Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is one of the most popular first-person shooter games out there. However, many PC gamers are frustrated by frequent crashing issues that prevent them from playing. If Modern Warfare keeps crashing on your PC, this guide will help you fix it.
Common Causes of Frequent Crashes in Modern Warfare
There are several potential reasons why Modern Warfare may keep crashing on your PC:
- Outdated or incompatible graphics card drivers
- Corrupted game files
- Not meeting minimum system requirements
- Background programs consuming resources
- Issues with Windows updates or antivirus software
- Overheating hardware
- Overclocked components
- Enabled V-Sync
Carefully going through each of these potential causes can help you isolate and fix what’s causing the crashes.
Step-by-Step Guide to Stop Modern Warfare Crashing
Follow these steps to troubleshoot and resolve Modern Warfare crashing on your PC:
1. Update Your Graphics Drivers
Outdated graphics drivers are a common source of game crashes. Update to the latest drivers for your Nvidia or AMD graphics card:
- For Nvidia cards, open the GeForce Experience app and click “Drivers” to download the newest driver.
- For AMD cards, go to the AMD website and find your card to download the latest driver.
Once installed, restart your PC and try launching Modern Warfare again.
2. Verify and Repair the Game Files
Damaged or corrupted game files can cause crashing. Verify the files through Steam or Battle.net:
- For Steam, right click Modern Warfare > Properties > Installed Files > Verify Integrity of Game Files.
- For Battle.net, click Options by Modern Warfare > Scan and Repair.
This scans for corrupted files and re-downloads any missing or damaged ones. Try the game again after.
3. Update Windows and Disable Antivirus
Conflicts with Windows or antivirus software can sometimes cause crashes. Try:
- Updating Windows to the latest version through Settings > Update & Security.
- Temporarily disabling your antivirus software and firewall.
- Uninstalling problematic Windows Updates (Settings > Update & Security > View Update History).
4. Close Background Apps and Set Modern Warfare’s Priority to High
Too many background apps can consume system resources needed to run Modern Warfare properly.
- Close all unnecessary apps before launching the game.
- In Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc), right-click ModernWarfare.exe and Set Priority to High.
5. Ensure Your PC Meets Minimum System Requirements
If your PC hardware is below the minimum requirements, constant crashes are expected. Modern Warfare’s minimum PC requirements are:
- Windows 7/10 64-bit
- Intel Core i3-4340 / AMD FX-6300
- 8GB RAM
- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 / AMD Radeon HD 7950
- 175 GB storage space
Use a tool like Speccy to check your full system specs easily. If they’re too low, upgrade your RAM, CPU, GPU or storage to meet the minimum.
6. Adjust In-Game Graphics Settings
Optimizing the in-game graphics settings properly can help prevent crashes.
- Set Texture Resolution to Normal/High (not Low).
- Disable Vertical Sync.
- Disable Parallax Effects.
- Reduce Texture Filtering Quality.
Keep lowering settings until you find a stable balance between performance and graphics.
7. Undo Any GPU Overclocking
An unstable graphics card overclock can definitely cause frequent game crashes.
Use MSI Afterburner or a similar tool to reset your GPU clock speed back to default settings if you have previously overclocked it.
8. Perform a Clean Boot
Performing a clean boot ensures no background processes interfere with the game:
- Press Win + R and type
msconfig. Go to the Services tab. - Check “Hide all Microsoft services” then click “Disable all”.
- Click Apply and restart your PC.
See if Modern Warfare runs more stable now with all non-Microsoft services disabled.
9. Reinstall the Game
If you’ve tried everything else with no success, reinstalling the game may fix underlying issues:
- Uninstall the game through Steam or Battle.net.
- Open File Explorer and delete any leftover Modern Warfare folders in Local Disk (C:) > Program Files and AppData folders.
- Redownload and reinstall the game fresh. Update graphics drivers after.
A clean reinstall forces any corrupted files or issues to be replaced with a fresh copy.
10. Scan and Repair System Files
Problematic Windows system files can also cause game crashes. Run a scan with Restoro to identify and replace any corrupted system files:
- Download and install Restoro.
- Run a scan to detect corrupted system files.
- Click Repair All to automatically replace damaged files.
Restoro repairs crucial system files needed for games to run properly.
Final Thoughts
Frequent crashing in Modern Warfare can be frustrating, but is often fixable. Start by ensuring your PC meets minimum system requirements and updating your graphics drivers. Also verify game files, optimize in-game settings, close other apps, and check for conflicts with software. Reinstalling as a last resort usually resolves any underlying issues. With some dedicated troubleshooting, you’ll be able to get Modern Warfare running stable again.