Call of Duty: WWII Pulled from PC Game Pass After Major Exploit Concerns

Summary:

Activision removed Call of Duty: WWII from PC Game Pass due to a major security issue that jeopardized the security of PC players’ computers.

Gamers reported that their devices had been unauthorized, showing how bad the breach was.

Reports of the breach started to come out shortly after PC Game Pass subscribers gained access to the game.

Jumping into Call of Duty: WWII through PC Game Pass might sound like an easy plan, but it wasn’t. Just a few days after its release, hackers infested the game with hacks and exploits. Then, it to an alarming security issue when it could have been a fun nostalgic experience for players. In fact, it was so bad, Microsoft had to yank the game from PC Game Pass shortly after. So what exactly happened here?

The Exploit and Security Concerns

The exploit that got Call of Duty: WWII pulled from PC Game Pass is a Remote Code Execution (RCE) exploit. This exploit allowed attackers access to the player’s computer completely while playing the game. Moreover, it allowed malicious actors to execute arbitrary code remotely on the victim’s computer without authorization, which they could use for any number of nefarious purposes. These include, but are not limited to, installing malware, shutting down a victim’s system, and displaying things unsolicitedly.

The problem emerged not long after Activision released the game on PC Game Pass on June 30, 2025. Users started posting reports on social media about cases of hacking as early as July 2. Many of them had horrible evidence that someone was controlling their system while they were playing the game. Specifically, some hackers can open up Windows Notepad to interact, which shows how far the breach has gone. This RCE vulnerability is exceptionally troubling, because it defeats standard measures against security and transforms the game into a vector to conduct cyberattacks against its own users.

What Made Call of Duty: WWII PC Game Pass Version Risky?

The cyber risk from Call of Duty: WWII on Xbox Game Pass for PC is mostly due to the game’s old peer-to-peer (P2P) matchmaking system. This allows players to see other players’ IP addresses, and basically allows an attacker to RCE on another player’s machine. The Steam version of Call of Duty: WWII uses dedicated servers, is network segmented, and has better network remediation. Meanwhile, Microsoft Store and Game Pass use older technology (old P2P systems), relying on players to implicitly trust each other.

This isn’t really a new issue, but a pre-existing security vulnerability that has affected many older Call of Duty games as they share a similar P2P matchmaking system. While this has been an issue for years, Activision has yet to implement any security patches or measures. Thus, hackers continue exploiting this vulnerability through many different titles. The issue becomes worse when they bring previously legacy titles to a modern platform without the proper security updates/measures. This, as a result, exposes a large player base to these types of cyberattacks.

Activision and Microsoft’s Response

After the RCE exploit caused chaos just a few days after Call of Duty: WWII launched on Xbox PC Game Pass, Activision and Microsoft wasted no time trying to put out the fire. It was Activision that officially began taking the game off of the Microsoft Store platform, noting “reports of an issue”. The community then clarified that the problem was, in fact, the RCE issue.

At the time, players were certainly advised to not play the PC Game Pass version until they fix the problem. The two companies are likely working on a patch to close the RCE issue. So with that, we should see an update to restore safe multiplayer soon enough.

Conclusion

The whole Call of Duty: WWII situation on PC Game Pass is a real eye-opener that even exciting classics can have unforeseen risks. It’s disappointing to see the game taken off so soon after its release. However, it is certainly the right decision to protect players from a nasty exploit. If you’re a fan of the game, it’s best to avoid the PC Game Pass edition going forward. And until then, keep up with any updates or official fixes.

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