Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is finally out, but many PC players are being thrown back to the desktop with a DEV ERROR instead of getting into a match. The most common version reads DEV ERROR 0x00001338 (0x723AC2A5) N, and it can appear right at startup, while shaders are loading, or in the middle of a game. Some players also see it alongside an access violation code, 0xc0000005.
Activision hasn’t published an official explanation for this code yet. Based on crash reports, though, it is almost always a rendering, memory, or stability fault on the PC side rather than a problem with your account. That’s good news, because it means you can usually fix it yourself. Below, we’ve put together the methods that are working for players, in the order we recommend trying them.
What Causes DEV ERROR 0x00001338 in Modern Warfare 4?
The crash report for this error often points to KERNELBASE.dll and the game’s executable. KERNELBASE.dll is usually just where Windows logged the crash, not the file that actually failed. The real causes reported so far include:
- Unstable hardware tuning: a GPU overclock, an aggressive undervolt, or a CPU (especially some Intel 13th and 14th Gen chips) boosting too high.
- Demanding graphics features: Ray Tracing and Frame Generation, which add VRAM and driver load.
- A corrupted shader cache or shaders that were still compiling when you joined a match.
- Damaged or incomplete game files after the launch-week patches.
- Overlay conflicts from apps such as the NVIDIA App, Discord, or MSI Afterburner.
- A broken graphics configuration file left over from the beta or a settings change.
Fix: Modern Warfare 4 DEV ERROR 0x00001338 (0x723AC2A5)
Try the methods below one at a time. After each one, launch the game and play for a few minutes to see whether the error comes back.
1. Disable Ray Tracing and Frame Generation First
This is the quickest change, and it’s the one most players report success with. Both features put extra pressure on your GPU driver and video memory.
- Launch Modern Warfare 4 and open Settings > Graphics.
- Turn Ray Tracing off.
- Turn Frame Generation off (DLSS Frame Generation or FSR Frame Generation, depending on your card).
- Restart the game so the changes fully apply.
If the game crashes before you can reach the menu, skip to Method 6 to reset your settings first.
2. Put Your Graphics Card Back on Stock Clocks
A GPU overclock that holds up in other games can still fall over in Modern Warfare 4, and tight undervolts are just as risky here.
- Open MSI Afterburner, AMD Adrenalin’s Tuning page, or whatever tool you use.
- Bring the core and memory clock offsets back to 0, and restore the default voltage curve.
- If your card’s software applies a factory “OC mode” profile, switch it to the standard or silent profile.
- Play a few matches. If the DEV ERROR is gone, you can reapply a gentler overclock later.
3. Shut Down Overlays Like the NVIDIA App and Discord
Overlays inject themselves into the game to draw FPS counters and notifications, and they are a frequent trigger for this crash. Quit these completely before playing, rather than just hiding them:
- NVIDIA App or GeForce Experience overlay
- Discord overlay
- Xbox Game Bar
- Steam overlay
- MSI Afterburner and RivaTuner Statistics Server
- RGB lighting or macro software that shows an on-screen display
4. Give Shader Compilation Time to Finish
Modern Warfare 4 compiles shaders after installation, after patches, and after graphics driver updates. Jumping into a match while this is still running can cause a DEV ERROR.
- Launch the game and stay on the main menu.
- Wait until the shader installation indicator reaches 100%.
- Restart the game, then join a match.
If the crashes continue, go to Settings > Graphics and use the option to restart the shader installation. This clears the old cache and rebuilds it.
5. Fix Broken Game Files With Scan and Repair
Launch-week patches are huge, and it only takes one damaged file to bring the game down again and again. Your launcher can find and replace it without a full reinstall.
Battle.net: Pick Call of Duty, open the gear menu beside the Play button, run Scan and Repair, and wait for the scan to complete.
Steam: In your Library, right-click Call of Duty, head to Properties > Installed Files, and click Verify integrity of game files.
6. Start Fresh With a New Settings Folder
A broken configuration file can survive updates and keep crashing the game, especially if you played the beta. Renaming the settings folder makes the game build a fresh one.
- Fully close the game and the launcher.
- Press Win + R, type
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Activision\Call of Duty, and press Enter. If you don’t find a players folder there, check Documents\Call of Duty instead.
- Rename the players folder to players_old.
- Launch the game. It will create a new players folder with default settings.
You will need to set your graphics, audio, and keybind options again. Your loadouts and progress are stored online, so they aren’t affected.
7. You Need a Clean Graphics Driver Install
Simply installing a new driver over the old one can leave conflicting files behind, and those leftovers are a known source of rendering crashes. A clean install wipes the slate.
- Grab the newest driver for your card from NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel.
- Strip out the current driver with Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) in Safe Mode, or tick the clean installation box in the driver installer.
- Install the fresh driver and reboot.
Did the DEV ERROR only appear after you updated your driver? In that case, go back to the version you had before.
8. Ease Off Texture Quality and the VRAM Target
If the crash happens mid-match rather than at startup, you might be running out of video memory. This is common on 8 GB graphics cards at high settings.
- Lower Texture Resolution by one step.
- Set the VRAM Scale Target to around 80 so the game leaves some memory free.
- Cap your frame rate a little below your monitor’s refresh rate.
9. Test With Memory Integrity Switched Off
Some players have stopped the crash by disabling Windows’ Memory Integrity feature. This lowers one layer of Windows security, so treat it as a test and switch it back on if it doesn’t help.
- Open Windows Security.
- Go to Device security > Core isolation details.
- Turn Memory integrity off and restart your PC.
Don’t touch your TPM or Secure Boot settings while doing this. Modern Warfare 4 requires both, and disabling them will stop you from playing online.
10. Stabilise Intel 13th and 14th Gen CPUs
Players on some Intel Core i7 and i9 13th and 14th Gen processors report this crash far more often than others. These chips can become unstable when they boost too aggressively.
- Update your motherboard BIOS to the latest version from your board or PC maker. Recent BIOS releases include Intel’s microcode fixes for these instability issues. Follow your manufacturer’s instructions exactly, and if you use BitLocker, make sure you have your recovery key before updating.
- Disable XMP or EXPO temporarily in the BIOS to test whether your RAM profile is part of the problem.
- Advanced users only: some players have reduced the Performance Core ratio by one or two steps in Intel Extreme Tuning Utility (XTU) to stop the crash. Only do this if you’re comfortable with CPU tuning.
11. Run DISM and SFC to Repair Windows
When the game keeps crashing after all of the above, Windows itself may have damaged components. Two built-in tools can check and repair them.
- Type cmd in the Start menu, right-click Command Prompt, and pick Run as administrator.
- Enter
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth and let it run to the end.
- Follow it with
sfc /scannow.
- Reboot once both tools have finished.
12. Send a Crash Report to Activision
Still no luck? At that point, the cause may be a bug in the game that only a patch can fix. File a report on Activision’s Modern Warfare 4 support page with your CPU, GPU, driver version, Windows build, the complete error code, and the moment the crash happens. The official Call of Duty Trello board is also worth watching, as Activision tracks known issues and upcoming fixes there.
Conclusion
DEV ERROR 0x00001338 (0x723AC2A5) in Modern Warfare 4 is almost always a stability problem on the PC side. For most players, turning off Ray Tracing and Frame Generation, removing GPU overclocks, and closing overlays is enough to stop it. If it continues, reset your settings folder, repair the game files, and clean install your graphics driver. Intel 13th and 14th Gen owners should update their BIOS before trying anything more advanced.
Did one of these methods fix the error for you? Let us know in the comments, along with your GPU, so other players can find the right fix faster.
