COD Modern Warfare 3 (MW3) is a first-person shooter game. Like its predecessors, this game offers an immersive experience. Released on November 10th, 2023, it has managed to gain a huge player base. However, similar to other new releases, MW3 also has a few issues and bugs. Many players have reported the issue of the game being stuck on the Checking for Updates screen. This issue has annoyed and disappointed many veterans as well as new players. It prevents the user from entering the game. Well, if you’re dealing with this issue, here are some fixes you can try to deal with the problem.
Players are readily jumping on the newly released reboot sequel. It uses a revamped version of the IW engine, offering better graphics and more intense performance. In turn, it improves the experience twofold. However, the issue of getting stuck on the Checking for Updates screen hinders this experience completely. This is a common issue faced by many players in the community. Are there workarounds to fix it? Continue reading until the end for more details.
COD Modern Warfare 3 (MW3) Stuck on Checking for Updates Issue: Is there any fix yet
Unfortunately, the developers haven’t provided any official solutions or acknowledgements regarding this issue. Well, there can be various reasons for this issue to occur. Sometimes the game cannot determine the availability of an update, or it can be simply due to a faulty internet connection. This will lead to the game being stuck on the ‘Checking for Updates’ screen. Anyway, here are some workarounds worth trying:
Clear Cache Files
The most effective solution to resolve this issue is to get rid of the COD MW3 cache files. Follow the instructions to fix the issue:
- Open Steam, and head over to the library.
- Next, right-click on the COD MW3, select Manage, and click on Browse Local Files. This will take you to the game’s installation directory.
- After this, navigate to the ‘mp23‘ folder, and then the ‘main’ folder. Now, locate and delete these files: cod23_data1.dcache, cod23_data0.dcache, cod23_toc1.dcache, and cod23_toc0.dcache.
- Once done, launch the game. This should resolve the stuck on Checking for Updates issue in COD MW3.
Verify Game Files
Missing or corrupted game files can also lead to the game getting stuck on the checking for updates screen. You can easily repair such files by verifying the game files.
- For Steam: Go to the Steam Library, then right-click on COD MW3. Select Properties and navigate to the Installed Files tab. Now, click on ‘Verify integrity of game files‘. Once done, relaunch the game.
- For Battle.net: Open the launcher, find COD MW3 in the list of games, and select ‘Options‘. After this, choose ‘Scan and Repair‘. Once the scan is complete, launch the game and check if the issue persists.
Restart system
Restarting your system can resolve this issue as well. A software conflict can result in this issue occurring. So, a system restart might fix it for good.
Disable Antivirus/Firewall
Your Firewall or Antivirus program might be blocking the game’s access to the internet, which is why it is getting stuck on the Checking for Updates screen. So, to fix this, make sure that the game’s .exe file is added to the exception list of your antivirus or Firewall. If that didn’t fix the issue, consider disabling these programs before running the game.
Remove VPNs
If you are using a VPN to play the game, make sure to disable it. VPNs, although they offer several advantages, can sometimes restrict the game from connecting to its servers, resulting in such issues. So, disable it and then try again.
Check Server Status
The game servers being down can also be the result of this issue. Fortunately, there are ways to check the server status of COD MW3. You can head over to the Official COD Twitter Account and Activision Online Server Status to get updates about the servers. If the servers are indeed down, try again after a while.
Reinstall the Game
The last resort to fix this issue is to uninstall and reinstall the game. This will enable you to install the latest version of the game. Along with it, you will get rid of cache files that could be causing this issue.
That is about everything you can do to fix the Stuck at Checking for Updates issue in COD MW3. We hope that at least one of the mentioned workarounds helped you resolve the issue. For more guides and updates, bookmark DigiStatement. Also read: COD Modern Warfare 3 (MW3) Stuck on Activating Token (Double XP) Screen: Is there any fix yet
