How to Fix Call of Duty: Vanguard Freezing

Call of duty: Vanguard is released, and as expected for most new titles, quite a few bugs and issues come with the launch. Many players have reported that COD Vanguard keeps freezing on their PCs and the game is almost unplayable. If you’re in the same boat, no worries! Here are some working fixes you can try:

Try these fixes:

You don’t have to try them all, just work your way down the list until you find the one that does the trick!

1: Close background applications

2: Update the graphics driver

3: Scan and repair your game files

4: Run the game executable as administrator

5: Make sure your system is up-to-date

6: Check your antivirus software

7: Increase your virtual memory

Call of Duty: Vanguard System Requirements

Fix 1: Close background applications

The first quick fix you can try is to shut down the programs running in the background. They may interfere with Vanguard and cause the game to freeze. Or, these applications may take up the resources that are required for Vanguard to run smoothly, thus triggering performance issues. You can kill the background processes via Task Manager:

1. Press Ctrl and Shift and Esc to open the Task Manager.
2. Under the Processes tab, right-click the processes that you want to shut down, then click End task.
   

If this doesn’t solve your problem, try the next fix.

Fix 2: Update the graphics driver

One of the most common causes for game freezing issues is that your graphics driver is faulty or outdated. Same for Vanguard, you want to make sure that your graphics driver is up-to-date and functioning properly.

There are two ways to keep your graphics card driver up-to-date. One is to manually update it via Device Manager. Note that Windows doesn’t always detect the latest available driver update for you, so you may need to search on the vendor’s site. Be sure to choose only the driver that is compatible with your Windows version.

• NVIDIA
• INTEL
• AMD
• Asus

Automatic driver update – If you don’t have the time, patience, or computer skills to update your driver manually, you can, instead, do it automatically with Driver Easy. Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct driver for your exact graphics card and your Windows version, then it will download and install it correctly:

1. Download and install Driver Easy.
2. Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.
3. Click the Update button next to the flagged graphics card driver to automatically download the correct version of the driver, then you can manually install it (you can do this with the FREE version).
   
   Or click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system. (This requires the Pro version which comes with full support and a 30-day money-back guarantee. You’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All.)
   

If you’re still experiencing the freezing issue after you updated the graphics driver, try the next fix.

Fix 3: Scan and repair your game files

If your game files are missing or broken, it could trigger random freezes when you’re playing Vanguard. You can run a scan and fix the corrupted game files via the Battle.net client. Here’s how:

1. Launch Battle.net and find Call of Duty: Vanguard.
2. Click the gear-shaped icon and click Scan and repair.
3. Wait for the scan to complete.

If this doesn’t help, move on to the next fix.

Fix 4: Run the game executable as administrator

Sometimes when the game doesn’t have the required administrator rights, it could crash or freeze randomly in the middle of the gameplay. You can provide them by running the game executable file as administrator.

If Vanguard still freezes randomly on your PC, try the next fix.

Fix 5: Make sure your system is up-to-date

As the system requirements suggest, it’s important to make sure your system is up-to-date. Windows releases updates on a regular basis which may fix known bugs and compatibility issues. Installing the latest updates may make a difference in solving the freezing issues in Vanguard.

Here’s how to check for the latest system updates and install them:

1. In the search bar next to your Start button, type update, then click Check for updates.
   (If you don’t see the search bar, click the Start button and you’ll find it in the pop-up menu.)
   
2. Windows will scan for any available updates. If there are no available updates, you’ll get a You’re up to date sign. You could also click View all optional updates and install them if needed.
   
3. If there are available updates, Windows will automatically download them for you. Follow instructions to complete the installation if needed.
   
   
4. Restart your PC to let it take effect.

If this doesn’t solve your problem, try the next fix.

Fix 6: Check your antivirus software

Antivirus software may affect game performance and trigger the freezing issue in Call of Duty: Vanguard. You can add Vanguard and the Battle.net client into the exception list/whitelist of your antivirus software and then test the issue.

Or, you can temporarily disable your antivirus program to see if Vanguard still freezes. If the freezing issue is gone, then you know your antivirus software was the cause. Consider using a different antivirus program, or report the issue to the software supplier or game developers for assistance.

If the freezing issue persists, there’s one more fix you can try.

Fix 7: Increase your virtual memory

According to the system requirements, you need to have at least 8 GB RAM to run Call of Duty: Vanguard. If your PC is running out of memory, the game performance may be impacted and you may experience random freezes. If that’s the case, you can check your virtual memory and then increase it if needed:

1. Press the Windows logo key and R on your keyboard to invoke the Run box.
2. Paste sysdm.cpl in the box, then click OK.
   
3. Go to the Advanced tab, under the Performance section, click Settings.
   
4. Again switch to the Advanced tab, under the Virtual memory section, click Change.
   
5. Uncheck the box of Automatically manage paging file size for all drives, then select Custom size.
   
6. Use the below formulas to calculate the values you should set:
   
   1GB = 1024 MB
   Initial size (MB) = 1.5 * the amount of RAM (GB) on your PC
   Maximum size (MB) = 3 * the amount of RAM (GB) on your PC
7. If you don’t know how much RAM you have, press the Windows key and R to invoke the Run box. Then type in msinfo32 and click OK. You’ll find the information in the pop-up window.
   
8. Calculate and fill in the Initial size and Maximum size, click Set then click OK. For example, I have 8 GB RAM, so my initial size would be 8*1024*1.5=12,288 MB, and my maximum size would be 8*1024*3=24576 MB
   
9. Reboot your PC to see if Vanguard still freezes on your PC.

Hopefully this article helps! If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment below.