I'm sure we've all been hit with a temporary ban from an online game at some point. No, not to be rude in the chat, behave yourself. Maybe you rage quit the game and couldn't queue for an hour, or maybe you got so angry that you started throwing. Or, as was the case with this Call of Duty player back in the day, you cheated.
In fairness to TikTok user LukeManuFC, it sounded like a frustrating situation. Back in the glory days of the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, he claims he was a high-ranking player who kept getting his score reset due to suspected cheating. He denies this – until he did boost yourself to get back to your previous record. It resulted in a ban… of 4,999 days.
I'm sure most people in that scenario either managed to appeal the ban or forget about it forever. It feels like a roundabout way of saying you'll never play it again, after all. But LukeManuFC was undeterred. After recently trying out his old copy of Modern Warfare 3 and realizing that the ban was now only 164 days away from ending, he waited it out – and it actually worked.
Yes, these stupidly long online gaming bans can end, if you're patient
Funnily enough, the wait wasn't over when the day came. No, Luke had to wait until it was over, even after all this time. But sure enough, when it was over, he could start playing again.
I think the most impressive part of this is that you can actually still play Modern Warfare 3 online in 2026. Remember when live services stayed live? Oh, those were the days. In the meantime, anyone still playing Warzone on PS4 and Xbox One will have to switch to next-gen in October, as last-gen support is withdrawn. So if you get hit with a 4,999-day ban in a newer version, don't expect to start playing again 13 years later.
Incidentally, this has almost completely coincided with the launch of Modern Warfare 4, which is set for October 23 this year.
- Released
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November 8, 2011
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Drug Reference, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Engine
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iw
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer
