Modern Warfare 3 stuttering on Xbox: Possible fixes, reasons, and more

Modified Jul 02, 2024 11:59 GMT

An Operator sprinting in Modern Warfare 3 Multiplayer — Exploring the possible fixes for Modern Warfare 3 stuttering on Xbox (Image via Activision)

Numerous reports have come up of Modern Warfare 3 stuttering on Xbox systems. This happened soon after the rollout of the Season 4 Reloaded patch. Although not all, a vast majority of players have been affected by this. Sledgehammer Games, the studio behind Modern Warfare 3, has acknowledged the concerns and will soon be deploying a patch to resolve the issue. However, the studio didn't delve into the reasons for this error.

In the meantime, if you are facing any lag or stutter in your game, you can try implementing a few fixes that have been known to resolve the issue. In this guide, we will take a look at all such fixes for Modern Warfare 3 stuttering on Xbox.

Possible fixes for Modern Warfare 3 stuttering on Xbox

The following are all the known possible fixes for Modern Warfare 3 stuttering on Xbox:

Restart your console

If you have been playing for a while or your console has been turned on for long hours, it is recommended to restart your console. If your console shows signs of overheating, which is especially prevalent on the older generation systems (Xbox One and Xbox One X) and the Xbox Series S, it is recommended to remove all your power cables from the device and let it cool down before turning it back on.

Turn off On-Demand Texture Streaming

Turning off On-Demand Texture Streaming in Modern Warfare 3 (Image via Activision)

If you are still facing stutters or lag in MW3, the next thing that you should do is to turn off On-Demand Texture Streaming. To do so, follow these steps:

Launch Call of Duty HQ.
Go to the Settings menu and select 'Graphics'.
Then, navigate to the 'Quality' tab located at the top.
Under 'Details & Textures', find 'On-Demand Texture Streaming' and turn it off.

This should temporarily resolve the issue for you until Call of Duty deploys a patch.

Re-install the game

A less-than-ideal solution, if MW3 is still stuttering on your system after the Season 4 Reloaded update, it is advised to re-install the game. You do not have to uninstall the entire Call of Duty HQ. Removing only the MW3 Multiplayer files will get the job done. Doing so will reset your cache and can potentially fix the issue.

Uninstalling only the MW3 Multiplayer files on Xbox (Image via Activision)

Here's how you can uninstall Modern Warfare 3 Multiplayer files without deleting the other modes/games:

Launch the Call of Duty HQ.
Select 'Settings' and go to 'Manage Files'.
From the list of available games/modes, select 'Modern Warfare 3'.
Here, select 'Modern Warfare 3 Multiplayer' and uninstall the files.
Now exit the game and restart your console.
Go back into Call of Duty HQ and install the files from the 'Manage Files' section as stated above.

Following the above steps should resolve Modern Warfare 3 stuttering on Xbox, irrespective of your console's generation.

These are all the known possible fixes for Modern Warfare 3 stuttering on Xbox. If these fixes didn't resolve the issue, it is highly recommended to contact Activision support team for further assistance.

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Edited by Niladri Roy