12 Ways to Fix COD Modern Warfare III Won't Launch or Not Loading on PC

Recently launched Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is facing criticism as many users complain that they aren’t able to play the game as it is not launching or not loading on their Windows PC. However, still, the Sledgehammer Games and Activision don’t give any reply to the users who face this issue on any of their social media handles at the time of writing this article.

But, no more worries, as team iTechHacks are here to got your back. Today here in this article, we will help you resolve the not loading issue for COD: Modern Warfare 3. So, without any further ado, let’s get started with the guide.

COD Modern Warfare III

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Why Isn’t COD Modern Warfare 3 Working?

When Call of Duty Modern Warfare is not loading or won’t launch on PC, it can be due to several reasons. Let’s look at them individually, along with a quick way to fix them. However, before that, you can try the following basic fixes:-

Run Game Launcher as an Administrator
Close programs that might be interfering with the game. You can perform a Clean boot.
Update Windows.
Scan the PC for viruses and other potential threats.
Make sure Modern Warfare is up to date.

COD Modern Warfare III Won’t Launch on PC? Here’s How to Fix it

Now, let’s focus on the specific issue where Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III won’t launch. Here are some effective solutions:

COD Modern Warfare III

Run the Game Launcher as an Administrator

When the game launcher for Modern Warfare 3 is run without administrative rights, the game won’t launch. Consequently, you may be able to solve this issue by re-opening the specific game launcher as an administrator.

Right-click your game launcher shortcut and choose Properties.
Thereafter, on the Compatibility tab, check the box next to Run this program as an administrator.
Then, in order to save the changes, click OK and Apply.
To verify if the issue with “Modern Warfare 3 not loading” has been resolved, run the game launcher again.

Update Graphics Drivers

Ensure that your PC’s GPU driver is updated because an outdated GPU driver can cause multiple launch problems. It would be a good idea to install the graphics driver update (if available). To do that:

Firstly, to open the Quick Access Menu, right-click on the Start Menu.
From the list, select Device Manager.
Double-click Display adapters to expand it.
Right-click on the active, dedicated graphics card.
Select Update driver > Search automatically for drivers.
It will automatically check for updates if they are available.
If an update is available, it will automatically download and install the latest version.
To apply the changes, restart your PC after finishing.

Close the Background Tasks

Modern Warfare 3 may not work on Windows 10 if there are too many background processes running. Ideally, you should close the unnecessary background processes in this case.

Click the Start icon, then select Task Manager.
Right-click on the programs you want to close under the Processes tab and then select End Task. Continue closing unused background programs until all are closed.
Check if the error “Modern Warfare 3 not loading” is fixed by restarting the game.

Disable Steam Overlay

It has been reported that several affected players are experiencing Steam overlay running in the background, which has caused a lot of discomfort. There may be issues with the game launching due to in-game overlay apps that consume a large amount of system resources.

Firstly, go to the Library in the Steam client.
Right-click Modern Warfare 3 and select Properties.
Click on the General section > uncheck the Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game checkbox.
To check if the game is still not launching, go back to Library > Launch Modern Warfare 3.

Disable Steam Input

Follow the steps below to disable Steam Input. Several players have found the trick useful. In some way, it resolves the problem of the game not launching or being stuck at the loading screen. To do that:

Firstly, launch the Steam client and go to the Library.
Right-click Modern Warfare 3 and select Controller.
Make sure ‘OVERRIDE FOR Modern Warfare 3‘ is set to ‘Disable Steam Input.’
Last but not least, you should try relaunching the game to see if the issue persists.

Disable DirectX 12

In case you use DirectX 12 on your PC, you might need to turn it off. There is a possibility that your PC configuration isn’t capable of running DirectX 12 since it is the latest version available for Windows. To turn it off:

Go to Settings > Video > Set ‘Enable DX12‘ to ‘Off.’
After applying changes, restart Modern Warfare 3.

