Why Does Modern Warfare 2 Keeps Crashing on Startup: After a five-year hiatus, Activision has reintroduced the Call of Duty franchise to Steam, sparking immense interest among fans. Within just two weeks of its launch, players amassed over 8 million hours of gameplay.
The beta version of the game was available until September 26, 2022, at 2 p.m. CT, and is now closed to new players until its full release in October. However, many users have reported issues with Modern Warfare 2 crashing on startup on PC.
This latest installment in the Call of Duty series has intensified competition within the battle royale genre, challenging other games in the market. It is now accessible to all users who purchase it.
Notably, players who participated in the beta phase will be able to transfer their saved progress and unlockable items to the full version, retaining everything they achieved during the beta.
Why Does Modern Warfare 2 Crashing?
Many players of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on PC are experiencing issues with the game either crashing at startup or failing to launch altogether.
A common error message that appears is “Application Has Unexpectedly Stopped Working,” accompanied by error code 0xC0000005, which significantly detracts from the gaming experience. If you check the r/ModernWarfareII subreddit, you’ll find that users have reported receiving prompts from Steam to verify their game files after encountering this specific error.
If you are experiencing similar problems, such as crashes when launching the game, there’s no need to panic. Fortunately, we have compiled a list of potential solutions that may resolve these issues for you. Some likely causes include incompatible Nvidia graphics settings, corrupted or missing game files, excessively high shader quality, outdated graphics drivers, or an outdated game patch, among other factors.
Fix: Modern Warfare 2 Keeps Crashing on Startup on PC
It is essential to methodically go through each troubleshooting step until the issue is resolved. Skipping any steps is not advisable, as even simple solutions may prove effective in your case, even if they don’t apply to others. Now, let’s proceed with the instructions.
1. Run MW2 as an Administrator
To ensure optimal performance of the game and avoid issues such as crashes or failure to launch, it’s important to execute the game’s executable file with administrator privileges. This grants the necessary user account control access. Here’s how you can do this:
- 1. Locate the COD: Modern Warfare 2 executable file on your computer and right-click on it.
- 2. Select ‘Properties’ from the context menu.
- 3. Navigate to the ‘Compatibility’ tab in the window that appears.
- 4. Check the box labeled ‘Run this program as an administrator’ to enable it.
- 5. Click ‘Apply’ and then ‘OK’ to confirm your changes.
Once you’ve completed these steps, try launching the game again.
Important Note: If you are using the Battle.net or Steam client to play Call of Duty: MW2, be sure to perform these steps for the game within those specific launchers as well.
2. Update GPU Drivers
It is advisable to check for updates to your graphics driver on your PC by following these instructions. This will help you install the most recent updates, potentially resolving various graphical issues you may be experiencing with your software. Here’s how to proceed:
- 1. Begin by right-clicking the Start Menu to access the Quick Access Menu.
- 2. Select Device Manager from the menu to open it.
- 3. Locate and double-click on Display adapters to expand the section.
- 4. Find your dedicated graphics card, right-click on it, and select Update driver.
- 5. Choose the option to Search automatically for drivers.
- 6. Your system will then conduct a search for any available driver updates.
- 7. If an update is found, it will be downloaded and installed automatically.
- 8. After the installation is complete, restart your PC to ensure the changes take effect.
If no updates are available through this method, you can visit the official website of your graphics card’s manufacturer to manually download the latest version. Simply search for your specific graphics card model using the appropriate links provided on their site.
3. Update Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
To ensure that your gaming experience is optimal and free from issues caused by outdated game versions, it is strongly recommended to check for updates on your PC. Outdated patches can lead to various conflicts, potentially hindering game launches and overall gameplay. Below are the steps for updating your game on both Battle.net and Steam:
**For Battle.net:
- 1. Launch the Battle.net (Blizzard) client and click on the Blizzard logo located in the top left corner.
- 2. Navigate to the “Settings” section and select “Game Install/Update.”
- 3. Scroll to the bottom of the settings page and enable the option labeled “Apply latest updates and download future patch data for recently played games.”
- 4. Click “Done” to save your changes, then restart the Battle.net client to ensure the updates are applied.
- 5. The game should now automatically update to the latest version available.
**For Steam:
- 1. Open the Steam client and access your Library.
- 2. Select “COD: Modern Warfare 2” from the list on the left.
- 3. Steam will automatically check for any available updates.
- 4. If an update is found, click on “Update” to initiate the process.
- 5. Allow some time for the update to complete, and once finished, reboot your PC to finalize the changes.
By following these steps, you can avoid potential issues and enhance your overall gaming experience.
4. Play Modern Warfare II in Windowed Mode
It’s likely that you are currently playing Modern Warfare II on your PC in fullscreen mode. This setting can lead to increased system resource usage and may cause graphical issues. To enhance your gaming experience and reduce the risk of crashes, it’s advisable to switch to windowed mode. Here’s how to do that:
- 1. Start the COD: MW2 game and navigate to the Options menu located at the bottom of the screen.
- 2. Click on the Graphics tab and look for the Display Mode option.
- 3. From the dropdown menu, select Windowed.
- 4. After making the change, save your settings and restart your PC to ensure the new configuration takes effect.
By following these steps, you should enjoy a smoother gameplay experience.
5. Verify and Repair Game Files
If players encounter issues due to missing or corrupted game files on their PCs, it can lead to significant frustration. To ensure that your game runs smoothly, you can follow the steps outlined below to verify and repair the game files.
**For Battle.net Users:
- 1. Launch the Battle.net client on your computer.
- 2. Select Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 from your game library.
- 3. Click on the OPTIONS button (represented by a gear icon).
- 4. Choose “Scan and Repair” from the drop-down menu.
- 5. Hit “Begin Scan” and allow the process to finish.
- 6. After the scan is complete, exit the Battle.net launcher and restart your computer.
**For Steam Users:
- 1. Open your Steam client and navigate to your Library.
- 2. Locate Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and right-click on it.
- 3. Select “Properties” from the context menu.
- 4. Click on the “Local Files” tab.
- 5. Press the “Verify Integrity of Game Files” button.
- 6. Be patient, as this process may take some time to complete.
- 7. Once verification is finished, reboot your PC to ensure all changes take effect.
By following these steps, you can help resolve issues related to game files and enhance your gaming experience.
6. Disable NVIDIA Reflex and On-Demand Texture Streaming
The NVIDIA Reflex and On-Demand Texture Streaming features enhance game performance, providing players with a smoother gaming experience.
However, there are instances where these features can lead to problems during game startup. If you encounter such issues, consider turning off these options in the in-game settings menu to see if it resolves the problem.
7. Set Shader Quality to Low
To enhance your gaming experience in Modern Warfare 2, consider modifying the Shader Quality settings. Many players have reported that reducing the Shader Quality to Low can potentially resolve crashing problems.
Thank you for reading this guide. We hope you found it useful. If you have any additional questions, feel free to leave a comment below.
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