Infinity Ward and Activision have done a great job by releasing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare in 2019 as a first-person shooter video game that’s still one of the much-appreciated titles in the Call of Duty series. To recall, it has simply the best graphics and sound experience in the COD lineup. However, some issues or bugs are bothering a lot of players since its launch. While some players are facing the COD Modern Warfare Split Screen Not Working issue.
Although Infinity Ward is active enough to reduce multiple bugs or errors of the game, recently unfortunate players are encountering the split-screen mode and co-op mode due to some unexpected reasons. It seems that the feature is completely broken for the players and the second player tries to log in to the game which freezes a lot. Now, if you’re also one of the victims of such an issue then you can follow this troubleshooting guide to fix it easily.
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Fix COD Modern Warfare Split Screen Not Working
As per multiple reports, it’s clear that there are some possible reasons behind such an issue that needs to be fixed manually because it’s quite hard for developers to fix for all. Well, this issue isn’t happening to all Modern Warfare players which needs to be kept in mind. So, even if developers will come up with a patch fix for it, you can try following the workarounds below until the permanent solution arrives.
We should mention profile sign-in issues, game glitches, system glitches, issues with game files, corrupted multiplayer packs, issues with a game installation, MAC address-related issues on your gaming device, outdated game version, crossplay issues, etc may trigger split screen not working. You should follow all the methods one by one until the problem gets fixed for you. So, without further ado, let’s get into it.
1. Ensure Second Profile isn’t active
First of all, you should cross-check whether another (second) profile is active in the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare or not. Sometimes a second profile may conflict issues with the split-screen during the gaming session. It’s better to log out of the second account and try playing the game in a primary account to check for the issue. This particular trick has been reported by a lot of players on the Xbox consoles.
- Make sure that the second player isn’t active or signed in to the game account.
- Ensure to turn off the second player controller too.
- Now, you should be logged in with the primary account by which the game has been purchased and then launch the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare game.
- Before you get into a map, take your time to filter out the playlists that are not compatible with the split-screen gameplay.
- Next, turn on the 2nd player’s controller > Select the Xbox profile that you want to use for the second player. [The second player can’t be the same Xbox profile that’s being used for player 1.
- Finally, launch the map, and check if the problem has been fixed or not.
2. Reboot the PC or Console
If in case, you’re still receiving the same issue then make sure to reboot your PC or console whatever you use to easily fix temporary system glitches. However, you should keep in mind that this is a temporary solution and you may encounter the same issue after some time. So, you’ll have to reboot the system if it appears again.
For PC:
- If you’re a PC gamer, then click on the Start icon > Click on the power icon to bring up the power menu.
- Now, select Restart, and wait for the PC to reboot completely.
For Xbox:
- Press and hold the Xbox button on the controller to open up the Power center.
- From the power menu, highlight the Restart console > Confirm it by selecting the Restart button.
For PS4:
- Press and hold the PS button on your controller > Selecting power from the context menu.
- From the power menu, select Restart PS4, and wait for the system to reboot.
For PS5:
- Press the PS button on your PS5 controller > Select Restart PS5 from the Options Menu.
3. Power Cycle your Console
Sometimes performing the power cycle on your console device may fix multiple issues with the game glitches or system glitches whatsoever. A normal reboot to the system might not gonna help you out every time. To do so:
For Xbox One:
- Ensure that your Xbox One console is turned on and not in hibernation mode.
- Now, press and hold the power button on your console for a few seconds until the LED indicator turns off.
- Once your console is powered off completely, unplug the power cable from your Xbox console.
- Wait for around 30 seconds or more and then plug back the power cable in.
- Next, turn on the console manually and wait for the system to boot.
For Xbox Series S/X:
- First of all, make sure your Xbox Series X/S console is turned on and no background programs are running.
- Next, press the Xbox button on your controller > From the Guide menu, scroll to the right to Profile & System.
