If you‘ve recently gotten your hands on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for your shiny new PS5, you‘ve probably been eagerly diving into the much-hyped campaign and multiplayer. But your experience may have hit a frustrating snag – MW2 randomly freezing and crashing during gameplay.
Don‘t worry, you‘re definitely not alone. A fair number of PS5 players have reported MW2 freezing or seizing up on them without warning. And there‘s nothing more immersion-breaking than a sudden freeze just as you‘re about to secure an intense win in MW2 multiplayer.
But before you chuck your controller at the TV in anger, take a deep breath. In this detailed guide, I‘ll walk you through the likely culprits behind MW2 crashing on your PS5. I‘ll also provide some helpful troubleshooting steps and preventative measures you can take to stop the freezing dead in its tracks.
Stick with me, and you‘ll get to enjoy MW2 without interruptions or panic attacks when your screen halts mid-match. Let‘s get into it!
Why Is My MW2 Freezing? Potential Causes
Through digging into player reports and my own tech expertise, I‘ve narrowed down several key reasons you may see MW2 freeze or unexpectedly crash on your PS5:
Buggy Game Code: Like most major video game releases these days, MW2 is launching with some lingering glitches and bugs in the coding that can cause occasional crashes. Developer Infinity Ward has already issued patches to address early freezing problems, but further fixes are likely still needed.
Overheating: The powerful internals of the PS5 produce a lot of heat when running graphically intense games for extended periods. Pushing the hardware to the limits can cause overheating that leads to temporary system freezing or full crashes.
Hard Drive Read/Write Issues: Potential problems with the PS5‘s ultra fast solid state drive (SSD) can disrupt reading and writing data quickly enough from storage. This bottlenecks the data flow and may freeze up MW2 mid-match.
Memory Leaks: Game codes that are not optimized well can gradually leak and eat up RAM over a long gaming session. Once memory runs out, MW2 is likely to seize up.
Maxing Out GPU/CPU: Cranking graphics settings to max and enabling features like ray tracing and high framerates can overload your PS5‘s processors, especially after hours of play. This strain can cause momentary freezing.
Network Connection Problems: Any kind of lag, packet loss or connection issues while playing online can interrupt the data flow to/from servers, appearing as frozen screens.
Now that we know the usual suspects, let‘s run through practical solutions and troubleshooting steps you can take to stop MW2 from freezing up your PS5 going forward.
Fixes & Troubleshooting for PS5 MW2 Freezing
Here are the best ways to track down and resolve the freezing issue based on the potential causes above:
Update EVERYTHING
As boring as it sounds, ensuring you have all the latest updates is step #1. Download and install the newest MW2 patch, PS5 system software update, GPU drivers, etc. Updates frequently include crucial bug fixes, optimizations and improvements that can eliminate many causes of freezing.
On PS5:
Check for PS5 system software updates
Check for MW2 game updates
On Display:
- Ensure latest firmware
Other Devices:
- Update controller, headset, external SSD firmware
Adjust In-Game Graphics Settings
MW2‘s stunningly realistic graphics can overload your PS5 if you push fidelity too far. Try easing the load by lowering some graphics settings.
In MW2 Graphics Settings:
Lower Render Resolution
Disable Motion Blur and Depth of Field
Reduce Texture Resolution and Filtering
Lower Particle Quality
Tweak until you find a balance between visuals and preventing freezes.
Improve PS5 Cooling
As mentioned before, overheating is a major cause of game crashes. Ensure your PS5 has proper airflow and cooling:
Leave 4-6 inches clearance around PS5
Use compressed air to regularly clean vents
Avoid tightly enclosing PS5
Elevate PS5 to allow bottom ventilation
Don‘t stack objects on top
Use a cooling pad
Keep room temperature cool
Rebuild PS5 Database
Rebuilding tidies up your file system, clearing bugs, bad data and memory issues that can freeze games.
To rebuild database:
Fully power down PS5
Hold power button until second beep, entering Safe Mode
Connect controller, hit PS button
Select option 5 Rebuild Database
Check PS5 Storage Health
Run a full scan on your SSD to check for bad sectors or corruption that could cause freezing when reading game data:
Enter Safe Mode (power button on startup)
Connect controller, hit PS button
Select option 7 – Initialize PS5 > Full
This analyzes your SSD and fixes any issues found.
Test and Improve Network Connection
Choppy internet leads to lag and interrupted data flow, freezing online games like MW2.
To test connection:
PS5 Network settings
Speedtest on PC/mobile
If connection poor:
Reset modem/router
Use ethernet instead of WiFi
Pause other internet usage
Move closer to router
Check for interference
Contact your ISP
Disable On-Demand Texture Streaming
This graphics option dynamically loads high-res textures as needed. Unfortunately, it‘s been causing freezing for some players.
To disable:
Graphics settings > On-Demand Texture Streaming > Off
Scan and Repair Game Files
Corrupted or missing game files could be the culprit. Let the scan find and replace any damaged ones.
On PS5:
Highlight MW2, press Options
Select Manage Game Content > Scan and Repair
On PC:
Open Battle.net, click cog icon by MW2
Select Scan and Repair
Prevent Future MW2 Freezing on PS5
Once you‘ve resolved your freezing issues, you‘ll want to take measures to prevent it from happening again:
Use Rest Mode when not playing to keep MW2 suspended
Close other apps when gaming to devote max system resources
Disable 120 Hz mode if enabled to reduce system load
Take breaks to let your PS5 cool off
Enable Airplane Mode to rule out network problems
Avoid playing during peak hours
Report crashes so Activision can improve patches
Keep PS5 firmware updated for stability improvements
Why So Many Launch Problems in MW2?
You may be wondering why brand new triple-A titles like MW2 still have so many technical troubles at launch. There are a few factors that make smooth sailing difficult:
Complexity – MW2 is pushing boundaries across the board. More pieces means more potential issues.
Crunch Time – Annual CoD releases have tight deadlines, leaving less optimization time pre-release.
Consoles – Slow console hotfix process compared to PC games.
Scale – Millions overwhelming servers on day one creates unpredictability.
Varied Hardware – Different PC/console specs can cause inconsistencies.
Netcode – Online desync and lag issues persist, especially with higher player counts.
So in many ways, some launch woes are expected for monumental games like MW2 nowadays. But your patience and diligence as a player combined with ongoing developer fixes will get things running smoothly soon!
Let‘s Recap…
If you‘ve had the misfortune of MW2 freezing repeatedly on your shiny new PS5, hopefully this guide has given you some renewed hope along with lots of practical troubleshooting tips.
To quickly recap:
Updating everything is rule #1
Reducing graphics settings eases the system strain
Improving cooling prevents overheating issues
Checking storage health and reinstalling game files can fix data issues leading to freezes
Optimizing your network connection keeps the data flowing smoothly
And taking preventative measures helps avoid problems in the first place
Hopefully with this advice, you‘ll be back to enjoying MW2 without annoying freezing or worrying about sudden crashes. Patience and diligence pays off – soon you‘ll be too busy racking up killstreaks to even remember what a freeze up looks like!
Now get back out there, and lead your team to victory freeze-free!
