Vanguard Won’t Launch? Try These Fixes

Check Status of Servers

1. Go to your console and hold down the power button until it beeps two times

2. Wait for some time until the console shuts down completely

3. Unplug its power cords and wait for about 10 to 15 seconds

4. And then plug it back and turn it in ON the game. The COD: Vanguard Error Code VIVACIOUS should be disappeared

1. Go to the console and hold down the power button for 5 to 10 seconds and the light will blink slowly until the console goes off

2. Unplug the power cable, replug it after 5 seconds,

3. Once done, then turn the game ON.

Once your console starts, try to play COD: Vanguard again and you won’t see the error code VIVACIOUS.

That’s all for this guide on How to Fix Call of Duty: Vanguard Error Code VIVACIOUS.

Also check out our next post – Fix Call of Duty: Vanguard Crashing, Crash at Startup, Won’t Start, and Not Launching.

Call of Duty: Vanguard won’t launch (PC and Consoles)

After investigating this issue, we realized that this issue has a lot of potential causes, so we made a list of potential culprits that you need to investigate when troubleshooting this problem:

• Ongoing server issues – Before you start troubleshooting using the provided methods below, you should start by checking if the issue is not beyond your control. If you’re unable to launch the game at all, chances are Activision is dealing with a server issue. In this case, there’s nothing you can do other than wait for the developers to fix the issue.
• Temporary glitch – Once you ruled out a potential server issue from your culprit’s list, the next thing you should do is a simple reboot of the platform that you’re attempting to play the game on. As long as you’re dealing with a launch-related glitch, this fix is confirmed to fix this issue on both consoles and PCs.
• Corrupted game cache – If you’re attempting to launch the game on Xbox Series X / S or on Xbox One, chances are you’re unable to launch the game due to a corrupted game cache. This typically occurs after a failed update. You can fix this problem by accessing your console’s setting and clearing the cache.
• Incompatible Intel Management Engine driver – If you are experiencing this issue while launching the game on PC, the first thing that you should look into is an outdated or partially incompatible Intel Management Engine driver. This problem is typically encountered on Windows 11 after the OS is upgraded from Windows 11. To fix it, you’ll need to uninstall the current driver manually and allow Windows Update to update it with a generic equivalent.
• Corrupted game installation – On both PC and consoles, another potential cause of this issue is an instance where some game files have become corrupted so the game is crashing at startup. If this scenario is applicable, you should reinstall the game. This fix is confirmed to work on both PC and consoles.
• Insufficient space on your HDD or SSD – This problem is much more prevalent on PS5, but there are reports of it occurring on PC and Xbox consoles too. This issue typically surfaces when a new mandatory update is pushed to the game and the system that’s supposed to render the game doesn’t have enough space to install the new files. In this case, you can resolve the issue by freeing up more space on your HDD or SSD drive.
• Game graphics settings are not optimized – If you are playing the game on a PC and you’re using an Nvidia GPU, you should be able to fix the issue by accessing the Nvidia software (Nvidia Control Panel or Nvidia Experience) and allowing it to auto-optimize the graphical settings according to your GPU capabilities.
• PC config is unable to run the game with older DirectX – New GPU models seem to have a hard time running this game with the old DirectX iteration. If you’re using a GPU that was released in 2021 or later, you might be able to fix this problem by forcing the game to run on DirectX 11.
• Antivirus or firewall interference – On PC, another frequent culprit that might prevent the game from starting is an overprotective AV suite that treats the connection to the game server as a false positive. In this case, you can resolve the issue by whitelisting the game’s launcher + the executable or by uninstalling the overprotective suite.

Check for ongoing server issues

Before you start with the other fixes mentioned below,  our recommendation is to start by checking if this issue with Call of Duty: Vanguard is not caused by an ongoing server outage.

If the game crashed immediately after launch or you’re unable to get past the initial screen, chances are the problem is caused by a widespread server issue that is currently affecting matchmaking.

Take a few minutes to confirm or infirm if it’s applicable. This is very likely if you only recently started to experience this issue (the game was running fine in the past).