- Choose to Settings > Press the A button to select it > From the Settings menu, go to the Device & Connections tab.
- Then select Blu-Ray from the list of available options > Under the Blu-Ray menu, go to Persistent Storage.
- Now, use the Clear Persistent Storage option to delete the cached data.
- Finally, reboot your console to check for the issue again.
For PS4/PS5:
- Turn on your Playstation 4 or PlayStation 5 console > Make sure you’re on the main home screen.
- Now, press and hold the power button on your console until you hear a sound. Your console should turn off.
- Once the LED indicator stop blinking, unplug the power cable from the console > Wait for around 30 seconds or more.
- Next, plug back the power cable into the console and turn it on. It should clear the temporary cache data on your console.
4. Clear Cache Data
If you’re facing the COD Modern Warfare Split Screen Not Working issue on the PC or console then you can try clearing out the cache data from the device. To do so:
For PS5:
The PlayStation 5 doesn’t have a specific menu option to clear the cache. However, you can force the cache to be cleared by doing the following:
- Fully power down your PlayStation 5. Do not enter Rest Mode.
- Wait for the lights on your PlayStation 5 to turn off completely.
- Unplug the power cable from the back of your PlayStation 5.
- Wait for one to two minutes.
- Plug the power cord back into your PlayStation 5.
- Turn your PlayStation 5 back on.
For PS4:
The PlayStation 4 doesn’t have a specific menu option to clear the cache. However, you can force the cache to be cleared by doing the following:
- Turn off your PlayStation 4. Do not enter Rest Mode.
- Once the indicator light on top of your PlayStation 4 is off and has stopped blinking, unplug the power cord from the back of your console.
- Wait at least 30 seconds.
- Plug the power cord back into your PlayStation 4 and turn it on.
Deleting Saved Game Data
Game saves, player profiles, and other game data are automatically saved in the PlayStation 4 System Storage by default. If you feel that the data gets corrupted, you can delete it from the hard drive.
Note: Deleting saved game data is permanent and cannot be undone. It’s highly recommended that you back up your saved game data to online storage or a USB storage device before deleting it.
Follow these steps to access the System Storage and delete game data:
- Open the Settings menu at the top of the dashboard.
- Select Storage then select System Storage.
- Select Saved Data > Choose a game to access the game’s saved data.
- Press the Options button > Select Delete.
- Choose the saved data files to delete then select Delete.
For Xbox Series S/X:
There are multiple ways you can follow:
Unplugging method
- Turn off your Xbox Series X|S using the controller or the Power Off button on the console.
- Unplug the power cable from the back of your Xbox Series X|S.
- Wait at least two minutes then plug the power cable back into your Xbox Series X|S.
- Turn your Xbox Series X|S back on.
Software method (Series X only)
- Press the glowing Xbox symbol in the middle of your controller.
- Scroll to the right to Profile & System > Select Settings by pressing the A button on the controller.
- Select Devices & Connections > Select Blu-Ray.
- Select Persistent Storage > Select Clear Persistent Storage.
For Xbox One:
- Turn off your Xbox One console.
- Once the LED indicator lights on the Xbox One console stops blinking, unplug the power cable from the console.
- Now, wait for at least 30 seconds and plug back the power cable into your Xbox One.
- Turn on the console and check for the issue.
Deleting Saved Game Data
- From Xbox Home, go to Settings.
- Go to System and select Storage.
- Select Manage storage on the right-hand side of the screen then select View contents.
- Highlight a game, press the Menu button > Select Manage game.
- Select Saved data on the left-hand side of the screen.
- Choose the game to access the game’s saved data.
For PC:
There are two ways to clear the cache on a PC.
Steam Users
- Launch the Steam client on the PC.
- Go to Library > Right-click on COD: MW game.
- Select Properties > Select the Local Files tab.
- Click on the Verify integrity of game cache… button.
