2015’s Call of Duty: Black Ops III is still one of the best-in-class multiplayer zombie action first-person shooter video games by Treyarch and Activision. It’s a sequel to Call of Duty: Black Ops II, released in 2012. After the new update, some players are facing the COD Black Ops 3 Screen Flickering or Tearing Issue on the PC.
If you’re facing the same issue at your end, you should follow this troubleshooting guide completely to resolve it. Talking about the screen flickering or screen tearing issue on PC games, the chances are high that somehow your game conflicts with any program or in-game graphics settings. Sometimes, a vertical syncing issue, outdated graphics drivers, an outdated game patch, corrupted or missing game files, etc., can trouble you a lot.
Page Contents
- Fix: COD Black Ops 3 Screen Flickering or Tearing Issue on PC
- 1. Enable V-Sync in Nvidia Control Panel
- 2. Try Lowering In-Game Graphics Settings
- 3. Update GPU Drivers
- 4. Close Unnecessary Background Tasks
- 5. Check Your Internet Connection
- 6. Update Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
- 7. Verify Integrity of Game Files
- 8. Set High Performance in Power Options
- 9. Set High Priority in Task Manager
- 10. Update Windows
Fix: COD Black Ops 3 Screen Flickering or Tearing Issue on PC
It’s worth mentioning that if you’re consistently encountering the screen flickering or the tearing issue in the multiplayer mode or during any specific sessions then make sure to exit the game and enter into a fresh new session to check for the same. In some cases, issues with the internet connectivity, unnecessary background tasks, issues with the power options on the machine, priority issues with the game application, etc can trigger several problems.
According to some reports, affected players claim that the screen flickering or tearing issue often appears during cutscenes or screen shimmering. Luckily, we’ve provided a couple of possible workarounds for you that should come in handy. So, without further ado, let’s get in.
1. Enable V-Sync in Nvidia Control Panel
It’s recommended to turn on the Vertical Sync feature on your Nvidia Control Panel app for the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 game to avoid graphical glitches to some extent. Remember that this method is only applicable if you’re using an Nvidia graphics card.
- Launch the Nvidia Control Panel from the Start menu. If it’s not installed, go to Microsoft Store and install it.
- Go to 3D Settings > Select Manage 3D Settings in the Nvidia Control Panel interface.
- Select Program Settings > Click on Add and select Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 from the list of programs on your PC.
- If the game application isn’t listed, click Browse and head over to the installed Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 directory on the drive. Simply locate the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 folder and add the CallofDutyModernWarfareII.exe application > Then select the game in the list and add it.
- Now, please scroll down to Vertical Sync > Click on it and select On to enable it. This will force the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 game to use V-Sync every time.
- Restart your computer to apply changes and play the game to check for the issue again.
2. Try Lowering In-Game Graphics Settings
First, you should try lowering the in-game graphics settings on your PC or console to check if that helps you fix the frame drops or stuttering issues. Try turning off some display settings for the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 game, such as texture details, shadow effect, v-sync, anti-aliasing, etc. This should improve the FPS count and performance/smoothness in gameplay.
3. Update GPU Drivers
If in case, you haven’t updated your graphics driver on the Windows computer, make sure to install the latest patch version. To do so, you’ll need to check for available updates by following the steps below:
- Press the Win+X keys to open the Quick Link Menu.
- Click on Device Manager from the list > Double-click on Display adapters.
- Right-click on the dedicated graphics card that you’re using.
- Next, select Update driver > Choose to Search automatically for drivers.
- If an update is available, the system will automatically download & install it.
- Once done, restart the computer to apply changes immediately.
If there is no update available on the PC, then make sure to visit the official manufacturer website of the graphics card and manually grab the latest version. Search for the particular graphics card model by the following links.
4. Close Unnecessary Background Tasks
Another thing you can do is simply close unnecessary background tasks on your PC to ensure there is no additional consumption of system resources happening in the background whatsoever. Make sure to keep Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, Steam, and other system-related tasks running as it is. To clear out background tasks:
- Press the Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys to open Task Manager.
- Click on the Processes tab > Select the task that you want to close.
- Once selected, click on End Task. Make sure to do the steps for each task individually.
- Finally, restart your computer to change effects immediately, and check for the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 screen flickering or tearing issue.
5. Check Your Internet Connection
You should also try checking for the internet connection on your PC to see whether it’s running well or not. A slower internet speed or unstable connectivity can cause issues with the game launching or fetching data from the server. You can also try switching the internet connection from wired (ethernet) to wireless (Wi-Fi) to cross-check the network connectivity problem.
If your IP address has some issues or your DNS address is troubling you a lot then make sure to use the Google DNS address on the PC to avoid rubberbanding connection or stuttering or even lagging issues which can happen due to slow internet.
6. Update Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
Sometimes an outdated game version can also bring multiple bugs or issues. Updating your Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 game is better by following the steps below. If an update is available then install the latest patch. To do this:
For Steam:
- Open the Steam client > Go to Library > Click on Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 from the left pane.
- It’ll automatically search for the available update. If there is an update available, make sure to click on Update.
- It may take some time to install the update > close the Steam client.
- Finally, reboot your PC to apply changes, and then try launching the game again.
For Battle.net:
- Open the Battle.net (Blizzard) launcher > Click on the Blizzard logo from the top left corner.
- Go to Settings > Click on Game Install/Update.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page > Click on Apply latest updates and download future patch data for recently played games to enable it.
- Now, click on Done to save changes > Restart the Battle.net launcher to apply changes.
- It should automatically update the game to the available version.
7. Verify Integrity of Game Files
If in case, there is an issue with the game files and somehow it gets corrupted or missing, then make sure to perform this method to easily check for the issue.
For Steam:
- Launch Steam > Click on Library.
- Right-click on Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 from the list of installed games.
- Now, click on Properties > Go to Local Files.
- Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
- You’ll have to wait for the process until it gets completed.
- Once done, restart your computer.
For Battle.net:
- Open the Battle.net client on your PC.
- Click on the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 game.
- Now, click on OPTIONS (Gear icon) > Click on Scan and Repair.
- Choose Begin Scan and wait for the process to complete.
- Once done, close the Battle.net launcher and restart your PC.
- Finally, you can check whether the COD Black Ops 3 Screen Flickering or Tearing Issue has been fixed on the PC.
8. Set High Performance in Power Options
If, in case, your Windows system is running on the Balanced mode in Power Options, just set the High-Performance mode for better results. However, this option will take higher power usage or battery usage. To do this:
- Click on the Start Menu > Type Control Panel and click on it from the search result.
- Now, go to Hardware and Sound > Select Power Options.
- Click on High Performance to select it.
- Make sure to close the window and fully shut down your computer. To do this, click on the Start Menu > Go to Power > Shut Down.
- Once your computer is turned off, you can recharge it.
9. Set High Priority in Task Manager
Make your game priority in the higher segment via the Task Manager to tell your Windows system to run the game properly. To do this:
- Right-click on the Start Menu > Select Task Manager.
- Click on the Processes tab > Right-click on the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 game task.
- Select Set Priority to High > Close Task Manager.
- Finally, run the Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 game to check if it’s crashing or not.
10. Update Windows
Updating Windows OS build is always essential for PC users and gamers to reduce system glitches, compatibility issues, and crashes. Meanwhile, the latest version mostly includes additional features, improvements, security patches, and more. To do that:
- Press the Win+I keys to open Windows Settings.
- Click on Update & Security > Select Check for updates under the Windows Update section.
- If there is a feature update available, select Download and Install.
- It may take a while to complete the update.
- Once done, restart your computer to install the update.
That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. For further queries, you can comment below.