The Black Ops 2 PlayStation port has been running the way the 2012 original did: one player in the lobby holds the match, and everybody else plays against that player's connection. Activision's update channel says that ended on September 10. The new patch adds dedicated multiplayer servers, and the official note says the rollout had been running quietly for several days and now covers 100 percent of multiplayer matches.
Confirmed. The Call of Duty updates channel is Activision's own patch channel, and the September 10 post read in full this run names dedicated multiplayer servers and states that 100 percent of multiplayer matches have been migrated. The PC side is the soft part and is not official: MP1st says the PC build was updated the same day but does not appear to get dedicated servers, and its read on what the PC patch fixes comes from community backend checks.
Why Hardcore SnD cares
Host advantage is not a small tax in Search and Destroy. In a one life mode, the fraction of a second the host sees you before you see them decides the opening duel, and the opening duel usually decides the round. Peer to peer also means the match dies when the host leaves, which is why classic Black Ops 2 lobbies have never been a reliable place to run a scrim. Dedicated servers change both of those conditions at once.
- The opening duel gets honest. No player in the lobby is holding the match anymore, so the peek advantage that came with hosting is out of every round.
- Lobbies should survive a leaver. A host migration in the middle of a round has been the fastest way to lose a Search series on these ports. A server does not rage quit.
- Security is named alongside stability. Activision lists security in the same line as match stability, on a port that has spent the summer shipping patch after patch against lobby tampering.
- Black Ops 1 did not get this. The same day Black Ops 1 update improves regional lobby forming and network connection issues, but that game is still on the old model.
What the two September 10 updates carry
- Black Ops 2 on PS4 and PS5. Dedicated multiplayer servers, improved support for joining friends, and fixes to custom emblems, interface elements and the multiplayer heatmap globe.
- Black Ops 2 on PC. MP1st says the PC build was updated the same day but does not appear to include dedicated servers, and points at community backend checks suggesting compatibility fixes for newer PCs and operating systems.
- Black Ops 1 on PS4 and PS5. Friends and blocked lists updating properly, improved regional lobby forming, time limits added to Custom Games, an Edit Game Options menu for split screen, and an editable pre match timer for LAN Custom Games.
- One fix a scrim organizer will notice. Black Ops 1 also fixes a bug where switching teams in a Private Match or Combat Training could leave a player dead and unable to respawn.
Host advantage has decided classic Search rounds for fourteen years. It does not decide them anymore.
What is not confirmed
Activision has not published server regions, tick rate, or whether the dedicated servers reach Custom Games and Private Matches, which is exactly what a league needs before it runs anything official on the port. The PC build is the other open question: MP1st says the same day update appears to skip dedicated servers there, and does not resolve whether the long running PC exploit problem is addressed. Until Activision says otherwise, treat the change as live for PlayStation public multiplayer only.