This guide will show you how to fix Fatal Error: Dev. Error 6178 in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

While this first-person shooter game can be enjoyed across multiple platforms, including Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Microsoft Windows, many users complain about experiencing routine crashes when they try playing the game on their PCs.

Most times, you won’t get an error code when a crash happens. Whatever the case may be, you can resolve the issue using the solutions we’ve put together here.

Why Does Modern Warfare Crash?

Why is Modern Warfare crashing? It does so even in single-player mode. Well, the problem is often due to incompatible hardware and device drivers. So you need to make sure that your PC is up to standard. It has to meet the minimum or recommended requirements for COD: MW. We will outline these requirements in the next section.

Also, check out the additional requirements for the game if you have enabled graphics settings like Ray Tracing. Otherwise, just ensure that your computer meets at least the minimum requirements for playing Modern Warfare.

Other factors that could cause the game to crash are as follows:

  • Corrupt game files
  • Software conflicts
  • V-sync or G-sync
  • Texture quality settings
  • In-game overlay
  • Outdated Windows OS

How to Fix Modern Warfare Crashing

The following fixes can help you get rid of the setback:

  1. Stop background apps
  2. Update your Windows OS
  3. Update/roll back your drivers
  4. Scan for and repair corrupt game files
  5. Adjust your in-game settings
    • Set the texture quality to ‘Normal’ or ‘High’
    • Re-download the shader cache files
  6. Disable V-sync for the game in NVIDIA
  7. Turn off the Discord in-game overlay
  8. Undo overclocking
  9. Set the game’s priority to ‘High’ in the Task Manager
  • Uninstall and reinstall Modern Warfare

Before you start applying the fixes, check whether your PC satisfies the requirements for playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

Minimum PC Specifications

  • Central Processing Unit (CPU): Intel Core i3-4340 | AMD FX-6300
  • Operating System (OS): Windows 10 64 Bit (1709 or later) | Windows 7 64-Bit (SP1)
  • RAM: 8 GB
  • Free HDD Space: 175 GB
  • Video Card: AMD Radeon HD 7950 | NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650
  • Dedicated Video RAM: 2048 MB
  • DirectX: DirectX 12-compatible system
  • Pixel Shader:0
  • Vertex Shader:0
  • Sound Card: Yes (DirectX-compatible)
  • Central Processing Unit (CPU): AMD Ryzen R5 1600X Processor | Intel Core i5-2500K
  • Operating System: Windows 10 64 Bit (latest service pack)
  • RAM: 12 GB
  • Free HDD Space: 175 GB
  • Video Card: AMD Radeon R9 390 / AMD RX 580 | Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 4GB / GTX 1660 6GB
  • Dedicated Video RAM: 4096 MB
  • DirectX: DirectX 12-compatible system
  • Pixel Shader: 1
  • Vertex Shader: 1
  • Sound Card: Yes (DirectX-compatible)

Follow the guide below to find out your PC specs, including the graphics card, RAM, processor, and other details:

  1. Open the Device Manager through the Start menu or the Run dialog box. For the first option, simply press the Windows button on your keyboard or click on the Windows icon that is displayed in the bottom-left corner of your PC screen. This takes you to the Start menu. Then type ‘Device Manager’ into the search bar and click on the matching result.

Alternatively, you can open the Run dialog box by pressing the Windows icon key + R keyboard combination. Then type ‘Devmgmt.msc’ into the search field and click the OK button or press Enter on your keyboard.

  1. Now that you are in the Device Manager window, locate Display Adapters and double-click on it or click the arrow beside it. You will see the graphics devices you have on your PC.
  2. Close the Device Manager window.
  3. Open File Explorer by pressing the Windows icon key + E combination on your keyboard.
  4. Right-click on ‘Computer’ in the left pane of the window and click on Properties. On the page that opens, you will find the version of your operating system (OS), your RAM version, and other system information.

You can now compare your PC specs with the requirements for playing COD: MW.

Afterward, apply the fixes presented below.

Let’s get to it, shall we?

Fix 1: Stop Background Apps

Before running Modern Warfare, close all open applications so as to reduce the system load. Afterward, go through the Task Manager and stop all unnecessary background processes. They might be interfering with your game. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc combination on your keyboard to quickly open the Task Manager.
  2. Scroll down to Background Processes under the Processes tab.
  3. Select the item you want to stop by clicking on it.
  4. Click the End task button.
  5. Do this also for your antivirus program.

Fix 2: Update Your Windows OS

It is vital to keep your operating system up to date. The process is easy:

  1. Type ‘Windows Update’ into the Start menu search bar and click on the option when it appears.
  2. Click on ‘Check for updates.’
  3. Windows will automatically download and install any updates it finds.

Fix 3: Update/Roll Back Your Drivers

Whenever you experience issues while trying to play any game on your PC, the first thing you should look into is your graphics drivers. Gaming performance greatly depends on your graphics card (Graphics Processing Unit). If you have a faulty, incompatible, or outdated graphics driver, you won’t make any headway.

