General Troubleshooting Guide for Black Ops III Launching Issues

[Hadi77KSA]

Here’s a general troubleshooting guide I’ve managed to gather for if BO3 isn’t launching.

I don’t advise you undo the methods you’ve tried unless nothing works. If one method works, you can try undoing the previous methods attempted to see if the issue is caused by more than one problem. If the methods under what you’ve experiencing don’t fix the issue, try the methods in the other sections.

Run the game after every method, preferably while launching in offline mode:

Condensed Version

Common Solutions

• Verify integrity of game files: https://help.steampowered.com/faqs/view/0C48-FCBD-DA71-93EB
  
• Exclude from antivirus rules, and disable the antivirus. Consider even deleting the antivirus program.
  
• If you have cheating programs (WeMod, Cheat Engine… etc.), completely remove them.
  
• Start your PC in clean boot and only start Steam and the game. Here’s a link to instructions on how to do so: https://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135
  If it didn’t work, start your PC in safe mode and only start Steam and the game: https://support.microsoft.com/kb/12376
  
• Run the compatibility troubleshooter: Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters > Program Compatibility Troubleshooter. Select the game and run the troubleshooter.

If the Game's Window Appears Briefly and the Play Button Returns to Saying "Play" After a Short Time

• Change the display projection option (opened by pressing Win+P) to “PC screen only”.
  
• Check hard drive for errors: https://help.steampowered.com/faqs/view/29A6-F529-F956-6292

If the Game Launches but Remains in Black Screen and Does Not Close

• Disable devices that are found in the following, then restart:
  
  • Sound Control Panel. Can be accessed by navigating to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound. Disable the devices in both Playback and Recording.
    
  • Device Manager under “Sound, audio, and game controllers” if it’s present.
• Follow the instructions for the TdrDelay method:
  
  1. Simply go to your registry: Start --> Run --> Type in "Regedit"
     
  2. Go to

     "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers"

     and create a key of type "DWORD (32-bit)" and name "TdrDelay" with a value of 10 as Decimal value. [Try "QWORD (64-bit)" if DWORD doesn’t work]
     
  3. Reboot

Full Version

Common Fixes

• This Steam Support page includes the following common suggestions:
  
  • Update your Windows install
    
  • Update drivers for your computer (check for updates using a 3rd party program, such as DriversCloud, Avast Driver Updater)
    
  • Verify integrity of game files
    
  • Disable non-essential software
    
  • Check the game's system requirements
  
  
• Exclude the game and/or the game’s folder from your antivirus program(s), and disable and close the antivirus. Consider even deleting the antivirus program(s).
  Some people have reported that simply closing and/or disabling their antivirus didn’t fix the issue, but what fixed it was excluding the game and/or its folder from the antivirus’ rules. Some other people have reported that excluding and disabling didn’t work for them, but have reported that uninstalling the antivirus program(s) has fixed the problem.
  
  
• Start your PC in clean boot and only start Steam and BO3: https://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135
  Before restarting, check if there’s any services that get reenabled when clicking apply after disabling all non-Microsoft services, and consider dealing with the programs tied to these if nothing works. You can keep Steam’s services enabled.
  If this method works right away, the link includes instructions on how to determine what program is conflicting with the game and preventing it from launching. If it doesn’t work right away, do everything below while launched in clean boot.
  If it didn’t work, start your PC in Safe Mode instead and only start Steam and BO3: https://support.microsoft.com/kb/12376
  
  
• Check this post by ta_pcprod_assist: Call of Duty: Black Ops III - Troubeshooting Guide
  Look into everything before and in: “If you are encountering: ‘Black Ops 3 has stopped working error message’ or having issues starting the game”, especially, from the section before it, the link in “Check for the following interference”.
  
  
• Check this post by Everlasting.Media: Overwolf and Black Ops 3

Common Fixes for if the Game Brings up the Message Regarding Starting It in Safe Mode After Having Problems Which Occur Immediately When Launching the Game

• I’d like to reiterate from Common Fixes that some software programs can cause this, check the guides and methods for what applies. Here’s some of the programs mentioned along with ones reported to cause crashes: antivirus and firewall programs (Avast, AVG, Bitdefender, Trend Micro Maximum Security, Windows Defender / Windows Security), some overlay apps (Overwolf, Rapt); cheat programs (Cheat Engine, WeMod, and any other cheat / trainer programs); and other programs, such as: Actual Multiple Monitor, NZXT CAM, MSI Afterburner, Razer Cortex, Stardock Software (WindowBlinds), Voicemeeter.
  
