2015’s Call of Duty: Black Ops III remains one of Treyarch and Activision’s best multiplayer zombie action first-person shooter video games. It is a sequel to Call of Duty: Black Ops II which was released in 2012. Although the title was launched as a multiplayer title, it received rave reviews on Steam for the PC version. Meanwhile, it looks like COD Black Ops 3 keeps crashing on startup on the Windows PCs for several players.
So, if you are also facing the problem then you can totally follow this troubleshooting guide to fix it. Startup issues or games not launching are becoming a common thing on PC games that we can’t deny. Regardless of the version of PC you’re using, launch issues are the most commonly reported and you can try to fix the problem manually with a few workarounds.
How to Fix COD Black Ops 3 Keeps Crashing on Startup on PC
It looks like the game Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 keeps crashing on PC during launch for multiple reasons. Such as the game and PC specs incompatibility issues, corrupted or outdated graphics drivers, outdated game versions, antivirus software issues and more. Background tasks running issues, DirectX version issues, conflicts with the startup applications, etc. could be one of the reasons.
Also, Blizzard and Activision account linking issues, in-game overlay apps, game client related crashes, corrupted or missing game files and more can also cause some conflicts when launching the game. Now that you know why, you can follow the solutions listed down below to fix it. Now, without further ado, let’s get started.
Here we have shared a bunch of workarounds that might be helpful to you. Just make sure to follow all the solutions one by one until the problem is resolved. Sometimes even a basic troubleshooting method can do the trick.
Solution 1: Check System Requirements
First of all, you need to check that your PC version or specifications meet all the system requirements of the game. If your PC specs are out of date or come with poorer specs, chances are that your game won’t run smoothly.
If your PC version is really not compatible with the game, make sure to upgrade the specific software/hardware to make it compatible enough. If it’s already compatible, then you can move to the next solutions. Check the below listed compatibility requirements.
Minimum Requirements:
OS: Windows 7 64-Bit / Windows 8 64-Bit / Windows 8.1 64-Bit
Processor: Intel Core i3-530 @ 2.93 GHz / AMD Phenom II X4 810 @ 2.60 GHz
Memory: 6 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 @ 1GB / ATI Radeon HD 6970 @ 1GB
DirectX: Version 11
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 100 GB of available space
Sound Card: DirectX Compatible
Solution 2: Remove Battle.Net and Activation Friends
It seems that the game Call of Duty Black Ops 3 can crash a lot when you add too many friends online. It is recommended that you minimize the friend limit on your account to reduce the issue with the game crashing on launch or in-game crashing issue.
Solution 3: Force Run DirectX 11
If you are using the latest DirectX version which is currently DX12, your game may not run properly. Try to force run DirectX 11 on your PC while launching and playing the game, Call of Duty Black Ops 3. Follow the steps listed down below to force run the DirectX11 on your PC.
Step 1: Open the Battle.Net client on the PC.
Step 2: Head over to the COD Black Ops 3 game from the library.
Step 3: Go to Options.
Step 4: Enable the Additional Command Line Arguments checkbox.
Step 5: Now, type -d3d11 and exit the client to save changes.
Step 6: Finally, launch the Black Ops III game to play it smoothly without any crashing issues.
Solution 4: Run Black Ops 3 as an administrator
Make sure to run the Black Ops 3 exe file as administrator to avoid User Account Control related privilege issues. You may also need to run the battle.net client as an administrator on your PC. To do so, follow the steps listed down below:-
Step 1: Right-click on the COD Black Ops 3 exe shortcut file on your PC.
Step 2: Now, select Properties.
Step 3: Click on the Compatibility tab.
Step 4: Make sure to click on the Run this program as an administrator checkbox to checkmark it.
Step 5: Click on Apply and select OK to save changes.
As we’ve already mentioned, do the same steps for your Steam or Battle.Net client too.
Solution 5: Repair Game Files
Most of the corrupted or missing game files on your computer won’t notify you, but every time you try to launch the game, the game will hang or after loading for sometime, it will fail to open. In this case, you will definitely scratch your head not knowing what is going on. But repairing the installed game files directly from the client resolves the problem.
To repair the game files for Battle.net, follow the steps listed down below:-
Step 1: Open the Battle.net client on your computer.
Step 2: Head over to the library and click on COD Black Ops 3.
Step 3: Then, Click on Options.
Step 4: Now, Select Scan and Repair.
Step 5: Choose to Start Scan.
Wait for the process to get completed and then you’ll be able to play the game properly. Make sure to reboot the client to apply changes immediately.
To repair the game files for Steam, follow the steps listed down below:-
Step 1: Launch Steam.
Step 2: Click on Library option.