Fortunately, Activision has a dedicated status page where you can see if the game is currently experiencing server issues.

Check for Server issues for COD Vanguard

When you get to the correct page, use the drop-down menu in the top-right corner of the screen to change the current game to Call of Duty: Vanguard

Once COD: Vanguard is selected, see if Activision is reporting any ongoing issues. If every aspect of the game currently has a green checkmark, a server issue is probably not the case.

It’s also possible that the platform you’re using to play the game (Steam, Epic Games, Playstation, Xbox, is currently experiencing issues. You can check if this is applicable by clicking on the platform icon under Server Status by Network

Check for platform issues

Note: If you managed to find evidence of a server problem, the issue is entirely beyond your control and you’ll have to wait for the involved developers to fix the problem.

Reboot PC or Console

Once you’ve managed to exclude a server issue from the list of potential culprits that might be responsible for this issue, the next thing you should do is reboot the platform that you’re playing the game on.

• On PC, click on the Start icon, then click on the power icon and select Restart from the cluster of options available. restart windows
• On Xbox consoles, press and hold on the box button (on the center of your Xbox controller to open up the Power center). Next, click on Restart console, then hit Restart to confirm your choice.Restart Xbox Console
• If you’re experiencing this issue on PS4, press and hold on to the PS button (on your controller), then select power from the context menu that just appeared. Next, select  and wait until the operation is complete. Press the PS button on your controller
• On Playstation 5, press the PS button on your controller, then use the options menu at the bottom to access the Power menu. Next, from the list of available options, select Restart PS5. Restart the PS5 console

After you restart the platform that you’re attempting to play COD: Vanguard on, launch the game again and see if the problem is now fixed.

If the same kind of issue is still occurring, move down to the next potential fix below.

Delete game cache (Xbox One / Xbox Series Only)

If you’re attempting to play the game on Xbox One or Xbox Series X / S and you excluded the possibility of an ongoing server issue, another thing that you should investigate is a corrupted game cache.

Note: Keep in mind that Xbox is the only console that maintains a game cache that can be cleared while leaving the game files intact.

If this scenario is applicable, you should access the Settings menu of your Xbox controller and remove the cached data associated with the game (under Saved Data).

Note: The instructions below will work on both Xbox Series X/S and on Xbox One.

• Press the Xbox button on your controller, then use the menu on the left-hand side to select My games & apps. Access the My Games and Apps menu
• Once you’re inside the next menu, select the Games tab from the menu on the left, then scroll down through your library and locate the Call of Duty: Vanguard installation.
• When you see it, highlight the game, then click the menu button on your controller to bring up the context menu.
• Next, from the context menu that just appeared, access the Manage game and add-ons menu. Managing the game on Xbox
• From the next menu, access the Saved data category at the bottom of the screen. Access the Saved data menu
• Next, clear the cache menu from the Save data category, then reboot your console and launch Call of Duty Vanguard once again and see if the problem is now fixed.

If the problem is still not fixed or this method was not applicable, move down to the next potential fix below.

Clear more space (Consoles Only)

As it turns out, Call of Duty: Vanguard is not very good at telling you if you lack space to install a pending update.

On Playstation 5

To check and free storage on your Playstation 5 system, access the Settings menu from the home screen, then go to Storage.

Once inside, go ahead and delete game items (full games, portion of games, or add-ons) until you manage to have at least 100 GB of free space.

Free up space on Ps5

Launch the game once again and see if the problem is now fixed.

On Playstation 4

If you’re using a Playstation 4 system, access the Settings menu, then go to System Storage Management.

Once you are inside the System Storage Management tab, check the currently available Free Space. If that number is under 100 GB, take the time to clear Applications, Capture Gallery, or Themes until you get there.

Freeing up Space on Ps4

On Xbox One / Xbox Series X

The operating systems on Xbox One and Xbox Series X are almost identical, the steps of freeing up space on Xbox One and Xbox Series X are almost identical.

To do this, open up the My games and apps tab on your Xbox console, then access the Manage tab.

Once inside, choose the Free up space tile, and take advantage of the various options that you can use to free up at least 100 GB of free space.