  
• Launch BlackOps3.exe in compatibility mode. This can be done with the help of Program Compatibility Troubleshooter through: Settings > Update & Security > Troubleshoot > Additional troubleshooters > Program Compatibility Troubleshooter. Select the game and run the troubleshooter.
  You can also do this by navigating to BlackOps3.exe, right-clicking it, selecting Properties, navigating to the Compatibility tab, then either clicking Run compatibility troubleshooter.
  Alternatively, you can manually choose which settings you’d like the game to launch in compatibility mode with from the Compatibility tab. Here’s some settings recommended from this post:
  

  Originally posted by Math:

  1. Go to that file and right click on it. Click on the Compatibility Tab and check off “Run this program in compatibility mode for” and select Windows 7 from the drop down menu.
     
  2. On Settings, check “Reduced color mode” and select 16-bit (don’t worry, the game looks exactly the same on this mode)
     
  3. Leave “Run in 640x480” unchecked
     
  4. Check “Disable display scaling on high DPI Settings”
     
  5. Leave “Run this program as Administrator” unchecked.

  Additionally, mark the option “Disable fullscreen optimizations” as checked.
  
  
• Navigate to the config.ini file in:
  

  \Steam\steamapps\common\Call of Duty Black Ops III\players\

  Open it using a text editing software, such as Notepad. Then, find WorkerThreads. Change the value inside the quotations to 2 so it says:
  

  //Thread count for handling the job queue
  WorkerThreads = "2" // 2 to 4

  Save and close the file once done.
  If these lines don’t exist, try writing them into the config file.

Symptom(s): Window Briefly Appears but Disappears Shortly After, and the Play Button on Steam Returns to Saying "Play"

• Set the display projection option (opened by pressing Win+P) to “PC screen only”.
  
  
• If you have multiple monitors connected to the PC, disconnect all except one.
  
  
• Try the following:
  

  Originally posted by FischFry:

  Press Win+E
  Click on the 'Network' icon on the left pane
  Locate your router, Right Click > Properties
  Click 'Settings..."
  Click 'Add...' at the bottom
  Add something useful to 'Description of service:', it doesn't have to be anything specific, just know what each entry does.
  Add your PCs IP address into the next box, you can find this in network settings or by going into Command Line and typing "ipconfig /all"
  In the next 2 boxes, you'll add the following ports:
  TCP: 3074
  UDP: 3074, 3478

  You might need to fill in the full list of the ports that the game uses:-
  TCP: 3074, 27014-27050
  UDP: 3074, 3478, 4379-4380, 27000-27031, 27036
  
  Notes: the router might only appear in Network in File Explorer if UPnP is enabled. Additionally, these rules are usually assigned to a static local IP in the router, thus a static local IP might need to be set up for the computer as well. The following guide covers these things.
  https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=561836866

• Disable fast startup: https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/fast-startup-how-to-disable-if-its-causing/f9a4a2d0-104d-42dc-9946-4a2e13c0a348
  
  
• Follow Steam’s guide for troubleshooting crashing of the Steam Client, specifically the “Check Hard Drive for Errors” section. https://help.steampowered.com/faqs/view/29A6-F529-F956-6292
  Alternatively, run “chkdsk” using Command Prompt.
  After doing so, validate integrity of the game files for BO3.
  
  
• Check the following Steam support article for some suggestions, specifically the part “Restore boot settings to default”: https://help.steampowered.com/faqs/view/22C0-03D0-AE4B-04E8

Symptom(s): Window Appears but Remains in Black Screen and Audio Might Be Heard, and Task Manager States: "Application Not Responding" Next to BlackOps3.exe and, Once the Window Is Interacted With, a Window Appears Stating: "BlackOps3.exe Is Not Responding"

• Disable devices that are found in the following, then restart the PC:
  
  • Sound Control Panel. Can be accessed by navigating to Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Sound. Disable the devices in both Playback and Recording.
    
