Only PC players need a registered phone number for Modern Warfare 2
Recent updates to online store and support pages suggested that all Modern Warfare II players would have to register a unique, text-capable phone number with their account to play the game. In a blog post this week, though, the team behind the game's Ricochet anti-cheat system suggests that the requirement will only apply to PC players.
That's a significant difference from Blizzard's policy regarding Overwatch 2, which initially required all players across PC and consoles to register a phone number for its "SMS Protect" system. Blizzard later partially rolled back that policy to exempt players who used a Battle.net account to play the original Overwatch.
Activision's SMS security requirement will also extend to PC players of the free-to-play Warzone 2.0, Team Ricochet writes. Players who accessed the original Warzone on PC have needed to link a phone number since May 2020 and will not be exempt from that requirement for the sequel.