Disable Discord overlay

Overlays on Discord are pretty cool and fun. It would be so useful for so many players if this feature was enabled. It is possible, however, that some overlay programs, such as Discord overlay, can interfere with the launch of Blizzard games. To test if it works, disable the Discord overlay before playing Modern Warfare:

Firstly, click on the cogwheel icon located in the bottom-left corner to open your User Settings.
On the left-hand side, click the Overlay tab. Click Enable in-game overlay, and then toggle it off.

Launch Modern Warfare to see if the changes worked.

Repair Game Files

In some cases, the “Modern Warfare 3 not loading PC” issue can also be caused by corrupted or missing game files. It is necessary to repair these files in this case. Here are the steps you need to follow.

On Steam

Go to Library in the Steam client.
Select the Properties option by right-clicking Modern Warfare 3.
Navigate to Local Files. After that, click Verify Game File Integrity.

On Battle.net

In the Battle.net launcher, select Modern Warfare 3.
In the Options menu, click Scan and Repair next to the Play button.
To begin the repair process, click Begin Repair.

Allow your game through Windows Firewall

Your system is protected from malware attacks by the Windows Firewall. It does, however, fail to trust some programs and block your Internet access in some cases. To bypass the firewall in this case, you must manually add Modern Warfare to the list. Here’s how:

Initially, type Windows Firewall into the Search box and click Windows Defender Firewall.
Using the left panel, click the Allow an app or feature to be protected by the Windows Defender Firewall option.
After that, scroll down until you locate Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
You won’t find your game on the list if it doesn’t have internet access. Here are the steps you should take if that’s the case:
- To allow another app, click on Change settings > Allow another app…
- Now you can access your File Explorer. Afterward, you can navigate to the game’s saved drive.
- Go to Program Files > Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3.
- Click on ModernWarfare.exe and then click Open.
- To add Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, click the Add button.

Install all Windows Updates

Keeping your Windows up-to-date helps keep your systems protected, and it also addresses some program compatibility issues. In this way, you would be more likely to encounter instability issues if your operating system is out-of-date. If you want to fix the issue, you should download and install the latest Windows updates:

You can check for updates by typing Check for updates into the Search box. From the results, click Check for updates.
Select the Check for Updates tab. It will start downloading and installing updates automatically, if any are available. Wait for it to finish, then restart your computer.

Click on the PLAY button once you’ve installed the latest Windows updates to see if the problem has been resolved. Next, try the fix below if Modern Warfare is still not loading issue.

Run the game in Windowed Mode

To fix the Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 not loading issue, you must try the game to launch in Windowed mode:

Firstly, to open the Run dialog, press Win + R at the same time. Hit Enter after typing AppData.
Click Local in the AppData window.
Then, open the Prospect folder within the Local folder.
Go to Saved > Config and then search for WindowsNoEditor.
In the WindowsNoEditor folder, locate the GameUserSettings file.
Afterward, edit this file with any text editor and change FullscreenMode=1 to FullscreenMode=0. Make the changes and save them.

If the issue persists, restart Modern Warfare and check if it has been resolved.

Update Modern Warfare 3

An outdated game version can contain bugs or stability issues, so check for the Modern Warfare 3 game update if none of the methods worked for you. To check for updates and install the latest update, follow the steps below if you haven’t updated your game in a while.

For Steam:

In the Steam client, go to the Library section and select Modern Warfare 3.
Thereafter, it will automatically search for the latest update. Whenever an update is available, click Update.
Close Steam once the update has been installed.
You can now launch the game again after rebooting your PC.

Battle.net:

From the left pane of the Battlenet client, click All Games > Installed > Modern Warfare 3.
Tap on the Settings icon.
Click on Check for Updates. If an update is available, click on it.
Close the Battlenet client once you’re done.
When you are ready to launch the game again, reboot your PC so the changes can take effect.

Wrapping Up

So, that’s how you can easily fix if the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 won’t launch or not loading. It’s our hope that you find this article helpful. But, in case you still face any issues while fixing the launching issue, comment below and let us know.

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12 Ways to Fix COD Modern Warfare III Won’t Launch or Not Loading on PC