  • Device Manager under “Sound, audio, and game controllers” if it’s present.
  
  
• Follow the TdrDelay method:
  
  1. Simply go to your registry: Start --> Run --> Type in "Regedit"
     
  2. Go to

     "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\GraphicsDrivers"

     and create a key of type "DWORD (32-bit)" and name "TdrDelay" with a value of 10 as Decimal value. [Try QWORD (64-bit) if DWORD doesn’t work after restarting]
     This picture[imgur.io] helps you find where “TdrDelay” should go.
     
  3. Reboot
  If doing so doesn’t work, change the value of TdrDelay to a higher number and then restart your PC. Some people have reported that 10 worked for them, while others reported 12 to have worked.

Symptom(s): Game Running in the Background and Appearing in Task Manager but Not on the Taskbar and No Window Appears

• Set the display projection option (opened by pressing Win+P) to “PC screen only”.
  
  
• If you have in-case monitors, disable/unplug them.
  
  
• Make sure that both Steam.exe and BlackOps3.exe and their shortcuts have “run this program as an administrator” unticked in properties.
  
  
• Uninstall BO3 and Steam and any of their remaining folders and reinstall them.
  
  
• Perform a clean installation of Windows: https://support.microsoft.com/windows/reinstall-windows-d8369486-3e33-7d9c-dccc-859e2b022fc7

Symptom(s): Game Crashes After a Short Amount of Time

• Launch the game in Steam offline mode: https://help.steampowered.com/faqs/view/0E18-319B-E34B-B2C8
  
  
• Start your PC in Safe Mode, as suggested in Common Fixes.
  
  
• If you have used or are using DS4Windows or DualSenseX (DSX) or other controller emulation software, try disabling them as well as software related to them from the startup apps list in Task Manager or through their options, especially make sure to disable NefariusVirtualPadDriverNotifications. Restart the PC after doing so.
  
  
• Try the t7patch:
  https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2924410249
  
  
• Check the following guide and the replies under it for potential solutions:
  https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2777834010

Additional

• Steam’s guide for troubleshooting crashing of the Steam Client itself seems to include some of what’s already stated in this guide, such as the sections “Remove External Devices” and “Investigate Other Programs & Services”. I advise you check out the other provided suggestions, such as the sections “Check Hard Drive for Errors” and “Check RAM for Errors”, and act upon the results you receive.
  
  
• A fix which you could try as a last resort is to reformat the drive that has Windows on it, and to also install the game and play it from a separate drive. If you are going to resort to this, I suggest following the instructions for performing a “Clean install of Windows 10/11 using installation media” from the bottom of this link: https://support.microsoft.com/windows/reinstall-windows-d8369486-3e33-7d9c-dccc-859e2b022fc7
  
  
• If all else fail, I advise you follow Steam’s guide for generating a System Report and attaching it along with your posts regarding the problem. If there’s any .dmp files that get generated in your game folder when trying to launch the game, attach them too. I suggest also contacting @ATVIAssist over on Twitter to see if they could help with your issue.

[Yorsy]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH, IT WAS THE AUDIO DEVICES

[djosha]

I HATE THAT THIS EXISTS 10 YEARS LATER ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

[Smiley]

i have tried all of the common issue fixes and the fixes for my specific issue Symptom(s): Window Appears but Remains in Black Screen and Audio Might Be Heard, and Task Manager States: "Application Not Responding" Next to BlackOps3.exe and, Once the Window Is Interacted With, a Window Appears Stating: "BlackOps3.exe Is Not Responding" and nothing is working i got it to work once earlier after closing afterburner and nzxt cam it launched normal and worked but after trying to recreate it wont launch again

[Smiley]

pls help

[FischFry]

I've got a similar thread here:
https://steamcommunity.com/app/311210/discussions/0/4358995818053119321/

Found the solution (with help from Activision) to be my Port Forwarding settings.