- Allow Steam will verify the game’s files. This process may take some time to complete.
- Once the process is completed, reboot the client to check for the issue.
Battle.net Users
A corrupted cache folder can cause issues with some Blizzard games. Deleting this folder will not affect your game data and may resolve issues caused by outdated files.
- Close any open Blizzard programs.
- Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc on the keyboard to open Task Manager.
- Select the Processes tab.
- If agent.exe is running or Blizzard Update Agent then make sure to highlight it.
- Select End Process.
- Navigate to the folder containing the cache directory:
- Press Windows Key+R to open the Run dialogue.
- Type %ProgramData% into the Run field and press Enter.
- If a Blizzard Entertainment folder exists in the directory, right-click it, and select Delete.
- Restart the Battle.net desktop app and relaunch the Call of Duty Modern Warfare game.
Deleting Battle.net Files
Sometimes outdated, corrupted, or missing Battle.net folders or files can basically trigger multiple issues with the Blizzard application and games. Follow these steps to resolve these issues:
- Close all Blizzard processes. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to open Task Manager.
- Select the Processes tab.
- Highlight all Agent, Blizzard Battle.net desktop app, and game processes.
- Then select End Process > Head over to the folder containing the Battle.net directory.
- Press the Windows + R Key to open the Run dialogue box.
- Type C:\ProgramData\ in the field and press Enter.
- Now, delete the Battle.net folder.
- Run the Battle.net client and make sure to check for game updates.
If the error persists then you can try closing other programs too.
Sometimes issues with the installed game location may also cause multiple problems whatsoever. Make sure to locate the game folder properly or reinstall the game to a new location after deleting the existing one. You can find steps at the bottom.
5. Reinstall Multiplayer Packs
If none of the potential fixes above have worked for you, the next thing you should do is ensure that you’re not actually dealing with the bundle glitch affecting MultiPlayer Pack 2 and MultiPlayer Pack 3 content.
This is very common on Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X, and PS5. (Consoles that allow you to partially install games)
Usually, one of those Multiplayer packs (or both) becomes corrupted when a new update is installed and up interfering with the stability of the game.
In this case, you can try to fix the issue by temporarily uninstalling these 2 problematic Multiplayer packs from your Playstation or Xbox console before installing them back.
For Xbox Series S/X:
- Turn on the console and head over to the main dashboard of your Xbox console.
- Go to the Settings menu > Select My Apps & Games from the list of available options.
- Press the A button on your controller to access it > Select Apps and wait until your game library loads completely.
- Now, ensure that the Games section is selected from the vertical menu on the left.
- Head over to the right side pane and access the Call of Duty Modern Warfare title.
- Select the Manage game and add-ons menu > Select the main interface at the top of the screen of COD MW.
- Next, de-select everything and checkmark the only boxes related to Call of Duty Modern Warfare – Multiplayer Pack 1 and Call of Duty Modern Warfare – Multiplayer Pack 2.
- Once selected two, make sure to follow the on-screen prompts to uninstall them from your console.
- Finally, reboot your console to easily install the missing multiplayer packs again when prompted.
For PS5:
- Turn on the PS5 console and select the Settings menu (gearbox icon) in the top-right corner of the screen.
- Now, choose Storage > Select Console Storage from the left menu.
- Then head over to the Games and Apps menu from the right side of the screen.
- Next, scroll down through the list of installed apps > Locate the Call of Duty Modern Warfare title.
- Select the Manage menu then press the X button on the controller to access it.
- Select Multiplayer Pack 2 and Multiplayer Pack 3 for COD MW then click on OK.
- Now, highlight OK to confirm the uninstallation process then press the X button to proceed.
- Once done, make sure to reboot your PS5 console to check for the issue.
6. Clear MAC Address on Xbox
If the above methods didn’t work for you then you for the Xbox console then you can clear the MAC address on the Xbox console by following the steps below. Sometimes clearing out the corrupted MAC address may also fix the network inconsistency issue. The COD: Modern Warfare game needs to create a local game server.
