How To Fix Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War Crashes on Startup in 2024

The ultimate guide to fix the COD Cold War startup crashes.

Are you one of the many gamers eagerly diving into the intense world of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, only to be met with frustrating crashes to the desktop right at startup? Fear not, as you’re not alone in this predicament.

A growing number of players have reported encountering the Cold War crashing on startup issues, and the gaming community has rallied to share insights and potential solutions.

From issues related to anti-cheat mechanisms and shader compilations to unexpected culprits like third-party programs triggering crashes, the journey to a stable gaming experience can be perplexing.

In this guide, we’ll explore various user-proven strategies and troubleshooting steps to help you navigate through the maze of startup crashes and get back to the heart-pounding action of the Black Ops Cold War.

Why Cold War Crashing on Startups?

The common causes of COD Cold War crashing on startup are:

  • Third-party software like WeMod, Kite, VPN, anti-cheat software, and mouse-related programs.
  • Shader’s compilations and Connecting to Online Services due to not supporting the DirectX version.
  • Misconfugures graphics settings.
  • Linked Battle.net and Activision accounts.
  • Outdated NVIDIA Graphics Driver and BIOS

How To Fix Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War Crashes on Startup?

Before you apply the below fixes make sure to check your PC’s specs.

Check Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War Specs

The most important thing that PC gamers should consider is their system hardware. If it meets the minimum requirement you can play any game.

Before downloading COD Black Ops Cold War you should check its system requirements otherwise you will have to deal with crashing issues.

System requirementsMinimumRecommended
OSWindows 7 64-bit (SP1) or Windows 10 64-bit (1803 or later)Windows 10 64 Bit (latest Service Pack)
CPUIntel Core i5 2500k or AMD equivalentIntel Core i7 4770k or AMD equivalent
Graphics CardNvidia GeForce GTX 670 2GB / GTX 1650 4GB or AMD Radeon HD 7950Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 4GB / GTX 1660 Super 6GB or AMD Radeon R9 390 / AMD RX 580
RAM8GB RAM16GB RAM
Hard Disk45GB HD space45GB HD space

1. Update Graphics Card Driver

Without GPU you can’t play games this is also true if you are running GPU with outdated drivers.

GPU-manufactured AMD/NVIDIA regularly releases driver updates to enhance GPU performance.

If you are dealing with COD Black Ops Cold War crashing issue then make sure that you have updated GPU drivers.

The easiest and quickest way to update GPU drivers is to download Driver Easy. This tool is a professional driver updater for Windows PCs. If you have outdated drivers simply download Driver Easy and run it.

It will automatically scan the system and update the required drivers in a jiffy. You don’t need to be a tech-savvy person to use this tool.

2. Disable Apps Running in the Background

If you are playing COD Black Ops Cold War while running multiple apps and processes in the background. You are likely to see a crashing error, disable these programs.

Here’s how to do it:

  • Press Ctrl+Atl+Esc to open Task Manager.
  • Click on the Processes tab and close all unnecessary programs.
  • Right-click on the process and choose End Task.

If you have installed PC monitoring software you should also uninstall it. These tools cause interference while playing games.

3. Repair Game Files Using The Launcher

Another reason why Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War keeps crashing on PC is the corrupted or missing game files.

Run the launcher’s built-in scan & repair feature to restore any missing game file. Follow these steps:

  • Open Battle.net launcher.
  • In the GAMES section, click on the Call of Duty: BOCW.
  • Click on Options and choose Scan and Repair. Wait for a minute.
  • Once the process is complete, click on the Check for Updates to install any game patch.
  • Restart your PC and re-run the game.

4. Disable Conflicting Services

Another solution that can fix the Cold War startup crashes is to close unnecessary services.

  • Press Win+R, type ‘msconfig.’
  • Go to the ‘Services‘ tab.
  • Click ‘Hide all Microsoft services.’
  • Disable all services or specifically disable services that could conflict with Cold War’s anti-cheat (e.g., other anti-cheat software, macro software, VPNs).
  • In some cases, disabling Battleye (anti-cheat software used by Escape from Tarkov), kite, and Cloudflare WARP resolved the issue.

5. Check for Blocked Files by Anti-Cheat

Sometimes it’s the anti-cheat that prevents running important files of the game. Check if the other game (Valorant) is utilizing Anti-Cheat disable it and then play the game.

You can also enable Anti Cheat only when needed for the game.

6. Remove VPN

Another working solution is for those players that use VPN for games. To fix Cold War crashing on startup, get rid of the VPN and then play the game.

7. Check for External Factors

It’s suggested that the problem might be related to external factors. If you have a speaker or headphones connected to your PC via a 35mm Jack it can prevent Cold War and Black Ops 3 from starting on launch.

So just unplug them and restart your PC. Run the game and once it starts completely, connect the AUX Jack again and play like you normally would.

8. Uninstall WeMod

Uninstalling software called WeMod resolved their startup crashing issue. WeMod is a platform that provides cheats and trainers for various PC games, allowing users to modify or enhance their gaming experience. In this case, the user suggests that WeMod was somehow interfering with the proper functioning of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, leading to crashes.

It’s important to note that cheat software or third-party modifications can sometimes conflict with the anti-cheat mechanisms in games, causing instability or crashes.

9. Force Game to Use DirectX 11

The startup crashing issues in the Cold War also occurred during shader compilation, especially when reaching the 3/4 progress mark. A possible solution is to force the game to use DirectX 11 by adding “-D3D11” to the game’s load arguments.

10. Disable V-Sync

Sometimes V-Sync is the cause of Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War keeps crashing. It’s a graphics technique that synchronizes game FPS with the monitor.

Follow the steps to disable V-sync:

  • Run Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War and click on it’s SETTINGS.
  • Select GRAPHICS and disable Gameplay V-Sync and Menu V-Sync.

11. Change the Play Region

Some game servers are overpopulated causing COD Black Ops Cold War to crash for new entering players.

You can change the region to play the game using a less populated server. Follow these steps:

  • Open Battle.net launcher.
  • In the GAMES section, click on the Call of Duty: BOCW.
  • Under the VERSION / REGION section, click on the Earth icon and select a different region.
  • If the game still crashes again change the region.

12. Switch to Windowed Mode

You can play COD war games in windowed, fullscreen, and bordered windowless mode.

Many users confirmed that they fixed COD crashes by playing games in Windowed Mode.

To switch to windowed mode, just press Alt + Enter at the same time on your keyboard.

Linking Battle.net and Activision accounts could be a factor. Logging in on a friend’s PC and playing there before returning to the original PC might help reset settings and shaders.

Follow these steps:

  • Visit Activision‘s website and log in. Once logged in click on PROFILE located on the top-right corner.
  • From the left side click on Account Linking.
  • Click on the link with the battle.net account.
  • Click on the continue button and follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process.

14. Reinstall COD Black Ops Cold War

If you can’t fix COD Black Ops crashing on PC then there may be a file that is so much corrupt that it can’t be restored.

The best solution is to uninstall it from the PC while deleting all the traces within the AppData. Then reinstall it using the launcher.