Freeing up space on Xbox consoles

After you do this, launch the game once again and see if the problem is now fixed.

If you’re still unable to launch Call of Duty: Vanguard, move down to the next potential fix below.

Reinstall the Game (PC and Consoles)

If none of the methods above have proven to be effective in your case, the next thing you should do is to troubleshoot against a potential corruption issue that is affecting the game files.

Of course, the exact steps of reinstalling the game will depend on the platform that you’re attempting to play Call of Duty: Vanguard on.

Fortunately, we’ve created a series of sub-guides that will guide you through the process of reinstalling the game regardless of whether you’re playing on a console or on a PC.

Reinstall the game PC

On PC, you need to start by uninstalling the game from the Programs and Features menu. This procedure should be preferred instead of doing a repair install (integrity check) from the game launcher because it will also clear any temporary files that might be contributing to this issue.

• Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Next, type ‘appwiz.cpl’ and press Enter to open up the Programs and Features menu (on Windows 10 or older) or Installed apps (on Windows 11). Open up a Programs and Features menu
• Once you’re inside the Programs and Features or Installed Apps menu, look for the entry associated with the Call of Duty: Vanguard installation, then right-click on it (or click on the action icon) then click on Uninstall to uninstall the game. Uninstall problematic game
• Launch the game and see if the problem is now fixed.

Reinstall the game on PlayStation 4

If you’re using a Playstation 4 system, you’ll need to uninstall the game from the Library menu, then redo the installation from the same location (but from a different tab).

Here are the full instructions on doing this:

• From the home screen of your PlayStation 4 system, swipe through the games that you have installed and select Call of Duty: Vanguard.
• With the game selected, press the Options button on your controller, then select Delete from the context menu that just appeared. Delete the Call of Duty Vanguard installation
• Once the game is uninstalled and you’re back to the home screen of your PlayStation 4 system, use the left thumbstick on your controller to swipe left until you find the Library menu. When you find it, select it, then press the X button.Accessing the Library menu
• Once you’re inside the Library menu, use the vertical menu on the left to select Purchased, then move over to the right-hand menu and locate the game that you want to reinstall.Reinstalling the game
• From the list of items, select Call of Duty: Vanguard, then press the Options key and select Download from the context menu, and wait until the game is uninstalled.
• Launch the game once again and see if the problem is now fixed.

Reinstall the game on PlayStation 5

Since Sony has revamped the operating system for Playstation 5, the instructions for uninstalling the game and reinstalling it again will be quite different from Playstation 4:

Here’s how to reinstall Call of Duty: Vanguard on Playstation 4:

• From the home screen of your PlayStation 5 system, use the left thumbstick (or the arrow keys) to select Call of Duty: Vanguard, then press the Options button on your controller. Open the Options menu associated with Call of Duty: Vanguard
• After the game is successfully uninstalled, access the Game Library from the home screen of your PS5 system.Download Call of Duty Vanguard on PS5
• Next, under Your Collection, find and select Call of Duty: Vanguard.
• From the context menu that just appeared, select Download – once you do this, the game will begin installing automatically.
• Launch COD: Vanguard once again and see if the problem is now fixed.

Reinstall the game on Xbox One / Xbox Series S & X

Here’s what you need to do:

• On your controller, press the Xbox button, then use the menu on the left-hand side to select My games & apps. Access the My Games and Apps menu
• Next, select the Games to tab from the menu on the left and scroll down through your library until you find the Call of Duty: Vanguard installation.
• While the game is selected, click the menu button on your controller to bring up the context menu.
• From the context menu that just appeared, access the Manage game and add-ons menu. Managing the game on Xbox
• From the next menu, highlight the Uninstall all option from the menu on the left.Uninstall Call of Duty Vanguard
• Confirm the operation, then wait until the operation is complete.
• Once the game is uninstalled, access your Library from the home screen, then access the All owned games section and re-download Call of Duty: Vanguard.
• Launch the game once again and see if the problem is now fixed.

If the same kind of issue is still ongoing, move down to the next potential fix below.

