COD Black Ops 3 Stuck on loading Screen: Released in 2015, Call of Duty: Black Ops III remains a top-tier multiplayer zombie action first-person shooter developed by Treyarch and published by Activision. As a follow-up to 2012’s Call of Duty: Black Ops II, the game has garnered favorable reviews over the years.
However, some players have encountered issues when attempting to launch or play the game, particularly with reports of it freezing on the loading screen, which can be quite exasperating.
If you are experiencing difficulties with Black Ops III, it may indicate an underlying issue with your computer. Fortunately, we have compiled several potential solutions to assist you in resolving the loading screen problem in Black Ops III.
Fix: Black Ops 3 Stuck on the Loading Screen
Check out the following troubleshooting methods below to easily resolve such an issue on your Windows computer. So, without further ado, let’s jump into the guide below.
1. Check-out System Requirements
Before drawing any conclusions, it’s essential to review the system requirements. Should your computer’s specifications not meet the necessary criteria, you may encounter difficulties with both launching the game and overall gameplay experience.
Minimum Requirements:
- OS: Windows 7 64-Bit / Windows 8 64-Bit / Windows 8.1 64-Bit
- Processor: Intel Core i3-530 @ 2.93 GHz / AMD Phenom II X4 810 @ 2.60 GHz
- Memory: 6 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 @ 1GB / ATI Radeon HD 6970 @ 1GB
- DirectX: Version 11
- Network: Broadband Internet connection
- Storage: 100 GB of available space
- Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
2. Increase Virtual RAM
Virtual memory is an essential feature that integrates your computer’s RAM with a designated portion of your hard drive to enhance performance. When you find that your RAM is insufficient for your tasks and the existing virtual memory allocation does not meet your requirements, you can manually adjust its size.
To increase your virtual memory, follow these steps:
- 1. Press the Windows logo key on your keyboard and enter “advanced system settings” in the search bar.
- 2. Select “View advanced system settings” from the results.
- 3. In the System Properties window, click on the “Settings” button under the Performance section.
- 4. Navigate to the “Advanced” tab and select “Change” under the Virtual Memory section.
- 5. Deselect the option that says “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives.”
- 6. Choose your C: drive (where Windows is installed) and click on the “Custom size” option. Enter “4096” in both the Initial size (MB) and Maximum size (MB) fields.
– As a general guideline, it’s recommended to set your virtual memory to three times the amount of your current RAM for optimal performance (note: 1 GB equals 1024 MB).
- 7. After setting the values, click “Set,” then “OK” to apply the changes.
- 8. Finally, restart your computer to enable the new virtual memory configuration, and you should notice improved performance during your gaming sessions.
3. Properly Place the Storage and RAM in the Slot
To troubleshoot the loading screen issue in Black Ops 3, it is advisable to begin by removing the side panel of your PC’s CPU case. Once open, carefully disconnect the HDD/SSD and RAM from their respective slots.
Take a moment to clean both the slots and the components, ensuring there is no dust or debris present. After cleaning, securely reinsert the HDD/SSD and RAM into their slots. This process may help resolve the persistent loading screen problem.
4. Update GPU Drivers
If you haven’t yet updated the graphics driver on your Windows computer, it’s important to install the latest version. Here’s how to check for and install available updates:
- 1. Press the Windows + X keys simultaneously to access the Quick Link Menu.
- 2. Select Device Manager from the options provided, then double-click on Display adapters.
- 3. Locate and right-click on your active graphics card.
- 4. Choose the option to Update driver, then select Search automatically for drivers.
- 5. If an update is found, your system will download and install it automatically.
- 6. After the installation is complete, restart your computer to ensure the changes take effect.
5. Close Unnecessary Background Tasks
To optimize your PC’s performance, consider terminating any non-essential background processes that may be using system resources. Here’s how to manage these tasks:
- 1. Open Task Manager by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
- 2. Navigate to the Processes tab and identify the tasks you wish to terminate.
- 3. Select each task individually and click on “End Task” to close them.
After you have finished closing the unnecessary processes, restart your computer to apply the changes effectively. This can help improve your system’s overall efficiency.
6. Update Black Ops 3
If you haven’t updated your Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 game in a while, it’s important to check for the latest updates and install any available patches. Follow the instructions below based on your platform:
**For Battlenet Users:
- 1. Launch the Battlenet client.
- 2. Navigate to the “All Games” section.
- 3. Select “Installed” and find Call of Duty: Vanguard in the left sidebar.
- 4. Click on the Settings icon.
- 5. Choose the option to check for updates. If an update is available, proceed by clicking on “Update.”
- 6. After the update is complete, exit the Battlenet client.
- 7. Restart your PC to ensure the changes take effect, and then try to launch the game again.
**For Steam Users:
- 1. Open your Steam client.
- 2. Go to your Library and select Black Ops 3 from the list on the left.
- 3. Steam will automatically search for any available updates. If an update is found, click on the “Update” button.
- 4. Wait for the update to install; this may take some time.
- 5. Once installation is finished, close the Steam client.
- 6. Restart your PC to apply the updates, and try launching the game once more.
By following these steps, you’ll ensure that your game is up to date and ready for action.