Therefore, visit the website of your device manufacturer and update your drivers. However, to ensure that you won’t run into any more driver issues in the future, you can opt for an automatic driver updater tool. We recommend Auslogics Driver Updater. Auslogics is a Microsoft Partner and a trusted name when it comes to PC maintenance software.

Driver Updater scans your computer for driver issues and presents you with a complete list of all problematic drivers. You can then update all of them or select the ones you want to update.

More importantly, make sure the graphics card (GPU) you have agrees with Modern Warfare. Check the recommended or minimum requirements that were shown earlier in this article.

Fix 4: Scan For and Repair Corrupt Game Files

If you are using Steam, check for corrupt game files by following these steps:

  1. Launch Steam and right-click on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare in your game library.
  2. Select Properties and head to the Local Files tab.
  3. Click on the ‘Verify Integrity of Game Files’ option.

Follow these steps if you are using Blizzard’s Battle.net:

  1. Click on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s Options button.
  2. Click on Scan and Repair.

If the crashing issue persists, there are still other fixes you can try. Keep reading.

Fix 5: Adjust Your In-Game Settings

Another solution you should try is resetting your graphics options to their defaults. If that doesn’t help, then try the following fix.

Set the Texture Quality to ‘Normal’ or ‘High’

Configuring your graphics settings to ‘Low’ or ‘Very Low’ will have a negative effect on COD: Modern Warfare. Although turning up your graphics settings may cause lower FPS if you are using a low-end PC, it can help prevent the game from crashing.

Some users reported that the low texture quality was the reason why the game kept crashing and displaying the error code Dev Error 6178. Consider setting the texture quality to ‘High’ or ‘Normal’, depending on the specs of your PC.

Here’s how to get it done:

  1. Launch Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and head to Options.
  2. Click on Game Settings and select Graphics.
  3. Go to the Details & Texture tab and choose High or Normal under Texture Resolution.
  4. Also set Texture Filter Anisotropic to High. You can set every other setting to Low.

Some users suggest turning off ‘Sync Every Frame (V-sync)’. Apparently, it is best to leave the setting disabled.

Re-Download the Shader Cache Files

This is quite straightforward. Simply head to Graphics under the game options and click on Re-download Cache Files.

Fix 6: Disable V-Sync for the Game in NVIDIA

G-sync/Free sync is V-sync in your game, and it may be causing interference and crashing. Turn it off and see if that helps. You can turn off V-sync in the Modern Warfare graphics settings if it is enabled there. Afterward, disable the setting as well in the NVIDIA Control Panel.

Follow the steps below:

  1. Right-click on a blank area on your desktop and select NVIDIA Control Panel from the context menu that appears.
  2. In the left pane of the page that opens, expand 3D Settings and click on Manage 3D Settings.
  3. Go to the Program Settings tab in the right pane and click the Add button. Then navigate the path to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Call of Duty Modern Warfare\ModernWarfare.exe

  1. Scroll through the list under ‘Specify the settings for this program’ and expand the drop-down for Vertical Sync. Select Off.
  2. Click the Apply button and then try launching your game again. See if the issue will persist.

Fix 7: Turn Off the Discord In-Game Overlay

The overlay feature in programs like Discord may cause your game to crash. You may be able to resolve the crashing issue by disabling in-game overlay.

Here’s how:

  1. Launch Discord and go to Settings.
  2. Click the Overlay tab in the left pane.
  3. Click the toggle to turn off the ‘Enable in-game overlay’ option.

Note: If you would rather disable in-game overlay for COD: MW only, then open the Games tab instead and click the toggle for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.

Fix 8: Undo Overclocking

Although overclocking your GPU or CPU can improve your gaming experience, it can also cause some games to misbehave. Therefore, if you have overclocked your GPU, it could be the reason why Modern Warfare keeps crashing. Try going back to the default settings. It can help reduce crash occurrences.

Fix 9: Set the Game’s Priority to ‘High’ in the Task Manager

Some users reported that setting the priority for COD: Modern Warfare to ‘High’ helped reduce the number of times they had to deal with crashes. Launch the game first and then head back to the desktop and open the Task Manager. Follow the steps below:

  1. Press the Ctrl + Shift + Esc combination on your keyboard to quickly open the Task Manager.
  2. Go to the Details tab and right-click on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.exe.
  3. Hover over Set Priority in the context menu and click on High.
  4. Click on Change Priority when prompted for confirmation.

Fix 10: Uninstall and Reinstall Modern Warfare

If you are still facing the crashing issue at this point, the last option is to reinstall the game. First, you have to uninstall the game. Then delete the roaming and local files:

  1. Invoke the Run dialog box using the Windows logo + R keyboard combination.
  2. Type (or copy and paste) “%appdata%” (don’t include the quotation marks) into the text field and click the OK button or press Enter.
  3. On the File Explorer page that opens, locate the game folder and delete all the files in Roaming. Also, delete the game files in the Local files folder in AppData.

After you have deleted the above-mentioned game files, install Modern Warfare again. See if the crashes will still happen.

We hope these fixes have been effective for you. If there are other solutions you have come across, please don’t hesitate to share them in the comments section below. Also, feel free to drop any questions or comments you might have. We will be happy to hear from you.

Cheers!