Crashes in games can be super frustrating, especially when you’re just trying to jump into a fast-paced shooter like Call of Duty. It’s annoying when the game suddenly crashes right before or during gameplay, making you wonder what on earth is going wrong. Usually, it’s some kind of conflict with configuration files or corrupt game data that messes things up. The good news? There are a bunch of ways to troubleshoot this kind of crash, and many times, it’s fixable without a complete reinstall. This guide focuses on popular fixes for both streamlining your file setup and clearing out bad data, which can help get that game running smoothly again.
How to Fix Crashes in Call of Duty (PC)
Fix – Delete config files and rebuild shaders
This one often works because game crashes are sometimes caused by corrupt or outdated configuration files. Resetting these files essentially gives the game a clean slate. It’s especially handy if you’re seeing crashes after updates or certain settings changes. Expect the game to rebuild shaders on launch, which can take a bit of time, but it usually stabilizes things.
- Make sure you completely close the game, including the launcher (Steam or Battle.net).Sometimes, these can stick in the background. Use Alt + Tab or open Task Manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc) to check.
- Next, locate the callofduty config files. They’re usually in Documents under the Call of Duty folder, specifically in the players folder. The full path looks like C:\Users\%username%\Documents\Call of Duty\players. To find it faster, just press Win + R, paste C:\Users\%username%\Documents\Call of Duty\players, and hit Enter.
- Delete all the files inside that players folder. Yes, all of them. The game will regenerate these configs on launch, hopefully with less corruption.
- Now, relaunch Call of Duty from your launcher. Once it starts, go to the Graphics tab and reset everything to default. On some setups, this fixes weird conflicts.
- Set the Graphics preset to Quality mode. It’s a decent balance and less likely to trigger crashes compared to ultra-high settings.
- Finally, restart the shader cache — usually, just restarting the game does this. You’ll see the game rebuilding shaders at first launch post-reset, which can look like a freeze or longer load time.
- Play a quick multiplayer match to see if crashes still happen. Sometimes, it’s just that simple. On some machines, this resets that flaky shader cache enough for stable play.
- Open Battle. NET, go to the Library, and right-click on Call of Duty. Choose Properties.
- Click on the Installed Files tab, then select Scan and Repair. Let it run its thing — it will check all game files and replace any damaged ones. Expect it to take a few minutes depending on your system.
- Once finished, launch the game again and see if crashes persist. On some setups, this alone fixed the issue.
- Head to the Steam or Battle.net folder where your game is installed. For Steam, often it’s in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Call of Duty. For Battle.net, it’s usually in C:\Program Files (x86)\Battle.net\.
- Using File Explorer, right-click the game folder (like Call of Duty) and select Rename. For example, change it to Call of Duty Old. This way, when you relaunch the launcher, it won’t find the old folder and will prompt you to install or locate the game.
- Close the launcher completely — make sure it’s not running in the background. Re-open it; it should detect that the game is missing, and show the Install button.
- When it asks where to install, choose Change folder and point it to the folder you renamed earlier. Because the launcher still finds all the files there, it will verify and validate all those files instead of redownloading.
- Once verification completes, try launching the game. That swap often clears out corrupt or mismatched files, helping stability. Worked on one setup, not so much on another — but it’s worth a shot.
- Open your Steam client, click on Steam in the top left, then choose Settings.
- Navigate to the In-Game tab and uncheck Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game. Confirm changes.
- After disabling, launch Call of Duty again and test things out.
- Delete game config files to reset settings
- Let the game rebuild shaders on launch
- Scan and repair game files via Battle.net or verify through Steam
- Disable Steam overlay if using Steam
- Swap game folders and verify recognition without redownloading
- As a last resort, reinstall with folder exchange to save time
Side note: The shader rebuild is normal after deleting config files, but it can be a bit slow. Don’t panic if it takes a few extra minutes.
Fix for Battle. NET version: Scan and Repair
If you got the game through Battle. NET, repairing the files is often enough because corrupted or missing files are common crash culprits. It’s kind of weird that this works, but all those little corrupt bits can cause instability, especially after a patch or crash. When the repair is done, most issues are usually gone, and you don’t have to reinstall from scratch.
Sometimes, battle.net’s repair isn’t enough, especially if the game files are really out of whack. Moving onto other fixes might be necessary.
Force recheck or reset the game files – the big guns
Another route is doing a more manual reset. Because Call of Duty games are massive (think 100+ GBs), a full reinstall can be a pain. So instead, you can try relocating or swapping the game folder so the launcher re-recognizes everything. It’s a little fiddly but saves time.
Fixes for Steam: Disable overlay & verify integrity
Steam overlays can sometimes cause crashes in certain games, including COD. Turning it off is quick and might fix the flickering or crashing issues.
If issues still happen, verify the game files. Right-click on Call of Duty in your Steam Library, go to Properties, then Installed Files and click Verify integrity of game files. This makes sure nothing’s missing or corrupted, reducing crashes caused by bad data.
Reinstall the game — the last resort
Sometimes, nothing else works, and a fresh install is needed. But to save time, try the folder swapping trick from before: back up your current files, then uninstall the game using Steam or Battle.net. Before reinstalling, move your copied game folder into the new install directory when prompted, instead of redownloading everything. This way, you preserve your progress and avoid hours of re-downloading.
Just be aware that you need to match the folder location during install, or the launcher might get confused. Doing all this carefully can fix stubborn crashes that no other fix manages to hit.
Summary
Wrap-up
Fighting crashes can be a real pain, but most of the time, it’s about squashing corrupt files or resetting configs. These fixes have worked on multiple setups — sometimes it’s just a matter of kicking the engine to think everything’s OK again. If nothing else, giving the game a fresh start or clearing out bad data might get you back in multiplayer faster than you’d think. Fingers crossed this helps shave some of that frustration off — good luck!