Hey there, it looks like you‘ve been facing some frustrating freezing issues with Call of Duty: Warzone on your Xbox Series S. Not to worry, you‘re not alone! Many players have reported similar problems with Warzone crashing or freezing on Microsoft‘s budget next-gen console.
As an avid gamer myself, I know how annoying these technical problems can be, especially when you just want to hop on and play some matches with your friends. But don‘t uninstall the game just yet! In this detailed guide, we‘ll walk through all the potential reasons why Warzone could be freezing on your Series S and the best troubleshooting steps you can take to get it running smooth again.
First things first – your Xbox needs the latest updates
Let‘s start with the basics – making sure your console‘s system software and the Warzone game files are fully up to date. Outdated system software is a common cause of freezes and crashes. Here‘s a quick rundown of how to update:
Xbox System Updates:
Press the Xbox button and head to Settings > System > Updates and Installation.
If any system updates are pending, install them and reboot your console. Updates fix bugs and improve performance.
Warzone Game Updates:
From your Home screen, highlight Warzone and press the Menu button.
Go to Manage Game and Add-ons > Updates.
If updates are available, download and install them. This gets you the latest optimizations.
Quick Tip: Set your Xbox to always install new system and game updates automatically if you don‘t want to manually check for them.
Keeping everything updated prevents many common crashing issues and improves stability. So always make sure you‘re running the latest software versions.
Reset your Xbox with a power cycle
If the game still freezes after updating, the next step is to power cycle your console. This clears out temporary glitches and resets things to their default state.
Here is how to power cycle your Series S:
Press and hold the power button on your console for about 10 seconds until it fully shuts down.
Unplug the power cable from the back and wait 30 seconds.
Plug it back in and turn your Xbox on with the power button.
Let the system fully reboot and try loading Warzone again.
Power cycling flushes out any corrupted data or cache that could be causing conflicts. It‘s a simple fix for many odd errors.
Adjust the graphics settings
Another potential culprit is having your in-game graphics settings configured beyond what the Series S hardware can handle, resulting in freezing and crashes.
Here are some recommended settings tweaks to optimize performance on your Series S:
Lower the Render Resolution to 80-90% at max. This takes pressure off the GPU.
Turn off Ray Tracing completely since it‘s demanding.
Disable Depth of Field, Ambient Occlusion and other advanced effects.
If needed, lower Texture Resolution and Filtering to Medium or Low.
Reducing graphics settings prevents your console from being overloaded while gaming. Warzone freezing is very commonly tied to settings that are too taxing on the hardware.
Pro Tip: Don‘t compare your visuals to Xbox Series X gameplay you see online. The Series S has a less powerful GPU so adjusting graphics accordingly is key!
Time to clean your Xbox and improve ventilation
Overheating is another major cause of game crashes and console instability. Some easy ways to keep your Series S cool:
Use compressed air to clear dust from the fan vents and heatsinks monthly. Dust restricts airflow.
Make sure there is plenty of open space around your Xbox for airflow. Avoid enclosed spaces.
Consider an external USB cooling fan to improve air circulation and lower temps.
Keep the console vertically oriented and avoid laying it flat to allow rising heat to escape.
Play in air conditioned rooms and avoid hot or poorly ventilated areas.
Preventing overheating is crucial for smooth performance. Warzone taxes the Series S hardware, so keeping your console‘s thermals optimal is key.
Check your hard drives for errors
Corrupted data on your console‘s internal SSD or any connected external hard drives can also cause freezing in games.
To check for errors:
Go to Settings > System > Storage.
Select your connected drives and choose "Properties".
Select "Diagnose and fix" to scan drives and repair any errors.
If the drive is severely corrupted, you may need to reformat it.
Checking drives regularly and fixing errors ensures your game data isn‘t getting scrambled and causing crashes or conflicts.
Try changing your DNS settings
Your console‘s internet connection relying on bad DNS server settings can also manifest as freezing, even in a single player game like Warzone.
Switching to more reliable third-party DNS servers is an easy fix:
Go to Settings > General > Network > Advanced Settings
Change DNS settings from Automatic to Manual
Enter preferred public DNS server IPs like Google (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) or Cloudflare (1.1.1.1 and 1.0.0.1).
Save your settings and then restart your Xbox.
This prevents networking issues from interfering with your gameplay performance.
Give the fixes time to work
After making changes, be sure to test Warzone for at least 30 minutes to determine if crashes and freezes were resolved.
If problems still occur after trying all troubleshooting steps, don‘t lose hope! Reach out to Activision‘s customer support team via live chat or their support forum. They can help investigate any other factors that may be causing issues.
Is it time to upgrade to an Xbox Series X?
If you continue facing stability issues in Warzone after exhausting all options, it may be a sign that the Series S hardware is not fully up to the task of running this demanding game smoothly.
Upgrading to the more powerful Xbox Series X could significantly improve your experience. Here‘s how the Series X outperforms the budget Series S:
More capable GPU – 12TFLOPS vs 4TFLOPS in the Series S.
Double the RAM at 16GB resulting in better multitasking.
Hardware ray tracing support for enhanced visuals.
Larger 1TB internal SSD that can store more games.
Sustained 4K gaming at higher framerates.
The Series X is built for peak gaming performance with its robust specs. If you play a lot of competitive online shooters, it‘s worth considering the upgrade for a smoother overall experience.
Average Cost to Upgrade:
Xbox Series X Console: $500
1TB Expansion Card: $220
That covers the key reasons why Warzone may be freezing on your Xbox Series S and the top fixes you can try. To quickly recap:
Update console and game software
Power cycle your Xbox
Lower demanding graphics settings
Improve ventilation
Check hard drives for errors
Change DNS server settings
Test Warzone extensively after making changes
Consider upgrading to Series X
Hopefully with this troubleshooting guide, you‘ll be able to get Call of Duty: Warzone running smooth and crash-free on your Xbox again. Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m always happy to help a fellow gamer out.
