How to Fix MW3 Shaders Preloading Error?

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is a 2023 first-person shooter video game that offers plenty of changes and improvements. Its file size is large enough which leads to shaders to load. Several players have reported the ‘Shaders Preloading’ error in MW3 which becomes frustrating enough. COD: MW3 doesn’t need to preload its shaders all the time but it can take plenty of time during the launch of the game. Now, if you’re also facing the MW3 Shaders Preloading Error at your end then don’t worry.

As per multiple reports, affected MW3 players receive the Preloading Shaders bug after installing the graphics driver update or even updating the game to a new version. Meanwhile, the shader preloading occurs every time after launching the game for some players. Well, Shader Preloading is useful to load certain shader variant collections from a script to display all textures properly. It also reduces in-game lags or other graphical glitches in matches to improve overall performance.

If we take a quick look at this error, this can happen typically during the loading or initialization of graphical shaders in Modern Warfare 3 which are necessary components for rendering the in-game graphics. Shaders are a set of programs that load shadows, effects, depth and more in the video game but require enough time to load properly. While running the game, shaders get installed every time which can be irritating at times and can’t be accepted by some players.

How to Fix MW3 Shaders Preloading Error?

The chances are high that somehow an outdated game patch version, corrupted game files, incompatible graphics card, outdated graphics drivers, issues with the Activision online services, incorrect graphics settings in the game, etc can trouble you a lot with the shaders preloading error in Modern Warfare III. In addition, issues with background running tasks, low storage space, issues with the in-game region, and more can cause the shaders’ preloading error.

Luckily, here we’ve shared with you some workarounds that should come in handy. Make sure to follow all troubleshooting steps until the problem has been fixed. So, without wasting any more time, let’s jump into it.

1. Relaunch MW3

First of all, you should try force-closing the COD Modern Warfare III title on the gaming device and then relaunch it to check if the problem has been fixed. Any kind of temporary glitch can trouble you a lot at times.

2. Wait for the Shader Preload to Complete

The second thing you can do is wait for the shader preload to complete after launching the game. It seems that mostly 10-20 minutes of waiting can help in finishing the preloading.

3. Run MW3 as an Administrator

Make sure to run the game application with the system admin privilege so that the program can launch properly. Without having system admin access to your game application, you’ll encounter multiple issues on the PC while running the application.

• Go to the installed game directory on the PC.
• Right-click on Modern Warfare 3 (exe).
• Go to Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.

• Enable the Run this program as an administrator option.
• Click on Apply and select OK to save changes.

4. Update Modern Warfare III

In some cases, an outdated game patch version can trouble you a lot due to stability issues or bugs. So, it’s recommended to check for the game updates manually by following the steps below.

Battle.net:

• Open Battle.net.
• Click on Game Library > Choose Modern Warfare III.
• Now, click on the cog wheel icon.
• Select Check for Updates.
• Make sure to download & install the update, if available.

Steam:

• Open Steam > Go to Game Library.
• Right-click on Modern Warfare III.
• Select Properties > Click on Updates.
• Now, go to Automatic Updates.
• Select Only update this game when I launch it.
• It’ll automatically install updates whenever available.

For PlayStation:

• Head over to the PlayStation Home Screen.
• Select the Modern Warfare III game.
• Press the Options button > Select Check for Updates.
• If there is an update available, the system will automatically download and install it.

For Xbox:

• Head over to the Xbox Dashboard menu.
• Go to the My Games and Apps section.
• Select Manage > Go to Updates.
• If the Modern Warfare III game update is available.
• Press the A button on the controller to start it.

5. Scan and Repair the Game Files

Sometimes corrupted or missing game files on the PC might also trouble you while starting the game. It’s always better to verify and repair the game files by following the steps below on your PC to avoid errors.

For Battle.net:

• Open Battle.net > Click on Modern Warfare III.
• Select the Cog Wheel icon next to the Play button.

• Now, select Scan and Repair > Wait for the repair to complete.
• Once done, reboot the PC to apply changes.

For Steam:

• Open the Steam client > Go to Library.
• Right-click on Modern Warfare III in your library.
• Go to Settings and select Properties.
• Click on Local Files > Select Verify integrity of game files.

• Wait for the process to complete.
• Once done, reboot the PC to apply changes.

6. Check for Graphics Driver Updates

An outdated or corrupted graphics card driver can trigger multiple issues with the games or system performance while running programs. It’s highly recommended to check the graphics driver update. You can follow the steps below to do so:

Recommended Method:

• Press the Win+X keys > Click on Device Manager.
• Double-click on Display adapters.
• Right-click on the dedicated graphics card.

• Click on Update driver > Choose Search automatically for drivers.
• If the latest update is available, the latest version will installed automatically.
• Once done, restart the PC to apply changes immediately.

Manual Method:

If the driver update isn’t available, you can manually download the latest graphics driver and install it on the PC from the official graphics card website. Head over to the website of the respective graphics card model via the links below.

• Nvidia official site
• AMD website
• Intel website

7. Adjust the In-Game Graphics Settings

It’s also recommended to adjust the Modern Warfare III graphics settings according to the following values to get a higher FPS count. Having a better framerate will help in reducing potential gameplay lags or stutters to some extent. You can still tweak some values as per your preference.

