Why Does Battlefield 6 Require Secure Boot

Battlefield has always stood apart from other FPS games with its large-scale, all-out warfare, vehicular combat, and destructible environments. From Battlefield 1942 to Battlefield V, the franchise has pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in online military shooters. With the release of Battlefield 6, EA DICE is looking to reclaim the crown in competitive FPS gaming.

However, like its peers in the genre, Battlefield has long struggled with cheaters. Whether it’s invisible players, auto-aimers, or those exploiting map glitches, the series has seen it all. Even with server-side bans and behavior monitoring systems, many players have lost faith in the game’s ability to maintain fairness.

This time, EA has responded decisively: Battlefield 6 will not run unless Secure Boot is enabled. This marks a major shift in how the game enforces anti-cheat at the system level—turning to hardware and firmware-based security instead of relying solely on software tools.

Why FPS Games Attract the Most Cheaters?

FPS (First-Person Shooter) games are exciting because they test your reflexes, aim, and strategy. But they’re also the most common type of game where players cheat. Here’s why:

• Fast-Paced Action – In FPS games, every millisecond counts. A tiny advantage (like seeing enemies through walls or shooting perfectly) can turn a bad player into a "pro." Cheats give instant power, making weak players feel unbeatable.
• Competitive Pressure – Games like Battlefield 6 or Call of Duty are super competitive. Players want to win at all costs, and some think cheating is the easiest way to stay on top—especially when ranks or rewards are on the line.
• Easy to Hide – Unlike strategy or sports games, FPS cheats (like aimbots or wallhacks) can be subtle. A cheater might pretend they’re just "skilled," making it harder for others to report them.
• Cheat Availability – Because FPS games are so popular, hackers create more cheats for them. These cheats are often cheap and easy to find online, tempting more players to try them.
• Frustration & Impatience – If a player keeps losing, they might get angry and download cheats instead of practicing. FPS games can feel unfair when you die a lot, and cheats feel like quick revenge.

In short, FPS games reward speed and precision—exactly what cheats provide. While cheating ruins the fun for honest players, the temptation is strong when the game feels too hard or too competitive. That’s why you see so many cheaters in shooters!

Secure Boot vs Battlefield's Previous Anti-Cheat Systems

Previously, the Battlefield series employed traditional anti-cheat mechanisms:

• Server-side analytics and reporting systems
• Manual player reviews
• Software-based anti-cheat like FairFight and Easy Anti-Cheat

While these tools caught many cheaters, they were still reactive. They often worked after a cheater had already ruined several games. Moreover, advanced kernel-level cheats often flew under the radar, loading before the game or anti-cheat services started.

Secure Boot changes that dynamic entirely.

Key Advantages of Secure Boot:

• Hardware-level Validation: It ensures that only trusted, signed drivers and bootloaders are allowed to run. Unsigned or tampered code is blocked before the OS even loads.
• Tamper-Proof Boot Environment: Cheaters often inject malicious drivers during startup. Secure Boot blocks these from ever executing.
• Baseline System Integrity: Anti-cheat tools like EA's new Javelin can operate in a verified environment, increasing detection accuracy and system trust.
• Harder to Circumvent: Secure Boot exploits require deeper technical knowledge and more effort to bypass than traditional anti-cheat methods.

In other words, Secure Boot doesn’t just react to cheating—it prevents it before it even starts.

Games Already Using Secure Boot

Battlefield 6 is part of a growing list of AAA titles that are shifting toward Secure Boot as an anti-cheat requirement:

• Call of Duty Black Ops 6 / 7: Activision’s Ricochet system has added Secure Boot and TPM as mandatory requirements.
• Valorant: Vanguard, Riot’s kernel-level anti-cheat, demands Secure Boot to ensure a secure gaming environment.
• Escape from Tarkov (rumored): Community sources suggest upcoming support for Secure Boot in response to increased kernel-level cheat attempts.
• Apex Legends: Experimental builds have shown signs of Secure Boot validation, though not yet officially confirmed.

This list includes some of the most competitive and cheat-plagued games in the market—proof that Secure Boot is gaining traction as a foundational defense strategy.

Why Everyone's Turning to Secure Boot?

So why is Secure Boot becoming the go-to solution in anti-cheat development?

1. Cheating Has Evolved: Modern cheats go deeper than ever—injecting code at the BIOS or kernel level. Traditional tools simply can’t catch them all.
2. It Sets a Trust Foundation: Secure Boot ensures the entire system is running in a known, clean state before the game or anti-cheat software even starts.
3. Microsoft Compatibility: Windows 11 requires Secure Boot and TPM 2.0, meaning the majority of gaming PCs already support it.
4. Improves Player Trust: Enforcing Secure Boot helps restore confidence among the player base that fairness is being prioritized.
5. Raises the Bar for Hackers: Bypassing Secure Boot is far more difficult than creating a simple cheat program. This discourages low-effort cheat developers.

Battlefield 6 embracing this system isn’t just about stopping today’s cheats—it’s about preparing for tomorrow’s.

Use GearUP to Help You Verify Secure Boot

Although this is a more effective anti-cheat measure, Battlefield 6 Secure Boot has also troubled many players, preventing them from launching the game—yet they can't find a solution. If you're also unsure whether your device supports Secure Boot or if it's already enabled, why not use GearUP to quickly check and get an activation guide? We provide tutorials for enabling Secure Boot on motherboards of all brands, which will definitely help you out.

Conclusion

Battlefield 6 Secure Boot marks a pivotal shift in how EA tackles cheating at its root. By locking down the system boot process, EA is cutting off entire categories of kernel-level cheats. This approach, combined with smart network tools like GearUP, offers players both fairness and performance. The battlefield is evolving—and with Secure Boot, it’s a much safer place to play.