A Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 player has encountered a player with a Mangler skin, seemingly suggesting that hackers now have the ability to turn themselves into characters from the game’s Zombies mode while in public multiplayer matches. Although Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has received generally favorable reviews from both critics and players, Treyarch Studios’ latest shooter, along with Warzone​​​​​​, have had severe issues with cheaters and hackers in recent months.

Since its launch back in October 2024, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6‘s player count has declined drastically on Steam. While there’s no way to know what player retention looks like on consoles or Battle.net, the latest shooter has struggled to maintain its usual numbers on Steam, likely due to the large influx of hackers that have been running rampant in Ranked Play. While Activision has continued to improve its Ricochet anti-cheat system, Warzone and Black Ops 6 still experience issues. More often than not, hackers use tools such as aimbot and wall hacks to ensure they rack up a higher number of eliminations and secure the win, but some cheaters can now seemingly change their whole appearance.

Black Ops 6 Player Spots Mangler in Multiplayer Match

Although Treyarch Studios allows players to turn into a Mangler in Black Ops 6 Zombies, it shouldn’t be possible in the game’s multiplayer. However, a Reddit user appears to have run into a hacker doing just that. In a new post, user AkumaMatata took to the Black Ops 6 subreddit this week to share screenshots of what appears to be a Mangler from the game’s Zombies mode in a public multiplayer match. While it can be a little tricky to work out from the angle of the skin, it’s most certainly a Mangler, which can only be used in multiplayer via some form of hacking tool.

It is worth noting that there are numerous Zombie-themed skins in Black Ops 6, such as Brutus, which could be obtained via the Vault Edition, and Nacht Raider, which is unlocked when entering Prestige 1. However, neither of these skins match what the user is showing in the screenshot. They also posted a second image of the character in the pre-game lobby, showcasing how much larger the skin is compared to other operators. Plenty of other players seem to agree that this is likely due to hacks, as users such as CarrotPlastic3460 say it is “definitely hacks” and that there is “no way this is legit at all.”

This isn’t the first time that hacks in Call of Duty have been taken to another level. Earlier this year, a new cheat tool sparked outrage among players as Black Ops 6 hackers now have the ability to kick players from multiplayer matches. Many fans blasted Activision for the influx of cheaters, especially in Ranked Play. Due to the ongoing issues, the publisher announced it would allow console players to disable crossplay while in Ranked Play, but PC players are still being forced to play with cheaters and hackers regularly.