• Render Resolution: 100
• Dynamic Resolution: Off
• Upscaling: DLSS on RTX, XeSS otherwise
• VRAM Scale Target: 80
• Variable Rate Shading: Off with DLSS/XeSS, On otherwise
• Texture Resolution: Normal
• Texture Filter Anisotropic: Normal
• Depth of Field: Off
• Detail Quality Level: Normal
• Particle Resolution: Low
• Bullet Impacts: On
• Persistent Effects: Off
• Shader Quality: Medium
• On-Demand Texture Streaming: On
• Local Texture Streaming Quality: Normal
• Shadow Quality: Low
• Screen Space Shadows: Low
• Ambient Occlusion: Statis objects (GTAO)
• Screen Space Reflections: Normal
• Static Reflection Quality: Low
• Tessellation: Near
• Terrain Memory: Medium
• Volumetric Quality: Low
• Deferred Physics Quality: Low
• Weather Grid Volumes: Normal
• Water Quality: Wave Wetness

8. Restart Shaders Optimization

The chances are high that somehow shaders’ optimization process gets stuck unexpectedly and prevents players from enjoying the game. You can check the steps below to try restarting shaders optimization at your end.

• Launch Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
• Go to Settings > Click on the Display tab.
• Click on Restart Shaders Optimization.
• Now, wait for the process to be completed.

9. Check for Activision Online Services

Another thing you can do is to check for Activision Online Services to ensure there is server downtime happening or not. Server technical glitches can easily affect the gaming experience. You can check the steps below to do so:

• Visit the Activision Online Services page.
• Click on the drop-down menu > Select Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III.
• Click on Refresh > If you see All Platforms ONLINE then skip to the next method.

However, if you’re seeing server issues then wait for a couple of hours to check for the same.

10. Ensure Your Internet Connection is Reliable

Ensure your internet connectivity is running fine and stable enough to avoid potential issues in most cases. Connectivity errors or shader preloading issues can happen due to the server timing out. So, having a better internet connection is always useful. You can also run some online speed test tools to check how fast your internet is. For any stability or speed issues, contact your service provider to get technical assistance.

You can also try switching to a wired (ethernet) network from Wi-Fi or vice versa. Otherwise, try using a different network to cross-check the issue.

11. Clear the MW3 Cache Data

Several players have also found that clearing the cache data of Modern Warfare III did fix the shaders’ preloading error for them. So, you can also check the steps below to clear the cache data on any platform.

For PC:

• Exit the MW3 game and close the specific client.
• Head over to the Steam installation directory.
• Locate and delete the appcache folder.
• Now, restart the client, and launch the game.

For PlayStation:

• Shut down the console and unplug the power cable.
• Wait for around a minute > Plug back the power cable in.
• Power on the console and run the game again.

For Xbox:

• Press the Xbox button to open the guide.
• Go to Settings > Hit System > Choose Storage.
• Select the storage device to highlight it.
• Press the Y button on the controller to open the Additional options.
• Select Clear System Cache and confirm it.
• Restart the console and launch the game.

12. Close Unnecessary Background Tasks

Ensure to manually close all the unwanted tasks running from the background to easily improve the overall system performance. This method will allow the system to increase resources so that the game can run properly.

• Press the Ctrl+Shift+Esc keys to open Task Manager.
• Go to Processes > Click on the unnecessary tasks (third-party) in the list.
• Click on End Task to close it.
• Close tasks one by one > Once done, reboot the system.

13. Free Up the Storage Space

We can also suggest you free up the storage space where the COD Modern Warfare 3 game has been installed. As this is a huge game, the available space requirement should be higher to download additional resources and other components to get installed. So, try deleting unnecessary large files and other third-party programs to increase the storage space. Otherwise, try adding up more storage to the PC or console respectively.

14. Prioritize Modern Warfare 3 Packs

Sometimes prioritizing the COD Modern Warfare 3 beta packs at your end can also be helpful enough to complete downloading from other Call of Duty titles.

• Navigate to the Call of Duty HQ via the Battle.net launcher.
• Cancel all other pending installations and downloads.
• Prioritize Modern Warfare 3 Beta Packs.
• Well, this can help for so many players.

15. Change Your Battle.net Region

Battle.net region settings can affect the overall gaming stability and connectivity speed. It’s recommended to change your battle.net region by following the steps below.

• Launch Battle.net > Pause the Modern Warfare 3 pending update.
• Go to the Battle.net Settings.
• Change your region to a different server (the nearest one).
• Then resume the MW3 preload update.

16. Try Using a VPN to Change the Location

Any kind of VPN (Virtual Private Network) service on the router or the gaming device can trigger multiple issues with the server connectivity at times. VPNs can be useful to connect to the game servers but lead to ping delays or even server request timed-out errors. So, turning off the VPN connection can be helpful temporarily so that you can check out if the shaders’ preloading error still occurs or not.

17. Try Installing the Game on SSD

Ensure to install the COD Modern Warfare 3 game on an SSD (Solid State Drive) which is much faster in loading content or transferring files as compared to the traditional HDD (Hard Disk) storage. As the newly released video games are resource-hungry programs, using SSD storage & installing heavy applications on an SSD can fix a lot of slow-loading problems for you such as preloading shaders, system boot, application opening, data transfers, video rendering, and more.

18. Contact Activision Support

If none of the methods worked for you, then contact Activision Support for additional help. You should also create a support ticket to get a better resolution ASAP. The chances are high that developers will try investigating this issue and fixing it. You might have to wait further to get it resolved.

That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. For additional queries, you can comment below.