The biggest game of 2020 is an honor that is hard to gauge. Certainly, there were tons of titles that come to mind when considering the best of the year. But what exactly do we use as a measurement of greatness? Do we go purely by sales/downloads? Because if so, a simple trendy game like Among Us would take the cake. Should we go by accolades, such as Game of The Year? In that case, The Last of Us 2 is the clear winner. Or should we go in terms of impact to the gaming industry, which would ironically select a deeply flawed game like Cyberpunk 2077. After all, that game stands as one of the biggest cautionary tales of all time. Is it Call of Duty: Warzone, maybe?
The answer must lie in terms of sheer popularity, community following and relevance. In that case, we must say that Call of Duty: Warzone is undeniably all three. The game takes an existing concept, the battle royale, and rejuvenates it with its winning classic formula. You get smooth gunplay, great visuals (soon with DLSS 2.0!) and the handy Gulag-respawn system. All in all, it’s no wonder why millions of fans across all platforms still enjoy Warzone even a year later.
However, there are still quite a few things Warzone needs to deal with. For instance, rampant cases of cheating and abusing game exploits occur during ranked, competitive matches. Just imagine how frustrating the experience can become when you’re unfairly killed by an invincible enemy using the infinite-stim glitch. Furthermore, the game suffers from a myriad of errors and bugs across all platforms.
Players report facing a Warzone Network Error when logging into Battle.net
This latest issue sees millions of affected players suddenly unable to login to their Activision and Battle.net accounts. This error pops up as a notification message when players try to launch their game. It tells them that no network connection is detected, and effectively blocks the whole multiplayer aspect of the game.
@AskPlayStation need help. Keep getting kicked out of warzone with this error. Tried everything. Reinstalling..resetting wifi. Wifi is fine by the way. Cant play the game its ridiculous pic.twitter.com/9ofKvsUzYd
— Ryan Milner (@ryandaniel79) February 23, 2021
The main issue surrounding the game is its refusal to connect to the existing network connection. Even players with strong internet connections face the same issue, and no amount of retrying the game helps. Unfortunately, the Warzone network error is prevalent across all platforms, PC and PS4/PS5/Xbox. And it is highly persistent, meaning a simple retry of the game launching won’t help.
However, there are still proven ways to get your game up and running. Countless players online report successfully beating the issue, using a variety of reliable tips and tricks. We have taken the liberty of shortlisting the most effective fixes to resolve the Warzone network error. Also, note that the developers are probably aware of the issue by now, and will work to issue a patch/update soon. Till then, here is a handy guide to get your boots back on the battlefield.
1) Restart your PC or console, then relaunch Warzone
Like all complex machines, your computer is also liable to accrue bugs. That’s because your PC or console is essentially still a computer, bound by the laws of engineering. The multiple, complex processes making up your system work simultaneously with each other. Often at times, they can launch abnormally and have their data corrupted. This singular issue can occur across other processes, letting it snowball into a systemic error. This means that your console or PC’s performance is compromised, and games can behave unexpectedly or crash altogether.
The solution? Restart your system, so as to kill off malfunctioning processes and clear up corrupted data caches. Just make sure that, for PS4/PS5 and Xbox players, that you power off the system completely, then back on. Make sure to avoid the default Standby Mode, or the error may linger. Once this is done, you can try running Warzone again.
2) On PC, make sure your game drivers are up-to-date
The most essential gaming component your trusty rig requires is a dedicated GPU. The graphics card, typically either of the AMD or Nvidia make, requires regular updates from the official source. These updates help optimize your game drivers, which comprise software collections of data to make your games run as best as possible. These driver updates contain anything from bug fixes, improvements and performance boosts. Therefore, a responsible gamer is one who routinely checks their GPU sources for new updates.
If you’re an Nvidia user, check the GeForce Experience app for new updates. AMD users can check here.
3) Restart your router, and optimize its advanced settings
It is entirely possible that the fault lies not in the game, and it could be related to a network error on your end. It might feel unlikely, but small little errors do arise even on private WiFi networks. A simple restart of your router will clear up traffic bottlenecks, packet loss and signal noise right away. To do this, power off your router for 30 seconds, then back on. In addition, consider using a wired Ethernet connection to boost your signal strength and reduce latency.
Furthermore, you can tweak some advanced network settings to optimize it for online gaming. Contact your ISP (internet service provider) for login credentials to your router portal. From here, you can enable Quality of Service (QoS) and change your NAT type. The former allows you to prioritize your bandwidth to your gaming. And the latter, when changed from Strict to Moderate, will help boost your connection.
4) On PS4 and PS5, you can rebuild game databases
Sony’s consoles have an advantage over Microsoft’s systems. This is their handy ability to rebuild game databases, which kills off errors easily without needing a reinstall. To do this, power off your console by holding down the button. Then, hold down to power it back on, keeping it pressed. Within a moment you should hear an audio cue, which indicates Safe Mode. This hidden tool mode is where you’ll find the option to rebuild game databases for Warzone.
This process takes only a few moments but is invaluable. It essentially corrects errors in the game’s installation where possible. In addition, it reorganizes your storage to run the game more smoothly, and with fewer chances of corrupted data. This should help fix the Warzone network error.