Optimize Settings for Vanguard (PC Only)

If you’re experiencing this issue on PC and you’re using an Nvidia GPU, you might be able to get the issue fixed by using Nvidia Experience to optimize the game according to your PC’s graphical capabilities or reset is back to the default values.

• Press the Windows key to bring up the start menu, then type ‘GeForce’ and click on GeForce Experience from the list of results. Open up GeForce Experience
• Once you’re inside Ge-Force Experience, access the Games tab and select Call of Duty Vanguard from the list.
• Next, click on the Optimize button and wait until the settings are adjusted. Optimizing the game
• Launch the game once again and see if the problem is now fixed.

In case the same kind of issue is still occurring, move down to the next potential fix below.

Reinstall the Intel Management Engine

• Press Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Next, type ‘appwiz.cpl’ and press Enter to open up the Apps & Features menu. Open up the Programs and Feature menu
• Once you’re inside the Apps & Features menu, scroll down to find and select the Intel Management Engine Components installation, then click on Uninstall to get rid of it. Uninstall intel components driver
• At the confirmation prompt, click on Uninstall once again to get rid of the driver altogether.
• Once the driver is uninstalled, don’t restart your PC.
• Instead, open up your favorite browser and access Intel’s Download Center for the Management Engine Interface driver download page.
• Once you’re inside the correct page, click on Inter Management Engine Driver for Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 or Windows 11. Uninstall Intel Management Engine Driver
• Once you get to the next page, click on the  button, then wait for the driver to be successfully downloaded.  Download the Intel Management driver
• After the download is complete extract the contents of the archive with a utility like WinZip, WinRar, or 7Zip.
• Next, double-click on  Install the Intel Management driver
• Once the latest driver version has been installed, reboot your PC one final time and see if the problem is now fixed.

Force the game on DirectX 11

If you previously forced the game to run with DirectX 12 before the problem started to appear, returning to DirectX11 should fix the issue in your case.

COD: Vanguard is designed to run on DirectX11 (to accommodate last-gen console versions) and it’s much more stable than when rendered using DirectX12. Sure, you’ll sacrifice some visual features, but nothing too noticeable.

• Make sure Call of Duty: Vanguard is closed.
• Open your Battle.net client, log in with your account, and select Call of Duty Vanguard.
• Next, go to the Options menu of the game and check the box associated with Additional Command Line Arguments (under Game Settings).
• Inside the Additional Command Line Arguments box, type ‘-d3d11’ and save the changes.Forcing DirectX 11
• Launch the game normally through Battle.net and see if the game launches successfully.

If you’re still unable to open the game, move down to the next potential fix below.

Whitelist game or Disable antivirus and/or firewall (PC Only)

If you’re encountering the problem on a PC, you might be dealing with a classic case of an overprotective firewall.

Third-party firewall solutions like Avast Premium, Comodo, and Panda Dome are known to cause this problem in certain situations.

If this scenario is applicable, you have two options:

• Whitelist COD Vanguard + launcher (BattleNet) in your AV settings
• Disable the real-time protection of your AV

Note: f you’re using a 3rd party security suite, the steps of doing this will be very different depending on which

• Start by pressing Windows key + R to open up a
• Next, type ‘‘ inside the text box and press  to open up up the classic interface of the Windows Firewall. Open the firewall component
• Windows Defender Firewall menu, use the left-hand menu to click on Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall.  Allow an extra feature through firewall
• menu, hit the settings button, then click  Change the settings
• Next, scroll down through the list of allowed applications and see if Call of Duty Vanguard and it’s launcher (Battle.ne) is on that list.
• If you find the two on the list, ensure that you check the box for both  before clicking on to save the changes.   In case Call of Duty Vanguard and Battle.net is not added to this list, click on Allow another app and add the two entries manually.
• Finally, Launch COD Vanguard once again and see if you are able to run the game normally.

If the same problem is still occurring, move down to the next fix below.

Link console account to Activision Account (Consoles Only)

If you are attempting to play the game on a console and you see a sign up error when launching, ensure that your Blizzard and Activision accounts are linked.

