Cod Not Loading Into Game? Try These Fixes

You click “Play” on Steam, the button turns to “Stop,” and you see that familiar “Running” status next to Call of Duty. You wait, expecting the splash screen and the roar of the intro cinematic. Instead, after a few seconds, the “Running” status vanishes, and you’re back to the green “Play” button. No error message, no crash report, nothing. When your cod not loading into game is this silent, it’s one of the most frustrating tech problems out there, pointing to a deep conflict hidden within your system.
This isn’t just a simple glitch; it’s often a sign that the game’s anti-cheat is clashing with another piece of software on your PC before the game engine can even fully initialize. We’re going to dig into the common—and not-so-common—culprits and give you a clear action plan to get you back in the game.

At a Glance: Your Tactical Checklist

Get a quick overview of the most effective solutions for when Call of Duty fails to load. We’ll dive deep into each of these points below.

• Identify Software Conflicts: The number one cause is background software, especially from peripheral makers like Logitech and Razer, or controller remappers like ReWASD.
• Leverage Windows Security: Use a hidden feature called “Memory Integrity” to force Windows to identify the exact driver files that are blocking the game.
• Run a File and Permission Audit: Ensure the game has the necessary permissions to run and that none of its core files are corrupt or missing.
• Perform a Clean Driver Installation: Go beyond a simple update by completely removing old graphics driver remnants that could be causing silent conflicts.
• Check Your Game’s Location: In rare cases, installing the game on a drive other than your main C: drive can cause subtle permission issues.

Why COD Fails Silently Before the Main Menu

Understanding the “why” helps you fix the “what.” When you launch COD, a specific sequence of events happens in seconds:

1. Steam Authentication: Steam confirms you own the game and initiates the launch.
2. RICOCHET Anti-Cheat Initialization: Before anything else, the game’s kernel-level anti-cheat system (RICOCHET) loads. It scans active processes and drivers to look for anything that could be used for cheating.
3. Game Engine Loads: If the anti-cheat gives the all-clear, it hands off to the game engine, which starts loading assets, shaders, and eventually, the main menu.
   The silent failure point is almost always at step #2. RICOCHET is like an overzealous security guard. If it sees a program or driver it doesn’t recognize or trust—even legitimate software for your mouse or keyboard—it may simply block the entire launch process without telling you why. This is why you see “Running” and then nothing.
   While this is the most common reason, other issues like corrupted game files, outdated drivers, or Windows permission errors can also stop the game in its tracks. Our troubleshooting will focus on systematically eliminating each possibility, starting with the most likely offender.

Pinpoint the Culprit: Your First Line of Defense

Before reinstalling the entire game or your operating system, let’s hunt down the conflicting software. This is a process of elimination.

The Big Offenders: Peripheral and Overlay Software

Software that hooks into your hardware or overlays graphics on your screen is frequently flagged by anti-cheat systems. These programs run in the background and can interfere with the game’s startup sequence.
Commonly Conflicting Programs:

• Logitech G HUB: A frequent cause of launch failures.
• Razer Synapse / Razer Cortex: Similar to G HUB, manages peripherals and can trigger anti-cheat.
• ReWASD: A powerful controller remapping tool that anti-cheat systems are known to block.
• MSI Afterburner / RivaTuner Statistics Server (RTSS): Used for overclocking and performance monitoring overlays.
• Discord Overlay: While usually compatible, it can sometimes cause issues.
  Your first step is to completely exit these programs. Don’t just close the window—right-click their icons in your system tray (by the clock) and select “Exit” or “Quit.” Then, try launching Call of Duty again. If it works, you’ve found your culprit.

