Fix: Modern Warfare 2 Lost Connection to Host / Server: Connection Timed Out

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is an FPS game released in October 2022 as a sequel to the 2019 reboot. Call of Duty games are always popular among fans who play first-person shooters with multiplayer modes, and this one broke records and became the fastest COD game to earn a billion dollars.

Despite its top-notch gameplay quality, the game is no stranger to bugs and issues. Most massive online multiplayer games can crash, freeze, or completely shut down, with several errors plaguing your screen. One is called ‘Lost connection to host/server: Connection Timed Out’. As it turns out, it can affect PC and console players.

How to Fix Lost Connection to Host / Server: Connection Timed Out in Modern Warfare 2

The Lost Connection to Host / Server: Connection Timed Out can be quite annoying as the game becomes unplayable and makes you want to bash your keyboard. But a better way to deal with this error is to try fixing some issues you might be encountering with the game.

Many players are playing Modern Warfare 2 right now, and it might be an error on the server, in which case you should be able to check the server status. It can also occur from problems with your network or the configuration in the game’s file – which can be anything from the absence of admin rights to corrupt files. Let’s find out how to fix these issues and get your game up and running again.

Wait in Queue

Sometimes, the error might rise temporarily just because hundreds and thousands of players are online at a particular time, and the game can’t attend to them all. In this case, it might show you “Lost connection to host/server”. You can try joining the game a few times to ensure that it is a game error. You might need to wait in the queue of players waiting to enter the game. When the error persists after several attempts, you can move on to try some fixes.

Check Game Servers

The first thing you should do if you want to fix this error is to check Modern Warfare’s server status. No one can get on to play the game if they are offline. To check the server status, you must head over to Activision’s website and online services here. See if it says “All Platforms Online” in green. You will need to wait for them to return if they are down. This happens automatically, and you don’t need to do anything further.

Reboot the Game and Device

Some preliminary methods are easier if the problem is fixed in simple terms. Sometimes, a simple restart fixes the error and resolves the game automatically. Reboot the game if you haven’t done so already, and then your device if the problem is still there. This is to sort out any temporary glitches affecting the game.

Reset Router

If the problem is with your network connection, you should check to see if other sites are working. Even if they are, check the speed of your network connection and reset your router to see if that helps to improve the issue. Unplug the power cable and wait a few minutes to plug it back. Connect your game again to check if the error persists.

You can try switching from having a wireless or ethernet connection to a wireless one using Wi-fi. This helps to narrow down the issue of hardware. A slow connection can also cause this error, so ensure you receive enough speed from your internet provider.

Update Game

It’s important to stay updated on all versions of the games, as an outdated version can have multiple issues. Check for any pending game updates on your gaming platform such as Steam and Battle.net for PC, and your PlayStation and Xbox downloaders.

Update on Steam:

• Once you are on the Steam application, click on Library.
• Select the game COD: Modern Warfare II in the left-hand column.
• Wait for Steam to automatically search for any available updates.
• In case an update is available, it will pop up. Click on Update.
  Wait until the update completes.
• To be on the safe side, reboot your PC to apply the changes from the update.

Update on Battle.net:

• Open the Battle.net app on your PC.
• Select COD: Modern Warfare II.
• Choose Settings which is next to the Play button.
• Select Check for Updates and wait for any updates to show up.
• In case an update is available, download and install the game update.

Update on PlayStation:

• Switch on your PS4/PS5 console and navigate to the Home screen.
• Select the main menu on top.
• On the Games tab, scroll down until you find Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and select it.
• Press Options on your controller.
• Choose the option of Check for Update from the drop-down menu.
• Wait for the updates to pop up, and if there is one, download and install it onto your PlayStation.

Update on Xbox:

• Turn on your Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S gaming console.
• Press the Xbox button on your controller to open the menu.
• Scroll down until you find Settings, and select it.
• Scroll until you see Updates & Downloads.
• Enable the checkboxes for “Keep my console up to date” and “Keep my games & games up to date”. This will download any pending updates.

Change System’s Preferences to Best Performance

If you are using Balanced or Power Efficiency Mode, your system is conserving battery and might be stopping Modern Warfare from operating as it should. By changing the System Performance, you might be able to sort out any performance issues that the game is having. On Windows, you can change this through the Power and Battery option of the System Tab in Settings. Select Best Performance and restart your PC to ensure that it has been applied. You can check by opening up your game again.

Launch Game as an Administrator

A connection problem might arise from a game not having enough permissions to run properly on your computer. In this case, you should try to run them as an administrator. This is an option that you can get for the game on Battle.net. You can follow these steps:

• Right-click on Battle.net and select “Run as administrator.”
• Select Warzone and click on the Settings option.
• Choose “Show in Explorer” to view the EXE file for Warzone.
• Right-click on the file and select “Run as administrator.”

Verify Integrity of Local Files

Sometimes, the files can be corrupted, and need to be fixed manually. You can find the options to Verify Integrity of Game Files in the Settings of the game of the client on your device. It will take a while to verify all the files, but it might iron out the bug.

Relink your Battle.net ID

A broken connection might arise between the host and the servers from a faulty Battle.net ID link. Relinking it may clear the glitch, so we have listed the procedure for you below:

• On the Battle.net client, log out of the current profile.
• Close the Battle.net app. Make sure it is not still running in the background by checking Task Manager.
• On a browser, open the Call of Duty website and log in using your credentials.
• On your profile, unlink the device where you have encountered the issue.
• Launch the Battle.net app as an administrator and log in.
• Finally, open the game and check if Warzone is working.

Disable Crossplay

The Crossplay feature of Modern Warfare might encounter a bug that breaks the game’s communication with its server. This can cause a lot of host connection issues, so disabling the Crossplay feature might be your best bet.

You can disable this by heading over to Options and then the Account tab. It’s the first option on the first. Clicking on it will toggle the option from Enabled to Disabled. In case it is already disabled, try enabling it to see if it resolves the issue.

Contact Activision Support

In the event that none of the above methods work for you, maybe it’s time to contact Activision Support. You can do this by creating a support ticket to alert the game devs of the inexplicable issue. The wait times might be long, but if nothing else works and your issue is not covered by the above, you should try contacting them here.

We hope this guide helped in fixing your connection problems of “Lost Connection to Host / Server: Connection Timed Out” with Modern Warfare 2. You can try them all out in order to see if they work for you.