• Sign up to the Playstation Xbox or Nintendo account that you wish to link.
• In a browser, go ahead and sign in with your Activision account using this page. Sign in with Activision account
• Next, go inside the Account Linking section and choose the account that you want to link.
• Click Continue, and you will be taken to the Playstation, Xbox, or Nintendo website to complete the process of linking the two accounts.
• Once the linking process is complete, return to your console and see if you can launch the game.

If you’re having this issue on PC, try the next method below.

Disable Discord or Nvidia Experience Overlay (PC Only)

If the game refuses to launch only when you try to use software like OBS or Nvidia Highlights, chances are a conflict makes COD: Vanguard crash when the screen is being recorded or when a screen overlay is detected on screen.

Fortunately, if the problem is being caused by two conflicting overlay tools, you should be able to fix the problem by disabling the non-essential in-game overlay or by uninstalling this tool altogether. In most documented scenarios, the conflict occurs either between OBS and Nvidia Experience or between OBS and Discord in-game overlay.

Disable the Discord Overlay

Here’s how to do this:

• Start by closing every instance of the game and the launcher that you use to launch the game.
• menu, click on  tab from the vertical menu on the left (under Disable the Overlay features
• menu, disable the toggle associated with Enable in-game overlay.  Disable in-game overlay

Disable Nvidia Overlay

If you’re experiencing this issue while using Nvidia overlay, you need to disable this feature from the settings menu.

• First things first, start by closing the game instance and the launcher behind it.
• and go to the from the next-hand section.
• Move over to the left menu and the toggle associated with the In-Game overlay.  Disable Nvidia Overlay
• Once this modification has been enforced, save the changes and close Nvidia Experience.
• Launch the game once again and see if the problem is now fixed.

Uninstall screen overlay feature

If you’re using a different overlay feature and you don’t really care for it or use it any longer, a surefire way to prevent the conflict from occurring again is to simply uninstall the overlay app.

• Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box. Next, type  to open up the Programs and Features Open up the Programs and Features menu
• Programs and Features menu, scroll down through the list of installed programs and locate the overlay software that you plan on uninstalling.
• When you see it, right-click on it and choose  from the newly appeared context menu.  Uninstall Nvidia Experience
• Once the procedure is complete, launch Call of Duty Vanguard once again and see if the problem is now fixed.

Disable Xbox Game Bar (Windows 11 only)

As it turns out, another potential conflict that might prevent the game from launching on PC is the Xbox Game bar.

This issue is restricted to preview builds of Windows 11, so if this is the cause of the issue, simply updating your PC should take care of the problem.

If you can’t update (regardless of the reason), you should be able to stop the conflict from occurring by disabling the Xbox Game bar.

Here’s how to do it:

• menu, click on the  tab from the vertical menu on the left. Open the Gaming tab on Windows 11 If this menu is not visible by default, click on the three-dot icon (action button) in the top-left corner of the screen.
• Next, from the  tab, click on Xbox Game Bar to access all the related settings.  Open the Xbox Game bar settings
• Inside the Xbox Game Bar menu, disable the toggle associated with  Open Xbox Game Bar using this button on a controller.  Disable Xbox Game bar

Error Code: Vivacious” on Call of Duty Vanguard Fix

• ISP Restrictions: If the ISP is restricting the game’s communication with its server in a way that is not letting the game parse the data from the server, then that may lead to Vanguard’s vivacious error code.
• Corrupt Game Settings: If the folders holding the essential game settings or configurations on a Windows system are corrupt, then that may not let the game load its essential components and cause the error at hand.
• Corrupt System Files: The corrupt system files may result in the error under discussion as the game fails to access the system resources vital for the game’s execution.

Relaunch the Vanguard Game

• Exit the Vanguard game and close its launcher.
• Then, right-click on Windows and open Task Manager.Open the Task Manager of the System Through the Quick Access Menu
• Now end all the processes related to the Vanguard game and its launcher.End Tasks of Call of Duty Vanguard in the System’s Task Manager
• Afterward, launch the Vanguard game and check if it is operating fine.
• If that fails, check if launching Vanguard through COD Cold War or Warzone and logging in clears the Vanguard error.

