Trying to identify the reason behind a connection error can be challenging, especially when your connection has been working fine for everything else that you do. Though server-wide errors and downtimes can be easy to distinguish if you have a squad that you frequently play with, lone wolves may need to visit a couple of sources to make sure that Call of Duty: Warzone isn’t down.
If you’re in a rush to hop into a Warzone match, you’ll naturally want to get rid of the “Connection Failed” error as quickly as possible. Despite being unclear, the error narrows your options down to two. Either your home network has a connectivity problem, or it’s Warzone’s servers that are having a rough time.
You can be sure about overloaded servers being the cause of this error during the release period. But there are a couple of solutions you can try out to see whether you can squeeze into the servers for that one last Warzone match.
Here’s how you can fix the “Connection Failed” error in Warzone.
Make sure the Warzone servers aren’t down
If the Warzone servers are down, you’ll have no choice but to wait for developers to roll out a fix. You can check the game’s current server status through Activision’s official server status website and Down Detector. Though these two sources tend to be fast enough to keep the players updated as soon as possible, you can also find the first respondents at community hubs like Reddit.
By checking out servers’ status, you’ll save yourself the trouble of going through the following steps since they aren’t likely to be effective in-case of worldwide downtimes.
Switch to a wired connection
No matter how stable Wi-Fi can be, it can never beat a wired connection when it comes to being reliable. Switching to a wired connection and testing out whether you can join another game will help you make sure that your connection type isn’t the problem.
In cases where you can’t possibly connect your gaming device and router by cable, you can try out moving them closer to strengthen your Wi-Fi signal. Alternatively, you may try out Wi-Fi adapters, but the echoed signals may slightly increase your ping.
Change your DNS
DNS addresses may not look that important at first glance, but a faulty one can make it impossible for you to load websites or get into Warzone. It may even take you a while to understand that yours has gone bad, too, since users often get it confused with their internet slowing down.
If you’ve never touched your DNS address, you’ll be using the default one your ISP automatically configures. Changing it to one of the commercially available DNS addresses like Google, Proton, or OpenDNS will let you troubleshoot your initial DNS.
PlayStation 5 users can follow the steps mentioned here to change their DNS, while Xbox Series X/S owners can check out these steps.
Reset your PC and router
Though it may sound elementary, resetting your PC and router are two of the most effective steps you can take to fix random bugs. Resetting your PC will ensure there’s nothing on your PC that’s affecting your connection, while turning your router off and on will ensure that you have a flawless connection route between your and the Warzone servers.
Doing the two simultaneously will help you save time, and you may also want to wait around 20-30 seconds before turning on both of them to let the dust settle.
Try using cellular data
Playing games with cellular data is considered to be less than ideal. The connection quality will vary heavily on your residential area and cellular plans tend to be relatively more expensive than home internet deals. You’ll only need to connect with your mobile connection for a couple of minutes in this case, however.
Turn on the wireless hotspot feature of your phone to connect with your console or PC. You can also try USB tethering to share data. If you can get into Warzone with your mobile data, then it’ll verify that it’s your home internet that’s been acting up.
Call your ISP
Now that you’ve built a case for yourself, you can proudly call your ISP to let them know that it has been making your life harder by not letting you play Warzone. Once you explain the situation and all the troubleshooting steps you’ve tried so far, a staff member should run diagnostics on your network for anomalies.
In most cases, a reset from your ISP’s side should be more than enough to fix the problem, but you may also receive some on-site support to investigate your cable quality on the premises.
Contact Activision
While some players will luck out with a tech-savvy technician who knows a thing or two about gaming, you can also hit a dead end with support specialists that just play it by the book. There’ll also be cases where your home network will be in perfect shape. When that’s the case, the error’s source can be Warzone’s servers having complications with your provider or simply where you live.
Contact Activision through a support ticket and brief them with what you’ve been going through. Send them all the materials you think can be helpful, and a support specialist should take a thorough look into your case within a couple of business days.
Some investigation from Activision may result in regional fixes, making you the savior of players who are in close proximity to you.