- Turn on the Xbox console and head over to the home screen.
- Now, press the Xbox button on your controller to open the Guide menu.
- Head over to the Settings icon > Go to the All Settings menu.
- Scroll down to the Network tab > Choose to Network Settings.
- Head over to the Advanced Settings menu > Under the Advanced settings menu, go to the Alternate Mac Address option.
- From the Alternate Wired/Wireless MAC Address menu, select Clear.
- Then choose Restart to apply the changes > Once you manage to successfully clear the MAC Address, make sure to launch COD: Modern Warfare again.
7. Disable Crossplay Feature
According to multiple reports, the crossplay feature should be turned off from the in-game settings menu. Multiple users are experiencing the split-screen not working issue on the console or PC. If you don’t have any issues with the crossplay feature being turned off then you should disable the crossplay feature by following the steps below.
- Make sure to launch the COD: Modern Warfare game on your console or PC whatever you use.
- Now, wait until you get past the initial loading screen.
- Click on the Settings menu in the top-right corner of the screen.
- Select the Account & Network tab from the top > Go to the Activision Account section.
- Turn OFF the Crossplay toggle > Host or Join a party to check for the issue.
8. Reinstall COD Modern Warfare
For Steam:
- Launch the Steam client on your computer.
- Now, go to Library > Right-click on the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare game.
- Head over to Manage > Select Uninstall.
- If prompted, click on Uninstall again and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the uninstallation process.
- Once done, make sure to reboot your computer to apply changes immediately.
- Open the Steam client again and install the game again using the existing Steam account.
For Battle.net:
- Open the Battle.net desktop app > Select the COD: MW game icon that you want to uninstall.
- Now, select the drop-down arrow icon next to the play button > Click on Uninstall.
- Wait for the game to get uninstalled completely.
- Then reboot the PC to apply changes > Finally, open the Battle.net desktop app and re-install the COD MW game again.
- It may take some time to install the game completely.
For PS4/PS5:
- Go to Settings > Select Storage.
- Select COD: MW game from the list and then Hit Delete.
- Once the game is deleted, download and install it again from the respective store.
For Xbox:
- Press the Xbox button on the controller to open the Guide menu.
- Select My games & apps > Hit See all > Choose to Games.
- Then select the Ready to install tab > Select Queue.
- Select the COD: MW game that you’re trying to reinstall.
- Now, press the Menu button on your controller.
- Select Manage game & add-ons or Manage app.
- Choose to COD: MW > Select Uninstall all.
- Make sure to select Uninstall all to confirm the task.
- Wait for the uninstallation process to complete.
- Reboot the system to apply changes.
- Then press the Xbox button on the controller to open the Guide menu again.
- Hit My games & apps > Select See all > Go to Games.
- Select the Ready to install tab > Hit Install for COD: MW.
- Wait for the installation process and then restart the console.
9. Contact Activision Support
If nothing did fix the issue then you can try contacting Activision Support for further assistance. It’s typically occurring to the Xbox consoles and unfortunately, there is no valid fix available for Modern Warfare Split Screen Not Working issue right now. So, asking for help or escalating this issue to the developers is the only thing to do.
- Open up your browser on the PC or console > Head over to the Activision Support home page.
- Now, make sure that you sign in with the same account that you’re using while purchasing and playing the COD: Modern Warfare game on your Xbox console.
- Click on Support Options from the top menu > Click on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare from the list of games.
- Next, click on the suitable platform that you’re currently using.
- Under the Topic section, choose to Multiplayer > Under the Issue section, choose to My games crashes or freezes from the list of options.
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on Submit a ticket.
- Add an email address so that the Activision team can respond to you, and write a detailed message to explain the issue.
- Finally, click on Submit, and wait for the reply to receive via email.
That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. For additional queries, you can comment below.