Restart the Device/System and Networking Equipment

• Power off the device or system and networking equipment (like a Wi-Fi extender, router, etc.).
• Now unplug the power cables of the devices from their power sources and wait for 5 minutes.Unplug the Router from the Power Source
• Then power on the router after plugging back its power cable and once the router is properly powered on, power on the device or system after plugging back their power cables.
• Now launch the Vanguard game and check if it is clear of the Vivacious error.

Try a VPN or Another Network

• Firstly, exit the Vanguard game and close its launcher. In the case of a Windows PC, end all the game-related processes in the system’s Task Manager.
• Then download and install a VPN app on the device or system (if not present).
• Now launch the VPN app and connect it to a location like the USA.
• Then open the game and check if it is operating fine. If the game asks to update, let the game update and then check if the game keeps on working even after disconnecting from the VPN.
• If the issue persists, disconnect the VPN and then disconnect the device or system from the current network.
• Now connect the system or device to another network (like a phone’s hotspot) and then relaunch the game to check if it is clear of the error Vivacious.Enable Hotspot of Your Phone

Scan and Repair the Vanguard’s Installation

If the game’s installation is corrupt, then that may result in the error message on Vanguard as the game may fail to load its essential modules in the system/device memory. In this scenario, scanning and repairing the Vanguard’s installation may solve the problem.

• Open the game launcher and select Call of Duty Vanguard.
• Now open the game’s Options and select Scan and Repair.Scan and Repair Call of Duty Vanguard
• Then click on Begin Scan and wait till the process completes. It may take some time to complete.
• Once done, launch the Battle.net client and open Vanguard to check if it is working fine.

Perform an SFC Scan of a Windows PC

If any of the essential system files of a Windows PC are corrupt, then that may result in the issue as the game may fail to access essential system resources. In this case, performing an SFC scan of the Windows PC may clear the system files’ corruption and thus clear the error.

• Exit the Vanguard game and close the game’s launcher.
• Now perform an SFC scan of the system and wait till the process completes. Keep in mind this scan may take some time to complete, so, trying it overnight would be a good idea.Perform an SFC Scan
• Once the scan completes, restart the system, and upon restart, launch Vanguard to check if it is clear of the Vivacious error.

Delete Saved Game Data of Vanguard on a Play Station

If the saved game data of Vanguard on a Play Station is corrupt, then that may cause the error message at hand as the game may fail to load/access contents from the saved data. Here, deleting the saved game data of the Vanguard game may clear the Vivacious error. Before moving on, make sure to back up the game’s saved data (online or on another drive).

• Launch the Play Station Settings and open Saved Data.Open Saved Data in the System Storage of PS4
• Now select Vanguard and open Options.
• Now select Delete and once done, launch the Vanguard game to check if its Vivacious error is cleared.

Delete the Game Folders on A Windows System

• Firstly, close the Vanguard game and exit the Battle.net client.
• Then right-click on Windows and select Run.Open the Run Command Box from the Quick Access Menu
• Now navigate to the Documents directory and delete the Vanguard folder.Open Documents Folder Through the Run Command Box
• Then steer to the game installation directory (Call of Duty Vanguard) and open the Main folder (Call of Duty VanguardMain).
• Now delete all the files present in the Main folder and hit the back button.
• Now launch the Battle.net app and open the Vanguard game.
• If the game asks to repair the installation, let it repair the Vanguard’s installation, and afterward, check if it is clear of the error code Vivacious.

Reinstall the Vanguard Game

If the Vanguard’s installation is corrupt to a level that scanning and repairing the game did not fix the problem, then the data and time-consuming task of reinstalling the Vanguard game is probably the only way out. For elucidation, we will discuss the process for the Windows version of the Vanguard game. Before proceeding, check if moving the game’s installation to another drive clears the error.

