How to Fix Modern Warfare 2 Stuck on Installing

I can’t even begin to tell you how many times my childhood computer unceremoniously locked up while trying to install games. I wish I could say that’s not a problem anymore, but even in this modern age, we can’t seem to completely escape the scourge of the paralyzed installation bar. Here’s how to fix Modern Warfare 2 stuck installing bug.

How to Fix Modern Warfare 2 Stuck on Installing

Some players of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 have reported getting stuck on the “installing” prompt that appears when launching the game. This can occur on any of the game’s supported platforms, but it seems to have the highest occurrence for players on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. When the installation bar locks up like this, there’s no way to progress past the prompt and get into the game proper, as attempting to back out of the prompt just launches it again.

Related: How to Enable FPS Counter in Modern Warfare 2

The precise means by which you can remedy this annoying bug will depend on the precise platform you’re playing on. If you’re playing on a PlayStation console, the first thing you should try is pressing the Options button on your PlayStation controller to open your console settings, then closing them. The quick switch should give the installation bar the kick it needs.

If Only You Could Smack and Installation Bar

If you’re playing on a different platform, or if the previous method didn’t work for you, it’s time for the next step. The next thing you should do is close your instance of Modern Warfare 2 entirely, then open it back up. Rebooting the program refreshes temporary files, helping vital processes along.

If it’s still not working, the next step is to reboot your console/computer entirely. Close your instance of Modern Warfare 2 entirely, then opt for a full system reboot. In the case of consoles, don’t just put it to sleep and wake it up; you want a full turn-off and turn-on. After you boot back up, it might not hurt to do a cursory check of your network health and storage space. If you’re experiencing network interruptions, that can cause these kinds of hiccups. The same goes for systems with a lack of available space for both permanent and temporary files.

Infinity Ward is aware of this bug and has issued a patch for it, so ideally, you won’t encounter this. If you do, though, the tricks above should fix the problem. Just don’t try to smack your console, tempting as it may be.