Modern Warfare is the 16th direct installment to industry giant Activision’s money-churning franchise – Call of Duty. Originally started in 2023, this first-person action shooter game series portrays warfare, often inspired by actual true events. New Call of Duty games have been released yearly for over a decade, and despite the backlash of the repetitive nature of these games, continue to sell tremendously and go off of shelves each time they release. One of the reasons for the craze for Call of Duty games is the addictive multiplayer, allowing players to play online with other real players instead of AI enemies, and participate in thrilling, real-time battles. The same is true of Modern Warfare, which when released back in 2019 was applauded for its groundbreaking story and fun multiplayer, and regarded as a return to form for the series.
Modern Warfare’s biggest strength is its multiplayer gameplay, which features a vast variety of maps, game modes and weapons. It features enthralling gameplay with lots of challenges and variety to the shooting mechanic, and a ranked league which calls for the very best Call of Duty players to come forth and try to rank up and prove their skill. The sheer fun of Modern Warfare’s multiplayer, along with the addition of the battle royale mode in the form of Warzone, has made Modern Warfare a big success, and the Modern Warfare multiplayer remains one of the best FPS online gaming experiences today. However, often due to different issues, Modern Warfare’s multiplayer may not be working as intended. In this article, we go over common issues and easy fixes for Modern Warfare multiplayer not working on PC, Xbox or PlayStation.
Why Does Modern Warfare Multiplayer Not Work As Intended?
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is a great success of Activision’s, and has been applauded for its realism and gameplay scope. However, it has also been plagued by issues with the multiplayer not working as intended. Often than not, the most common reasons for Modern Warfare multiplayer have something to do with the game launcher, the data packs, or issues with files and licensing. We elaborate on each issue and how to fix them below.
Issue #1: Data Packs Missing (Affects Consoles Only)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, much like most modern Call of Duty games before it, has a massive install size. Data packs for the multiplayer need to be installed properly before players can access that part of the game, and often people do not realize this. This happens in the new generation gaming consoles, namely PS5,PS4 and Xbox Series systems. It’s a common error and happens on consoles only. But thankfully, it can be fixed easily with simple steps as shown.
Right Solution: Call of Duty uses the feature of split downloads on console since Modern Warfare, and this can cause problems when the multiplayer data packs are not installed. These packs are the following:
- Multiplayer Pack (size: 6 GB)
- Multiplayer Pack 2 (size: 22.1 GB)
- Multiplayer/ Spec Ops Pack (size: 12.3 GB)
- Multiplayer/ Spec Ops Pack (size: 6.7 GB)
All of these packs need to be installed for the multiplayer component of the game to function properly. This is how you install missing data packs on your respective console, to fix the issue of multiplayer on Modern Warfare not working.
On PlayStation 5/4:
- Step 1: Open the game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
- Step 2: Press down on the R3 button (press on the right joystick) on your DualShock 4/DualSense controller.
- Step 3: In the menu that opens, go to the Manage Installs option and then the Modern Warfare Game Pack
- Step 4: A list of various data packs will be shown, install all of them
- Step 5: Close and reopen the game. Now, the multiplayer feature should be working as intended.
On Xbox:
- Step 1: Go to the Microsoft Store on your Xbox, and head to the page of the game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
- Step 2: Keep scrolling until you see the “In This Bundle” option.
- Step 3: Click on it, and install all the packs.
- Step 4: Go ahead and install all the data packs shown on the screen
- Step 5: Close and reopen the game. Now, the multiplayer feature should be working as intended.
After following these steps, the game will run properly, with every feature working. You can also use this method to install other parts of the game, or even delete certain parts of the game which you do not want to play.
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Issue #2: Launcher Causing Problems (Affects PC & Consoles)
Call of Duty, much like other modern games on PC these days, comes with a custom launcher. After the release of their free-to-play battle royale, Activision made a combined launcher, their Cold War launcher, to facilitate the opening of multiple Call of Duty games through a combined app. However, a lot of players report the features of games do not work, and that the launcher is slow and buggy. Sadly, this is a common story on PC.