• Firstly, backup the Vanguard game data like snapshots, etc.
• Now, launch the Battle.net client and select Vanguard.
• Then expand its Options and select Uninstall.Uninstall Call of Duty Vanguard
• Now confirm to uninstall Vanguard and wait till the Vanguard game is uninstalled.
• Then restart the system and upon restart, right-click Windows.
• Now select Run and head to Documents.
• Then delete the Vanguard folder and head to the game’s installation directory.
• Now delete the game’s installation directory and then reinstall Vanguard.
• Upon reinstall, launch the Vanguard game and hopefully, it will be clear of the error code Vivacious.
• If not, uninstall Vanguard and Battle.net client.Uninstall Battle.net App
• Now delete the folders related to Vanguard and Battle.net client.
• Then restart the system and upon restart, install the Battle.net app.
• Now install Vanguard and check if it is working fine.

If that fails, check if resetting the device or system to its factory defaults or reinstalling its OS resolves the problem. If that did not work, then contacting Vanguard support will be the last resort.

Kevin Arrows

Kevin Arrows is a highly experienced and knowledgeable technology specialist with over a decade of industry experience. He holds a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certification and has a deep passion for staying up-to-date on the latest tech developments. Kevin has written extensively on a wide range of tech-related topics, showcasing his expertise and knowledge in areas such as software development, cybersecurity, and cloud computing. His contributions to the tech field have been widely recognized and respected by his peers, and he is highly regarded for his ability to explain complex technical concepts in a clear and concise manner.

Call of Duty Vanguard is the latest game from the CoD franchise, but despite the gameplay and new modes and features, the game comes with a few issues and error codes that the players find annoying. One of the most common error codes that people are encountering is the Call of Duty Vanguard 0x00001338.

Call of Duty Vanguard 0x00001338 error

This error is happening while they are playing the game, causing it to crash. A message appears on their screen with the error code and a button that is not doing its job to fix the game. This issue is typically encountered on PC.

• Full friend list glitch – This error could be happening because you have too many friends on your Activision account. You can fix this by removing some of the inactive friends or players that you don’t play with anymore.
• Incompatible Antivirus – In case you are using a 3rd party AV or a firewall, in both cases, they might interfere with the game’s files and not let the game work properly. This can be fixed by disabling the 3rd party antivirus and firewall or to make sure you can uninstall the antivirus completely.
• Corrupted settings file inside the player’s folder – If this problem is rooted in a setting that you previously enforced before the game stopped working, then deleting the players folder should revert these settings allowing you to re-launch the game once again.
• Glitched skin – Many people have reported that this error is caused when using Daniel’s operator’s second skin because this skin is causing the game to crash. In order to fix this you need to change the skin to any other skin in the game, maybe try to even change the operator.
• Missing Visual C++ x86 and x64 packages – Another cause for this error might be the missing of the latest Visual C++ x86 and x64 packages on your PC. This can be simply fixed by downloading and installing the packages from the Microsoft official site.
• Corrupted Game cache – This problem might be also caused by the game cache files that your computer has stored. To fix this, you need to delete the game cache files from the CoD Vanguard folder because this won’t affect your game at all, they will be redownloaded once you play the game.
• Incompatible Overlay – As it turns out, the Nvidia GeForce Experience overlay might be the problem causing the Call of Duty Vanguard 0x00001338 error to occur on your PC. You can disable the overlay directly from the Nvidia GeForce Experience application.
• Incompatible Xbox Game Bar – The Xbox Game Bar might affect your CoD Vanguard game because the game could not work as it should be. You can fix this by disabling the Xbox Game Bar from the Gaming settings of your computer.
• The instability brought by GPU overclock – If you previously used MSI Afterburner to overclock your GPU before Call of Duty Vanguard stopped working, chances are your overclock is causing it. In this case, you should access your MSI Afterburner and remove the overclocked settings.
• COD Vanguard is limited by Task Manager settings – If you previously did some modifications in regards to how certain processes are prioritized by Task Manager or you’re using an optimizer that does this for you, chances are the game throws this error because it’s being limited by Task Manager. In this case, access Task Manager and modify its priority to High.
• Corrupted files – A few affected players have reported that their game was affected by some harmed files that their Battle.net launcher had. This can be simply fixed by uninstalling the Battle.net launcher, then installing it back.

