Warzone Crashing on PC? Activision's Fixes That Work

Warzone crashes on PC usually come from an interrupted shader preload, outdated GPU drivers, damaged game files, antivirus interference, or a conflicting app such as NZXT CAM, MSI Afterburner or Razer Cortex. Activision’s own fix order is: let shaders finish, update drivers, repair files, add an antivirus exclusion, then remove conflicting software. The steps below follow Activision’s Warzone PC troubleshooting and crash articles, plus the standard checks for crashes that survive them.

Test after each step, so you know which one fixed it.

Quick fix table

Symptom	Most likely cause	Fix
Crash or heavy stutter in the first matches after an update	Shader preload interrupted	Wait on the main menu until preloading finishes
Crash after a driver update, or graphical glitches before a crash	Driver version	Install Activision’s recommended driver or newer, clean install
Crash on launch, or missing-file errors	Damaged game files	Battle.net Scan and Repair / Steam Verify integrity
Game won’t start or closes instantly	Antivirus, or ASLR turned off	Add a folder exclusion, re-enable ASLR
Random crashes mid-match	Monitoring/tuning apps, overlays, unstable overclock	Close NZXT CAM, MSI Afterburner, Razer Cortex; reset clocks
PC shuts down or freezes under load	Heat	Clean the PC and give it airflow

1. Let shader preloading finish

On the first boot after an install or major update, Warzone preloads shaders from the main menu. Activision says leaving the main menu stops the preload and can lead to performance issues. Sit on the menu until it completes, restart the game once, then play.

If crashes started right after a patch and you joined a match mid-preload, this is the first thing to redo. Our guide on how to clear the shader cache covers clearing the driver-level cache if the in-game rebuild doesn’t help.

2. Update to Activision’s recommended GPU driver

Activision lists recommended driver versions for Warzone. At the time of writing, its PC troubleshooting article lists:

GPU	Activision’s recommended driver
NVIDIA (desktop and laptop)	591.59
NVIDIA workstation (Quadro)	582.08
NVIDIA Maxwell / Pascal (GTX 900 / 10 series)	581.80 (last Game Ready driver for these cards)
AMD	25.12.1
Intel Arc	32.0.101.8531

Treat these as a minimum: a newer stable driver from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel is normally fine. If crashes began after a driver update, clean-install with DDU. Our guide on how to clean install GPU drivers with DDU has the steps. If you see DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_HUNG or a “device removed” message, use the DXGI device hung fix or the DXGI device removed fix.

3. Update Windows

Warzone supports Windows 10 and Windows 11 (not Windows 7 or 8). Activision says the latest Windows 11 version greatly improves NVIDIA stability. Open Settings → Windows Update and install everything pending, especially if you crash on an NVIDIA card.

4. Repair the game files

Damaged files cause crash-on-launch and missing-file errors. Activision’s repair step depends on where you play:

• Battle.net: click the gear next to Play, then Scan and Repair.
• Steam: right-click Call of Duty in your library, then Properties → Installed Files → Verify integrity of game files.

Let the scan finish fully before relaunching.

5. Add Warzone to your antivirus exclusions

Activision recommends adding the entire Call of Duty: Warzone game folder to your antivirus exception list. It names two products that need an extra step:

• Comodo: Settings → Advanced Protection → Miscellaneous → Detect Shell Code Injections → add the whole game folder as an exclusion.
• BullGuard: Settings → Main → uncheck Self protection.

For Windows Security, add the folder under Virus & threat protection → Manage settings → Exclusions.

6. Remove conflicting apps

This is the step most people skip. Activision’s Warzone articles name specific software:

• Disable NZXT CAM, MSI Afterburner and Razer Cortex. Activision says these can conflict with Warzone.
• Update Razer Synapse to the latest version.
• Input remapping software, overlays and recording software can interfere with gameplay or the boot process even when they aren’t running. Uninstall them if crashes persist.
• Shut down all background applications while testing.

If Afterburner is also running an overclock or undervolt, reset it to stock before closing it. An unstable GPU tune crashes Call of Duty long before it crashes lighter games. Our MSI Afterburner guide shows how to reset it.

7. Clean boot, and re-enable ASLR

If the game still crashes, start Windows with only Microsoft services running. That is a clean boot: run msconfig, tick Hide all Microsoft services on the Services tab, click Disable all, then disable startup apps in Task Manager and restart. If Warzone is stable after a clean boot, re-enable programs in batches until the crash returns.

If Warzone won’t start at all and you’ve turned off ASLR in Windows, turn it back on. Activision lists this specifically. Go to Windows Security → App & browser control → Exploit protection settings and set Force randomization for images (Mandatory ASLR) and Randomize memory allocations (Bottom-up ASLR) back to their defaults. Debloat scripts sometimes switch these off.

8. Check heat and system requirements

Activision’s crash article starts with the basics: keep the PC in a cool, well-ventilated place, and make sure it meets the minimum system requirements. A GPU or CPU that throttles or shuts down under load looks exactly like a game crash. Watch temperatures with an FPS overlay during a match.

If crashes cluster in long, busy fights, you may be running out of video memory. See the out of video memory error fix and lower texture quality one tier.

9. Send Activision a crash report

If nothing above fixes it, Activision asks PC players to submit a Call of Duty PC Crash Report from its support site. Include your GPU, driver version and when the crash happens (launch, menu, mid-match).

Related guides

• Warzone Black Ops Royale Stuttering Fix
• Best Warzone Black Ops Royale Settings
• Modern Warfare 4 Crashing and Dev Error Fix
• Call of Duty Ricochet Anti-Cheat Error and BSOD Fix
• 0xc0000005 Access Violation Crash Fix

Most Warzone crashes clear once shaders finish, drivers match Activision’s list, and monitoring apps like NZXT CAM, Afterburner and Razer Cortex are closed. Work through the list in order before reinstalling.