One of the common problems that many Call of Duty Modern Warfare players report to us is lag or latency when in multiplayer mode. If you encounter lagging issues on this game, this article will show you the steps on how to fix your troubles.
Two types of lag in COD Modern Warfare
When playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare, you may experience 2 types of lag.
FPS lag.
The first type of lag, which we will not be addressing in this article, is called FPS lag. This lag occurs when the hardware of your PC or console malfunctions, or struggles to run the game. When it comes to PS4 and Xbox One, FPS lag is rare and may only happen if the console is damaged. FPS lag though can occur more frequently on computers that has older hardware components. This problem can only be fixed by upgrading your computer.
High ping or latency.
The other type of lag, which we will discuss in this post, is called network lag or high ping. High ping or latency happens when there’s an issue with your internet connection, the game server, or with the networking components in your computer or console.
What are the reasons for Call of Duty Modern Warfare lag or latency problems?
There are a number of possible reasons why Call of Duty Modern Warfare may lag. Let’s discuss each of them below.
Server problems.
Modern Warfare multiplayer servers may sometimes encounter problems that can make the game unplayable. If you keep on getting an error message when in an online but the offline or campaign mode of the game works fine, you may have an issue with the servers.
Server-related problems are usually indicated by errors. If you’re getting an error message or code when there’s high ping or latency, there may an issue with Modern Warfare servers.
Local network issues.
For some players, Modern Warfare may still lag even if there’s no game server issues at all because of their home network. The scenarios that can lead to connection issues when playing Modern Warfare includes the following:
- slow internet connection
- intermittent connection
- network congestion
Interference from third party applications.
In some rare cases, third party programs may cause an issue with other apps or games. If Call of Duty Modern Warfare started to lag after you’ve installed a new app, try deleting the said application to see if that will fix the problem.
How to fix lag when playing COD Modern Warfare?
If you are experiencing lag when playing COD Modern Warfare, below are the possible solutions that you can try.
Check for server issues.
Majority of Modern Warfare connection issues are due to server problems. The first thing that you want to do if you have trouble updating your Call of Duty Modern Warfare game is to check the official Activision server status.If you’re active on Twitter, you can also follow the official Activision Twitter account.Or, you can make use of a popular third party website outage monitoring DownDetector.com for similar details. If there’s a known server problem going-on, you may simply have to wait it out. Activision is known to work quickly on issues regarding updates so the problem will most likely go away soon.
Restart COD Modern Warfare.
A simple yet sometimes effective solution for this issue is to force quit the game. Make sure that you completely restart the game. If you’re on PC and using a disc, try taking out the game disc before reloading the game.
Reboot your console or PC.
Another important thing that you must do is to ensure that you reboot your computer, PS4, or Xbox One. This can help if the cause of the problem is due to a random network bug.
Check for slow connection.
Having slow connection when playing Modern Warfare can lead to matchmaking problems or errors. Try doing a speed test to see how fast your current download speed is. While not the sole factor that can cause lag, having slow download speed of 5Mbps or below may not reliably connect you to the game servers.The other reason why you want to do a speed test is to check the ping on your network. Having more than 100ms ping may be an indication that your network configuration is not ideal for online play, especially for Modern Warfare.
Check for intermittent connection problems.
Just like slow connection, you may encounter lag or high ping when playing Modern Warfare if your connection regularly disconnects. Diagnosing intermittent connection problem is more difficult to deal with compared to slow connection so we recommend that you get help from your Internet Server Provider or ISP for help.
Check for network congestion or low bandwidth.
Network congestion can occur if there are several devices using the internet all at the same time. If COD Modern Warfare only lags during the evening when everyone is at home and there are a number of devices streaming Netflix, downloading files, or playing online game, you may have a low bandwidth issue. This means that your PC or console is unable to maintain strong enough connection to talk to the servers reliably. To check if you are dealing with network congestion, try to disconnect all other devices from your router and only leave your PC or console. If Modern Warfare lag goes away when there are no other connected devices, you have a network congestion issue.
Use wired connection.
Wired connection is more reliable than wifi or wireless setup. Try connecting your PC or console directly to the router with a network cable and see if that will fix the problem.
Turn off other apps running in the background.
If you noticed that COD Modern Warfare latency problem started after a new app was installed, you should check if deleting that program will improve the situation.
Use QoS.
Some routers are capable of prioritizing game packets in order to lessen network lag in games. This feature is called Quality of Service (QoS). if your router has this capability, do some research using Google on how to enable QoS for Steam as exact steps vary for every device.Alternatively, you can consult the documentation or manual of your router to know. If your router is provided by your Internet Service Provider, contact their technical support team to get help in enabling QoS.
Get help from your ISP.
If none of the solutions in this guide has helped in fixing Modern Warfare lag and you are positive that there’s no server issue, your ISP may help in tracking down the cause of your issue. If needed, try upgrading your internet subscription plan to something faster if your download speed is slow.
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