Warzone SBMM, explained
How skill-based matchmaking works in Call of Duty, what Activision has said about it, and why players 2box.
What is SBMM?
SBMM stands for skill-based matchmaking. In Warzone and Call of Duty multiplayer, the game looks at how you've been playing when it decides which lobby to put you in, alongside several other factors.
Activision has confirmed that skill is used in non-ranked playlists, and it has published how its matchmaking works. The main point: skill is one factor among several, and your connection matters most.
What matchmaking looks at
Connection
Activision calls connection the most heavily weighted factor. Ping comes first.
Time to match
How long the search has been running. Matchmaking tries to get you into a game quickly.
Skill and performance
How well you've been playing. One factor of several, not the main one, according to Activision.
Activision's full list for non-ranked playlists is connection, time to match, player diversity, recent maps and modes, skill and performance, input device, platform and voice chat.
Why players 2box
When you play in a party, everyone in it goes into the same lobby. Many players believe the party's combined skill shapes that lobby, which is why 2boxing and 3boxing add extra accounts to the party. Activision hasn't published exactly how a party's skill is combined, so treat that as player experience rather than a rule.
It's also why bot lobbies and streamer lobbies mean different things to different people. Lobbies come from a mix of factors, and the same lobby can feel relaxed to one player and normal to another.
Geobox automates 2boxing and 3boxing, with bots in 12+ regions you pick from in Discord. It doesn't promise any particular lobby: matchmaking is the game's and can change at any time.
From checkout to your first search in a minute.
- 01
Buy & get access
Buy on Whop. Roles get assigned automatically and you're in the Discord.
- 02
Pick your region
Hop into the channel closest to you. Every region included.
- 03
Connect to the bots
Add the bot or join via party code. Now you're queued with them.
- 04
Search
Select a gamemode, hit search. Bots auto-backout when you're in.
SBMM questions
Does Warzone have SBMM?
Yes. Activision has confirmed that skill and performance are part of matchmaking in non-ranked playlists, alongside connection, time to match and other factors.
What matters most in Call of Duty matchmaking?
Connection. Activision describes ping as the most heavily weighted factor, and skill as one of several others.
Can you turn off SBMM?
No, there is no setting for it. Activision has said that when it tested reducing skill-based matchmaking for some players, more of them quit.
Does 2boxing get around SBMM?
Players 2box to change the make-up of their party, but matchmaking weighs several factors and can change at any time, so nothing guarantees a particular lobby. Geobox automates the 2boxing, not the outcome.
Does SBMM apply in ranked?
Ranked has its own rank-based matchmaking. Geobox doesn't support ranked gamemodes.