A Deeper Dive: Using Windows Security to Expose Hidden Conflicts

Sometimes, uninstalling software like Logitech G HUB isn’t enough. It can leave behind old driver files that still conflict with the game. A powerful but little-known trick is to use Windows’ built-in Core Isolation feature to find the exact file causing the problem.
This method, shared by users in the Steam Community, works because COD’s anti-cheat relies on modern Windows security standards. If a driver on your system doesn’t meet those standards, the game may refuse to launch.
Here’s the step-by-step process:

1. Open Windows Security: Click your Start Menu and type “Windows Security,” then open the app.
2. Navigate to Device Security: On the left-hand panel, select “Device Security.”
3. Check Core Isolation: Click on “Core isolation details.”
4. Attempt to Enable Memory Integrity: Find the “Memory Integrity” toggle and try to turn it on.
5. Identify the Problem Driver: If an incompatible driver is present, Windows will refuse to enable the feature and will display a message telling you which specific driver is the problem. It will list the exact filename, often something like LGHUB.sys or another .sys file. This is the file blocking Call of Duty.
   Once you have the filename, you need to neutralize it.
   How to Safely Rename the Conflicting Driver:
6. Open File Explorer and navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers.
7. Find the exact file that Memory Integrity identified (e.g., your_problem_driver.sys).
8. Right-click the file and select “Rename.”
9. Change the name by adding “.old” to the end (e.g., your_problem_driver.sys.old). This prevents the system from loading it but allows you to easily restore it if needed.
10. Restart your PC. The problematic driver will no longer load.
11. Launch Call of Duty.
    This single technique has solved the cod not loading into game issue for countless players when all other methods failed.

Rule Out Corruption and Permission Issues

If software conflicts aren’t the problem, the next step is to ensure the game files themselves are in order and that Windows is allowing the game to run properly. These are fundamental checks that can resolve a surprising number of issues. For a broader look at launch failures, our main guide can help you Troubleshoot COD launch issues with a complete framework.

Verifying Game Files: The Easiest Potential Fix

A failed update or a disk error can leave you with corrupted or missing game files, preventing a successful launch. Verifying the integrity of your game files through Steam is a quick and essential step.

1. Open your Steam Library.
2. Right-click on Call of Duty and select “Properties.”
3. Go to the “Installed Files” tab.
4. Click on “Verify integrity of game files.”
   Steam will scan your installation and automatically re-download any files that are broken or missing.

Clearing Corrupted Caches

Call of Duty uses shader caches to speed up loading times. If this cache becomes corrupted, it can prevent the game from starting.

• Shader Cache: Navigate to your game’s installation folder. You should find a folder named shadercache or something similar. Deleting the contents of this folder (or the folder itself) is safe. The game will regenerate it the next time you launch.
• Player Data: Inside the main game folder, look for a player or players folder. Sometimes, corrupt configuration files here can be the issue. You can try renaming this folder to players.old to force the game to create a fresh one.

The Power of “Run as Administrator”

Modern Windows has a security feature called User Account Control (UAC) that can sometimes prevent games from accessing the files or system resources they need. Running the game with administrator privileges can bypass these restrictions.

1. Go to your Steam installation folder (usually C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam).
2. Right-click steam.exe, go to “Properties” > “Compatibility,” and check the box for “Run this program as an administrator.”
3. Do the same for the main Call of Duty executable in its installation folder (e.g., cod.exe).
   Applying this to both Steam and the game ensures that permissions won’t be the roadblock.

When the Basics Aren’t Enough

If you’ve tackled software conflicts and file integrity without success, it’s time to look at two more advanced areas: your graphics drivers and the physical location of your game files.

Graphics Drivers: More Than Just an Update

You’ve probably heard “update your drivers” a thousand times. But when troubleshooting a stubborn launch issue, you should perform a clean installation. Old driver files can linger after an update and cause conflicts. Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) is a widely trusted free tool for this.

1. Download the latest driver for your GPU (NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel) but don’t install it yet.
2. Download DDU from its official website.
3. Boot your PC into Safe Mode.
4. Run DDU and use it to completely uninstall your current graphics drivers.
5. Restart your PC into normal mode.
6. Install the new driver you downloaded earlier.
   This process ensures no trace of the old driver remains, providing a truly clean slate for the game.

