EA mandates Secure Boot for Battlefield 6 alongside Javelin Anticheat
EA takes Battlefield 6’s security to the next level by mandating Secure Boot
EA has confirmed that PC gamers will need to have Secure Boot enabled to play Battlefield 6 on the platform. This, alongside EA’s Javelin Anti-Cheat software, aims to keep Battlefield 6 secure and free of cheaters.
Let’s face it, nobody wants their multiplayer lobbies to be filled with cheaters. In this regard, it is good that EA is taking its security seriously. However, requiring Secure Boot is a controversial step. For starters, it’s believed that this is why Battlefield 6 will not be playable using Valve’s Steam Deck or other Linux-powered devices. Note that most modern Battlefield games are do not support Valve’s Steam Deck.
Below is what EA had to say about Battlefield 6’s Secure Boot requirement.
As part of our ongoing commitment to Positive Play in Battlefield, Secure Boot is a requirement to play Battlefield 6 on PC.
This supports the need for enhanced security while playing and utilizing new anti-cheat features in Battlefield. As cheat developers continue to evolve their tactics, we’re stepping up our game too.
Requiring Secure Boot provides us with features that we can leverage against cheats that attempt to infiltrate during the Windows boot process. It also lets the Battlefield Positive Play team use its own features and related dependent security features like TPM to combat other forms of cheating, the most relevant of which include:
- Kernel-Level Cheats and Rootkits
- Memory Manipulation and Injection
- Spoofing and Hardware ID Manipulation
- Virtual Machines and Emulation
- Tampering with Anti-Cheat Systems
Any attempt to access Battlefield 6 without Secure Boot enabled will result in a prompt indicating its necessity.
Secure Boot is available for Windows 11 and Windows 10 devices. For more information on enabling this feature, refer to this EA Help article.
In addition to utilizing Secure Boot to help us, our Anticheat system, EA Javelin Anticheat, is customizable and offers a unique and modified approach for Battlefield and other EA FPS games. Javelin has been built from the ground up by a team of veteran engineers and analysts who were specifically hired to focus on cheating problems for each game under EA’s umbrella and design unique features to address those issues. They work alongside our Battlefield Positive Play team to refine the data, insight, and tools necessary to ensure equitable play for all our players across our Battlefield Studios titles.
– EA
Note that EA’s secure boot requirement and its Javelin Anti-Cheat software are unrelated. EA has used Javelin in several games in the past, all of which are playable without Secure Boot enabled.
Javelin Anti-Cheat was integrated into Battlefield 2042 last year, and it had a significant impact on cheating rates. Match infection rates were reportedly cut in half. This gave non-cheaters a much better gaming experience, and delivers bans to those who would ruin the game for everyone else. Javelin reportedly had a 99% accuracy rate when banning cheaters. If non-cheaters were banned, EA overturned these enforcements after investigating contested bans.
Is EA justified in demanding secure boot to enhance Battlefield’s security? You can join the discussion on Battlefield 6’s security on the OC3D Forums.