Right Solution: You can easily avoid this issue, by just going and launching the game normally instead of a browser. Thankfully, Activision does not force launching the game through their launcher, unlike other such companies, meaning that you can run the game normally and play your game properly with no issues.
Issue #3: Licensing Problems (Affects PlayStation Devices only)
This issue causes PlayStation gamers to not be able to play Modern Warfare multiplayer. There has been an ongoing issue with licensing in PlayStation devices, ever since the release of PlayStation 5. It’s because many games having two “versions” of the same game, one for PS4 and PS5 – even if there’s a free upgrade to the PS5 version with updated visuals. Microsoft is doing better in this field with the Smart Delivery option on Xbox.
Right Solution: The methods of restoring licenses actually differ just slightly for PS5 and PS4, due to PS5s new and improved system UI which is different from the one present on PS4. The steps for both consoles are given below.
On PlayStation 5:
- Step 1: Go to the home screen of your PlayStation 5 and open settings through the top dashboard.
- Step 2: Through the “Users and Accounts” option, go and click on “Others” and then navigate to the “Restore Licenses” option.
- Step 3: Confirm your restoration of missing licenses, and then wait for them to be installed.
- Step 4: Reboot your PS5 console. After following these steps, the PlayStation 5 games will have their licenses restored, which may allow Modern Warfare multiplayer to work as it should.
On PlayStation 4:
- Step 1: Go to the home screen of your PlayStation 5 and open settings through the top dashboard.
- Step 2: Go to the “Account Management” option, and then click on the “Restore Licenses” option.
- Step 3: Confirm your restoration of missing licenses, and then wait for them to be installed.
- Step 4: Reboot your PS4 Console. After following these steps, the PlayStation 4 games will have their licenses restored, which may allow Modern Warfare multiplayer to work as it should.
Issue #4: Cache Files Being Corrupted (Affects ALL Devices)
This is a rare issue in which the cache files of the game can become corrupted, causing games to not work properly. Despite sounding serious, this is not a difficult problem to solve, as illustrated clearly in the following steps. After clearing the corrupt cache, the game should run smoothly and fix the issue of Modern Warfare multiplayer not working issue.
Fix For PlayStation 5/4:
- Turn off your PlayStation console.
- After you make sure that it is turned off, unplug your device and wait for 30 seconds
- Plug the power cable back into your console and power it on.
- And that will clear all the cache on the device, making the corrupt files get deleted.
Fix For Xbox One:
- Turn off your Xbox console.
- After you make sure that it is turned off, unplug your device and wait for 30 seconds
- Plug the power cable back into your console and power it on.
- And that will clear all the cache on the device, making the corrupt files get deleted.
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Fix For PC:
- Open the Run application on your device through the start button or the shortcut: Ctrl + R.
- Type “%ProgramData%” into the bar and hit enter.
- Find the “Battle.Net” files and the “Blizzard Entertainment” folders and delete them. This will clear all cache on your PC, making sure the corrupt files get deleted.
To Conclude
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is a sizable entry to the acclaimed franchise of action shooter games, and features a very engaging multiplayer portion. Often than not though, the game gets into issues with the multiplayer not working. However, after this article, this problem will not concern you as you will be able to play your game with ease with no trouble. Congratulations, and game on!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q) The game Says the Server is Down, How Will This Get Fixed?
Ans: Sometimes, Call of Duty goes under server maintenance – this is usually for bug fixes and/or updates. Not to worry though, as they do not last very long usually. If you want to confirm, you can get real-time updates on Call of Duty’s servers.
Q) Is the Multiplayer Portion of Modern Warfare Free?
Ans: No, the game is paid. However, there is the free-to-play Battle Royale game Call of Duty Warzone, which is also bundled with Modern Warfare (along with premium in-game items). But to play Modern Warfare’s multiplayer, you need to have purchased the game. Additionally, console players will also need to get their subscriptions to allow online play, while there is no such fee for PC.