Does Your Game’s Location Matter?

Some users have reported fixing their launch issues by moving the game to their primary C: drive, where Windows is installed. While it shouldn’t theoretically matter, installing a game on a separate SSD or HDD can sometimes introduce complex file permission issues that interfere with a sensitive anti-cheat system.
You can easily move a game in Steam without redownloading it:

1. In Steam, go to “Settings” > “Storage.”
2. Add a new library folder on your C: drive if you don’t already have one.
3. Go back to your Library, right-click Call of Duty > “Properties” > “Installed Files.”
4. Click “Move install folder…” and select the new library location on your C: drive.
   Consider this a final step if all else fails, as it can be time-consuming depending on the size of the game and the speed of your drives.

Quick Answers to Common Questions

Let’s clear up some frequent questions and misconceptions about COD failing to load.

My game was working yesterday, but now COD is not loading into the game. What happened?

This almost always points to a change on your system. The most likely cause is an automatic background update to a piece of software (like Logitech G HUB or Windows Defender), a new Windows update, or even a minor hotfix for the game itself. Re-check for conflicting background applications first—it’s the most common reason for a sudden failure.

Will renaming a driver file in System32 break my computer?

It’s a valid concern. Renaming is much safer than deleting because you can easily change the file’s name back if you encounter problems. The .sys files that Memory Integrity flags are typically non-critical legacy drivers for peripherals. Worst case, the associated device (e.g., your mouse) might lose some advanced functionality, which you can restore by renaming the file back and uninstalling the software through official channels instead.

I see the COD splash screen, but then it crashes. Is this the same issue?

It’s a related but different problem. A failure before any game window or splash screen appears (the silent failure we’ve focused on) is typically an anti-cheat or software conflict. A crash after the splash screen appears often points toward a graphics-related issue, such as an unstable GPU overclock, a problem rendering shaders, or a direct conflict with your graphics driver.

Can a weak power supply (PSU) cause this loading problem?

It’s highly unlikely to be the cause of a silent failure to load. A weak or failing PSU typically causes problems under heavy load, like when you’re in a graphically intense match. This would manifest as a sudden system shutdown or restart, not a simple failure of the game to appear on screen. If your game won’t even get to the menu, keep your focus on software.

Your Action Plan to Get Back in the Fight

When your cod not loading into game, don’t resort to a full Windows reinstall just yet. Follow this logical progression, moving from the most likely and easiest fixes to the more involved ones.

1. The Quick Checks: Start by running Steam and COD as an administrator and verifying the integrity of the game files. These steps are fast and solve a surprising number of problems.
2. The Prime Suspect: Systematically close all non-essential background programs, paying close attention to software for your mouse, keyboard, headset, and any system monitoring tools.
3. The Expert Tool: Use the Windows Security > Memory Integrity trick to expose any hidden, incompatible drivers left on your system. Rename the offending file.
4. The Deep Clean: If you’re still stuck, perform a full, clean installation of your graphics drivers using DDU.
5. The Last Resort: As a final step, try moving the game installation to your main C: drive.
   By following these steps, you’re not just guessing—you’re methodically diagnosing and resolving the root cause of the conflict. The issue is rarely the game itself, but rather how it interacts with the unique ecosystem of software on your PC.

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Yaride Tsuga

Yaride Tsuga, known widely by his gaming pseudonym, is a passionate gamer and aspiring technical guide writer with a mission to simplify gaming for enthusiasts worldwide. From a young age, Yaride immersed himself in the digital realms of consoles, PCs, and mobile games, cultivating a deep understanding of both mainstream and niche titles. Over the years, his curiosity evolved beyond gameplay into solving technical challenges—whether fixing bugs, optimizing performance, or troubleshooting glitches—that often hinder the gaming experience.

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