How to fix Black Ops Cold War crashes on Xbox Series X

Some Xbox Series X users have been experiencing crash issues with Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, but fortunately, there’s an explanation and a fix.

Call of Duty Black Ops: Cold War has officially launched, and it looks and performs incredibly well on next-gen consoles. However, it hasn’t been a seamless experience for everyone.

Xbox Series X users have reported a series of issues. In some instances, elements from the user interface have been disappearing and replaced with an error. Fortunately, it can be fixed with a simple restart.

A portion of Xbox Series X users have also had issues with Quick Resume, which seems to disconnect the console from the TV in the same way a resolution change or HDR toggle would.

Still, those are nothing compared to an issue where Black Ops Cold War somehow crashes and completely turns off the Xbox Series X. The worst part is it often happens after a few minutes of play.

What is causing the Black Ops Cold War crashes?

It’s hard to tell what’s causing the crashing issue. However, the consensus is that it seems to only affect Xbox Series X users who bought the Xbox One version of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.

The Xbox Series X version, which costs $70, appears to work fine. But the Xbox One version, which costs $60, seems to be incompatible with the console even though it’s supposed to work fine. To make matters worse, there isn’t an easy way to upgrade from one to the other.

• Read more: How to uninstall Cold War modes on PlayStation, Xbox and PC

This could have been avoided if Activision-Blizzard used Xbox Smart Delivery, which is similar to EA’s dual-entitlement system. However, they didn’t, and now many players are wishing they had.

The problem has been affecting some players who own Xbox Series X version too. It seems to happen in instances when the game is installed on an external HDD. Luckily, it can be fixed.

How can the crash be fixed?

External USB HDD’s cannot support next-gen games built for the Xbox Series X. Instead, they can only support backward compatible titles from the Xbox One.

Naturally, that means if you installed Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War on an external HDD intentionally or by mistake, it will be the older version. Therefore, you’ll have the same crashing and shutdown issues as those who bought the older version.

• Read more: Black Ops Cold War grenade launcher easter egg discovered

To fix it, uninstall the game from the external HDD and reinstall it on the Xbox Series X’s internal SSD. Double-check that you’ve selected the specific next-gen version on the Microsoft Store. That’s all there is to it.

It’s a shame that Activision-Blizzard didn’t opt to use the Xbox Smart Delivery system. Players have expressed their disappointment about the decision for quite some time. They believe it was based on corporate greed.

Either way, those who have experienced these issues with the newer version can enjoy this simple fix. Others will need to wait for an official patch to rectify the problem.