenging but now I’m sleepwalking to top 5 finishes because half the players I find are bots that spin around like idiots and don’t even shoot,” reflecting on the deteriorating quality of matches after the season three update.
Back in 2022, the developers stressed how the game’s servers can handle up to 120 live players in a single match with zero bots and that the matchmaking system will prioritize filling the lobbies with real players. Things have evidently changed since then, and many players on Reddit are asking the developers to “reconsider their decision” as the bots’ behavior doesn’t make for compelling gameplay.
As explained in the post, the bots are easy to spot because they never sprint or jump after engaging in a fight and they will never adjust or change course when they come under fire. Also, they always immediately die, never getting knocked down.
Developers often use bots to decrease wait times for lobbies or substitute players when active players don’t have enough players to play the game. Bots can also new players to enjoy the game in less competitive lobbies while they learn the ropes—but as we’ve also seen many times, it’s quite easy to go wrong with them.