Step 3: Then, Right-click on COD Black Ops 3 from the list of installed games.
Step 4: Now, click on Properties.
Step 5: Then, Go to Local Files.
Step 6: Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
You’ll have to wait until the process is completed. Once done, just restart your computer.
Solution 6: Update GPU Drivers
Either way, it’s possible that your graphics driver hasn’t been updated in a while. If so, be sure to update your PC’s graphics drivers to eliminate potential problems. To update the GPU driver, follow the steps listed down below:-
Step 1: Press Windows + X keys to open the Quick Link Menu.
Step 2: Now, click on Device Manager from the list.
Step 3: Then, Double-click on Display adapters.
Step 4: Right-click on the dedicated graphics card that you’re using.
Step 5: Next, select Update driver.
Step 6: Choose to Search automatically for drivers.
Step 7: If there is an update available, the system will automatically download & install it.
Step 8: Once done, restart the computer to apply changes immediately.
Solution 7: Perform a Clean Boot
Some applications and their services may start automatically the instant when the system is started. In this case, these applications or services will inevitably use a lot of Internet connection as well as system resources. If you feel the same way, make sure to perform a clean boot on your computer to check for the problem. To perform a clean boot, follow the steps listed down below:-
Step 1: Press Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Step 2: Now, type msconfig and hit Enter to open System Configuration.
Step 3: Then, Go to the Services tab.
Step 4: From there, Enable the Hide all Microsoft services checkbox.
Step 5: Then, Click on Disable all.
Step 6: Now, Click on Apply and then OK to save changes.
Step 7: Now, go to the Startup tab.
Step 8: Then, Click on Open Task Manager.
Step 9: The Task Manager interface will open. Here go to the Startup tab.
Step 10: Then, click on the particular task which has a higher startup impact.
Step 11: Once selected, click on Disable to turn them off from the startup process.
Step 12: Do the same steps for each program that has a higher startup impact.
Solution 8: Close Unnecessary Background Tasks
Whenever there are some unnecessary background tasks especially those that appear to be from third party sources, make sure to close them one by one to reduce CPU/memory usage. To close the unnecessary background tasks, follow the steps listed down below:-
Step 1: Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc keys to open Task Manager.
Step 2: Click on the Processes tab.
Step 3: Select the task that you want to close.
Step 4: Once selected, click on End Task. Make sure to do the steps for each task individually.
Step 5: Once done, just restart your computer to change effects immediately.
Solution 9: Disable the Antivirus and Firewall Program
You should turn off your anti-virus program as well as the firewall protection on your computer to check for problems. Sometimes, aggressive antivirus or security software can prevent the game files from working properly or can detect them as viruses, which essentially prevents you from launching or playing them properly and smoothly.
To disable firewall program, follow the steps listed down below:-
Step 1: Click on the Start menu.
Step 2: Type Control Panel and open it.
Step 3: Now, type firewall in the search box.
Step 4: Click on Windows Firewall option.
Step 5: From the left pane, click on Turn Windows Firewall on or off.
Step 6: Make sure to select Turn off Windows Firewall for the Private, Domain, and Public Network Settings.
Step 7: Finally, reboot the PC to apply changes, and try checking the issue.
Step 8: Now, you’ll have to disable the antivirus protection from your computer.
To disable Antivirus program, follow the steps listed down below:-
Step 1: Head over to the Windows Settings.
Step 2: Click on the Privacy and Security option.
Step 3: Now, go to Windows Security.
Step 4: From there, click on the Virus & threat protection option.
Step 5: Now, Click on Manage settings.
Step 6: Then, turn off the Real-time Protection option.
Step 7: Once done, make sure to reboot your PC to apply changes.
Step 8: Even if you’re using any other third-party antivirus software on your PC, make sure to turn it off as well.
Solution 10: Try Disabling Overlay Apps
It seems that some popular apps have their own overlays that can run in the background and cause game performance issues or even launch issues. You should turn them off to fix the issue by following the respective troubleshooting steps listed down below.
To Disable Discord Overlay, follow the steps listed down below:-
Step 1: Launch the Discord app.
Step 2: Then, Click on the gear icon at the bottom.
Step 3: From there, Click on Overlay under App Settings.
Step 4: Now, Turn on the Enable in-game overlay.
Step 5: Then, Click on the Games tab.
Step 6: Select Call of Duty: Black Ops III.
Step 7: Finally, turn off the Enable in-game overlay toggle.
Step 8: Make sure to reboot your PC to apply changes.
To Disable Xbox Game Bar, follow the steps listed down below:
Step 1: Press Windows + I keys to open Windows Settings.
Step 2: Then, Click on Gaming.
Step 3: Now Go to the Game Bar.
