If you’re playing Call of Duty Modern Warfare, but it’s not connecting to online services or you receive a connection failed error, don’t frustrate. Before reaching out to Activision support, you can try these easy and quick fixes.

modern warfare not connecting to online services

You don’t have to try them all. Just work your way down the list until you find the one that does the trick.

  1. Check the server’s status
  2. Do basic troubleshooting
  3. Update your network driver
  4. Verify the integrity of game files
  5. Reset Winsock and flush your DNS
  6. Change the DNS server
  7. Use a VPN
  8. Change the region

Fix 1 – Check the server’s status

In most cases, you’re unable to connect to online services because there is a server issue with Modern Warfare. To confirm the server status of CoD Modern Warfare, you can go to the official Activision Support page.

If it shows all platforms are ONLINE, the problem is on your end and please try the fixes below to track down your issue.

Fix 2 – Do basic troubleshooting

Before you attempt anything more complicated, start with basic steps to troubleshoot your network.

  1. First, reboot your network by turning off the router and modem and plugging it back in after at least 30 seconds. This may refresh your device and cleared the clogged connection.
    modem

    wireless router
  2. If you’re playing the game with Wi-Fi, use a wired connection that is more stable for online gaming.

Also restart your computer and CoD Modern Warfare as the connection issue could be just a temporary glitch. If all these trick doesn’t help, check out Fix 3 below.

Fix 3 – Update your network driver

The connection failed or not connecting to online services issue in Call of Duty Modern Warfare may indicate your network driver is faulty or outdated. To improve the reliability of the connection and ensure smooth gameplay without lagging, you should keep your network driver up-to-date.

If you’re familiar with computer hardware, you could search for the most recent correct driver from the manufacturer’s website of your computer or motherboard and install it manually.

But if you don’t have the time, patience or computer skills to update your network driver manually, you can, instead, do it automatically with Driver Easy. Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct drivers for your exact network adapter, and your Windows version, and it will download and install them correctly:

  1. Download and install Driver Easy.
  2. Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
  3. Click the Update button next to the flagged network driver to automatically download the correct version of that driver, then you can manually install it (you can do this with the FREE version).

    Or click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system. (This requires the Pro version which comes with full support and a 30-day money back guarantee. You’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All.)
The Pro version of Driver Easy comes with full technical support.
If you need assistance, please contact Driver Easy’s support team at support@drivereasy.com.

Launch Modern Warfare to see if it still gets stuck on the connecting to online services screen. If so, continue to the next method below.

Fix 4 – Verify the integrity of game files

The Modern Warfare connection issue may be due to missing or faulty game files. To rule out this cause, you could perform an integrity check via the following steps:

  1. Open the Blizzard Battle.net client and select Call of Duty: MW from the left pane.
  2. Click Options and click Scan and Repair.
  3. Click Begin Scan.

After the process completes, launch the game to test. If the disconnection persists, have a look at the next fix.

Fix 5 – Reset Winsock and flush your DNS

Whenever you encounter Internet disconnectivity in games, you could try flushing your DNS and resetting Winsock.

  1. Type cmd in the Windows search box. Then right-click Command Prompt and click Run as administrator.
  2. In the command prompt window, type in the following commands and press Enter after each command.
    netsh int ip reset c:\resetlog.txt
    netsh winsock reset
    ipconfig /flushdns

After you’ve done this, reboot your PC and test the connection. If the problem is not solved, proceed to Fix 6.

Fix 6 – Change the DNS server

Sometimes when you’re using the Internet Service Provider (ISP)’s default DNS servers, the connection gets slow and unstable. So if Modern Warfare keeps disconnecting from online services, you’re suggested to use other secure and popular DNS servers like the Google Public DNS.

Here’s how to do this:

  1. On your keyboard, press the Windows logo key and R on your keyboard at the same time to open the Run command.
  2. Type ncpa.cpl and click OK.
  3. Right-click the network in use and select Properties.
  4. Click Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) from the list and click Properties.
  5. Tick the box next to Use the follow DNS server addresses. Then enter 8.8.8.8 for preferred DNS server and 8.8.4.4 for alternate DNS server, and click OK.
  6. Restart your computer to fully employ the changes.

See if Modern Warfare starts properly without connection errors. If not, there is the last fix to try.

Fix 7 – Use a VPN

If you constantly experience connection issues while playing Modern Warfare, consider using a VPN. A dedicated gaming VPN will offer multiple servers so you can enjoy a better and more stable performance even during peak hours. But instead of free ones, you should go for reliable paid services as they will guarantee a stronger connection and smoother gaming experience. Here are some VPN we recommend:

Test the gameplay again. If it’s still buggy, move on to the last solution.

Fix 8 – Change the region

Some players reported the Modern Warfare connection failed error only happens with specific servers. A simple workaround for this is to change the gaming server.

  1. Open the Blizzard launcher.
  2. Select Call of Duty: MW and switch to another region.

Start Modern Warfare and see whether you can enjoy the gameplay smoothly now.


Hopefully this post helps you with the Modern Warfare not connecting to online services issue. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment below.

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