7. Check for Windows Updates
It’s quite common for your Windows operating system to become outdated or even encounter corruption issues over time. If you share this concern, follow these instructions to check for and install any available updates. Keeping your system updated is crucial, as the latest updates often include important bug fixes and enhancements. Here’s how to do it:
- 1. Press the Windows + I keys simultaneously to open the Settings menu.
- 2. Navigate to the Update & Security option, then click on Check for updates in the Windows Update section.
- 3. If a feature update is listed, select Download and install.
- 4. Allow some time for the update process to complete.
- 5. Finally, restart your computer to ensure all changes take effect immediately.
8. Try Disabling Overlay Apps
Certain widely-used applications come with overlay features that can operate in the background, potentially leading to performance issues while gaming or even preventing games from launching. To resolve these problems, it is advisable to disable these overlays by following the steps outlined below:
### Disable Discord Overlay
- 1. Open the Discord application and click on the gear icon located at the bottom.
- 2. Navigate to “Overlay” under the App Settings.
- 3. Ensure that the “Enable in-game overlay” option is activated.
- 4. Proceed to the “Games” tab and select “Black Ops 3.”
- 5. Finally, toggle the “Enable in-game overlay” option off.
- 6. Don’t forget to restart your computer to ensure the changes take effect.
### Disable Xbox Game Bar
- 1. Press the Windows + I keys simultaneously to access Windows Settings.
- 2. Select “Gaming” and then click on “Game Bar.”
- 3. Disable the option labeled “Record game clips, screenshots, and broadcast using the Game bar.”
- 4. If you have trouble locating the Game Bar setting, you can search for it directly in the Windows Settings menu.
### Disable Nvidia GeForce Experience Overlay
- 1. Launch the Nvidia GeForce Experience application and navigate to the settings.
- 2. Click on the “General” tab and turn off the “In-Game Overlay” feature.
- 3. Restart your computer to apply the changes and try launching Black Ops 3 again.
### Additional Considerations
Additionally, it is wise to disable other overlay applications such as MSI Afterburner, Rivatuner, RGB management software, or any other third-party overlays that might be running in the background. Taking these steps can help improve your gaming experience by minimizing potential conflicts caused by overlay programs.
9. Perform a Clean Boot
Certain applications and their associated services may initiate automatically during system startup, which can lead to excessive consumption of internet bandwidth and system resources. If you suspect this might be affecting your computer’s performance, consider performing a clean boot to diagnose the problem. Here’s how to do it:
- 1. Press the Windows key + R simultaneously to launch the Run dialog box.
- 2. In the box that appears, type “msconfig” and press Enter to access the System Configuration utility.
- 3. Navigate to the Services tab and check the box labeled “Hide all Microsoft services.”
- 4. Click on “Disable all,” then apply your changes by clicking Apply, followed by OK.
- 5. Next, switch to the Startup tab and click on “Open Task Manager.”
- 6. In the Task Manager window, select the Startup tab.
- 7. Identify any tasks that show a high startup impact, select them, and click “Disable” to prevent them from launching at startup.
- 8. Repeat this for each program with a significant startup impact.
- 9. Finally, restart your computer to ensure that all changes take effect.
By following these steps, you can streamline your system’s startup process and potentially improve its overall performance.
10. Repair Game Files on Battle.Net Client
Corrupted or missing game files on your computer often go unnoticed, leading to frustrating crashes or failure to launch when you attempt to start a game.
If you find yourself puzzled by these issues, rest assured that repairing the game files through the launcher can resolve a variety of problems. Here’s how to do it for both Battle.net and Steam:
**For Battle.net:
- 1. Open the Battle.net client on your computer.
- 2. Navigate to the library and select COD Vanguard.
- 3. Click on the Options menu, then choose Scan and Repair.
- 4. Initiate the scan by selecting Start Scan.
- 5. Allow the process to finish, and once completed, you should be able to play the game without issues. Don’t forget to restart the client to ensure all changes take effect.
**For Steam:
- 1. Launch the Steam application.
- 2. Go to your Library and locate COD Black Ops 3 in your list of installed games.
- 3. Right-click on the game and select Properties.
- 4. In the Properties window, navigate to the Local Files tab.
- 5. Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
- 6. Wait for the verification process to complete.
After it’s done, a quick restart of your computer may be beneficial for optimal performance. Following these steps should help restore your gaming experience.
11. Delete Battle.Net Cache Data
Corrupted cache data files can lead to various problems, so it’s important to address them. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you resolve this issue:
- 1. Begin by closing all your games and exiting the Battle.net client.
- 2. Next, press the Windows + R keys simultaneously to open the Run dialog box.
- 3. Enter %programdata% and press Enter to access the Program Data folder.
- 4. Locate and open the Blizzard Entertainment folder, then navigate to the Battle.net directory.
- 5. Inside the Battle.net folder, find the Cache folder. Select all the files within and delete them.
- 6. After deleting the files, restart your computer to implement the changes.
Following these steps should allow you to launch and enjoy Call of Duty Vanguard without any issues.
We hope you found this guide useful. If you have any further questions or need assistance, feel free to leave a comment below.
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