Step 4: From there, Turn off Record game clips, screenshots, and broadcast using Game bar option.
Step 5: If in case, you’re unable to find the Game Bar option then just search for it from the Windows Settings menu.
To Disable Nvidia GeForce Experience Overlay, follow the steps listed down below:-
Step 1: Launch the Nvidia GeForce Experience app.
Step 2: Then, head over to the Settings.
Step 3: Now, Click on the General tab.
Step 4: From there, disable the In-Game Overlay option.
Step 5: Finally, restart the PC to apply changes, and launch the COD Black Ops 3 game again.
Step 6: Also, do keep in mind that you should disable some other overlay apps like MSI Afterburner, Rivatuner, RGB software, or any other third-party overlay apps that run in the background always.
Solution 11: Link Both Blizzard and Activation Accounts
Just make sure your Blizzard and Activision accounts are properly connected or linked. This could be a reason behind the game crashing at launch due to accounts not being connected. To link both blizzard and activation accounts, follow the steps listed down below:-
Step 1: Head over to this official Activision Support page to link your Activation account with your Blizzard account.
Step 2: If you’re getting the error message “Error: Disconnected from Server” then make sure to retry the method and use the same account that you’re using or used to purchase the game previously.
Solution 12: Set Power Options to High Performance
Call of Duty titles are too large and due to their high-end graphics or processes, they require maximum system resources when launching or running. So you should set Power Options to High Performance on your Windows system so that it won’t reduce system resource usage while playing COD Black Ops 3. To set the power options to high performance, follow the steps listed down below:-
Step 1: Click on Start or press the Windows key.
Step 2: Type Power Options to search for it and open it.
Step 3: Now, click on the Additional power settings option.
Step 4: Turn on the High-Performance toggle.
Step 5: Once done, make sure to reboot your system to change effects immediately.
Solution 13: Set Windows System to Best Performance
If you are experiencing performance issues on your Windows computer even if you are not running high end applications or games or your hardware configuration is high enough, make sure to set your Windows system to Performance mode by removing extras features. To set the Windows system to best performance, follow the steps listed down below:-
Step 1: Go to the Windows Search and type Performance. Then, click to open it.
Step 2: Now, click on Adjust the appearance and performance of the Windows.
Step 3: Finally, Just turn on the Adjust for best performance option for better results.
Solution 14: Disable the SysMain Service
Make sure to disable the SysMain service, also known as SuperFetch, the last service that causes problems when launching games and playing games. To disable the SysMain Service, follow the steps listed down below:-
Step 1: Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Step 2: Now, type services.msc on the field and hit Enter to open Services.
Step 3: Find SysMain service from the list of services.
Step 4: Then, right-click on the SysMain.
Step 5: Now, Click on Stop.
Step 6: Go ahead and right-click on SysMain again.
Step 7: Then, Go to Properties.
Step 8: Finally Set the Startup Type to Disabled.
Step 9: Then, Click on Apply and then OK to save changes.
Step 10: Finally, restart the computer to apply changes.
Solution 15: Adjust COD Black Ops 3 Exe Properties
Sometimes tweaking some of the options directly from the Black Ops 3 COD Execution Properties option fixes some issues. To adjust the COD Black Ops 3 Exe Properties, follow the steps listed down below:-
Step 1: Right-click on the COD Black Ops 3.exe file from the desktop or from the installed game location.
Step 2: Now, select Properties.
Step 3: Click on the Compatibility tab.
Step 4: Here, click on Disable Fullscreen optimizations.
Step 5: Then, click on Change high DPI settings.
Step 6: Enable the Override high DPI scaling behavior checkbox.
Step 7: Select Scaling performed by: Application.
Step 8: Click on Apply and then OK to save changes.
Solution 16: Disable Crossplay Feature
Make sure to disable Cross-Play on your Battle.net client to check if it helps eliminate the Call Of Duty Black Ops 3 keeps crashing issue.
Solution 17: Delete Battle.Net Cache Data
It goes without saying that corrupted cache data files can cause some problems. To delete the Battle.Net Cache Data, follow the steps listed down below:-
Step 1: Close all the games first and then quit the Battle.net client too.
Step 2: Now, press Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog box.
Step 3: Type %programdata% and hit Enter to open the Program Data folder.
Step 4: Open the Blizzard Entertainment folder.
Step 5: Head over to Battle.net.
Step 6: Click on Cache.
Step 7: Select all files and delete them.
Step 8: Once all is deleted, just reboot your computer to apply changes.
Wrapping Up
I hope this article helped you in resolving the Black Ops 3 Keep Crashing on Startup issue. If it did, let us know in the comments section down below.
Experiencing difficulties with your Device, check out our “How To” page on how to resolve some of these issues.