[Hadi77KSA]

Originally posted by Smiley:

i have tried all of the common issue fixes and the fixes for my specific issue Symptom(s): Window Appears but Remains in Black Screen and Audio Might Be Heard, and Task Manager States: "Application Not Responding" Next to BlackOps3.exe and, Once the Window Is Interacted With, a Window Appears Stating: "BlackOps3.exe Is Not Responding" and nothing is working i got it to work once earlier after closing afterburner and nzxt cam it launched normal and worked but after trying to recreate it wont launch again

Try the suggestions from both Common Fixes and Common Fixes for if the Game Brings up the Message Regarding Starting It in Safe Mode After Having Problems Which Occur Immediately When Launching the Game as well. That black screen issue is usually fixed by starting the PC in clean boot, adding the game folder/executable as an exclusion to the antivirus, or disabling extra/specific audio devices.

[MegaDuck]

Anyone have an issue with the main menu being really laggy? Not sure how to fix

[Hadi77KSA]

Originally posted by MegaDuck:

Anyone have an issue with the main menu being really laggy? Not sure how to fix

Try launching the game in Steam offline mode to see if the issue wouldn’t be present there. If the issue doesn’t persist in offline mode, then there are some fixes that you could try. I’d suggest the following: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2924410249
If the problem persists even in Steam offline mode, then do the following:
While the game is running, open Task Manager > Details > right-click “BlackOps3.exe” > Set affinity > unselect all except 0, 1, 2, and 3.

[Sakadik]

if this is everything i have to do to play ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ game!!!???? im deleting this ♥♥♥♥ , what a joke

[Hadi77KSA]

Originally posted by Sakadik:

if this is everything i have to do to play ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ game!!!???? im deleting this ♥♥♥♥ , what a joke

These suggestions aren’t meant to be followed all at once. The post is just a list I’ve gathered of individual fixes people have reported to had fixed problems they were facing with their game launch. These suggestions are meant to be followed one by one, without undoing the previously attempted suggestions, until a suggestion is found that fixes the problem. Some suggestions are for specific problems, but can be attempted for other problems just for the sake of testing.
It’s what us users have to do when the developers stop updating the game. The game has only received 1 update since 2020 which was back in March of 2023, and even that 2023 update was as minimal as possible. I don’t expect the devs to fix the problem, thus it’s up to people facing the problems to fix it themselves unfortunately. What you choose to do or not do is up to you.

[HotlineJolteon]

I've tried everything in this list and the window still briefly appears and closes shortly after with no logs. This game is literally just wasted space.

Note: The game has literally never, ever booted properly. This was happening from the get-go.

[Hadi77KSA]

Originally posted by Zora:

I've tried everything in this list and the window still briefly appears and closes shortly after with no logs. This game is literally just wasted space.

Note: The game has literally never, ever booted properly. This was happening from the get-go.

I don’t have much to suggest aside from what’s already suggested in the Full Version. Try reaching out to Activision support or look around for fixes, maybe you’ll find something that works for you.

[Freewings21]

do i have to disable all audio devices or just ones that arnt in use?

[Hadi77KSA]

Originally posted by Freewings21:

do i have to disable all audio devices or just ones that arnt in use?

During the process of identifying the problem, disable all.
If you’ve determined the problem is in the audio devices, try disabling the ones you aren’t using and see how it goes. If it works, great! If it doesn’t, the problem might be in the devices you have enabled.

[Hadi77KSA]

Originally posted by CamooTheSkull:

This game worked fine on windows 10, now crashes on a new install of Windows 11, on a new hard drive. I finally got it to boot into Windows safe mode but it keeps crashing in normal windows. My graphics driver is up to date. Any ideas?

Do you happen to have multiple monitors? I would mostly suggest to follow the first 2 suggestions under “Symptom(s): Window Briefly Appears but Disappears Shortly After, and the Play Button on Steam Returns to Saying ‘Play’”, but you have indicated in your separate post that you had already tried everything suggested. So, I don’t have much to suggest aside from what’s already suggested.

Edit:

Originally posted by CamooTheSkull:

I actually just found the problem, apologies. Black ops 3 conflicts with Stardock Programs. Sorry to bother you.

For anyone facing a similar situation, I believe that starting the PC in clean boot should lead to finding out software conflicts. It is already suggested in the “Common Fixes”.