Now that you are aware of what is making your game to crash repeatedly and act this way, here are some methods that will help you fix the Call of Duty Vanguard 0x00001338 Error for good:

Delete Every Activision friend

The first thing you can try is to free up your Activision friend list by deleting a few of your friends. This method doesn’t really have an explanation of how it’s working, but a few players have managed to stop the game from crashing by doing this.

Note: Most likely, it’s just a glitch that Activision refuses to fix (or doesn’t care about it). This is most effective in situations where you have more than 100 Activision friends on your account.

You don’t need to delete all your friends from the list, so delete some inactive friends or people that you’ve stopped playing with.

In case you don’t know how to delete your Activision friends, here is a quick guide:

• Go to the Social menu of your Call of Duty Vanguard account.
• After that, select the friends that you are willing to remove.
• Now you need to choose the profile and press Delete.
• At the confirmation prompt, hit Confirm. Remove Activision friends
• After you are done with deleting every player you want to, test the game to see if the error still occurs.

If you’re still seeing the Call of Duty Vanguard 0x00001338 error, go check the next method.

Disable Antivirus or Uninstall Firewall (if applicable)

This error might be also triggered by a 3rd party AV or an external firewall. This is happening because the AV or firewall is quarantining some files belonging to the game after a security scan.

If this is the case for you, you can start by disabling the real-time protection of your antivirus.

Most 3rd party antiviruses will allow you to do this directly from the tray bar icon of your AV suite.

In case you are using a firewall and you think that this might be the trigger for your Call of Duty Vanguard error, simply disabling the real-time protection might not be enough to fix the problem since the same security rules will remain in place even after active network filtering is disabled.

In this situation, the only fix is to uninstall the 3rd party firewall conventionally and ensure that you don’t leave behind any files that might still cause this issue:

• Press the Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box and type ‘appwiz.cpl’, then press Enter to open up the Programs and Files menu.Open up the Programs and Features menu
• Now that you’re inside the Programs and Files menu, scroll down through the list of installed applications until you locate the 3rd party firewall tool that you want to uninstall.
• After locating the 3rd party AV, right-click on it and choose Uninstall from the newly appeared context menu to complete the uninstallation.Uninstall AV program

Move down to the next potential fix in case the error is still occurring.

Set Vram usage to 70%

A few players have managed to fix the Call of Duty Vanguard 0x00001338 error by simply changing the in-game VRAM settings. The setting is by default on 90% usage, but you can fix the error by lowering it to 70%.

Note: It’s important to understand that the game relies on VRAM a lot, even if the system where Call of Duty: Vanguard runs has a lot of available free RAM. VRAM is just as important of a dependency, but you’ll need to tone it down so that the game prioritizes RAM instead of VRAM.

• Inside the game, access the Settings menu. Now inside the Settings menu, access the Graphics tab, then select the Quality subtab.Accessing the quality menu
• After that, search for the VRAM Usage Target setting, then select it and lower the usage percentage to 70%. VRAM usage Target
• Once you’ve done that, save the changes and test the game to see if you still encounter the error.

If this method wasn’t helpful, go check the next possible fix below.

Delete ‘players’ folder

In order to fix the Call of Duty Vanguard 0x00001338 error, you can also try to delete the ‘players’ folder located in the documents of CoD Vanguard. After doing that, you will have to set some game settings that were reverted back to default, but your problem should be fixed.

Note: This will be effective in those situations where you started experiencing these issues immediately after you changed some graphical related settings.

• Open File Explorer and go to the Documents folder of your computer.Accessing the Documents menu
• Now inside the Documents folder, access the Call of Duty Vanguard folder, then right-click on the players folder and click on Delete. Deleting the Players folder
• After that, launch the game and change the settings to your own preference, then test it to see if the error still appears.

Go to the next fix in case this one hasn’t fixed your Call of Duty Vanguard 0x00001338 error.

Unequip the Daniel operator Second skin

A lot of reports were made about this particular trigger that causes the game to crash. While trying to play the game, they keep getting the same error code, not being able to complete even a match.

But fortunately, they have managed to fix the issue by changing their skin. They were all using Daniel’s second skin, and as it turns out, that skin was the motive that was causing their game to crash because it was bugged.

So before going to the next practical method, make sure that you don’t have Daniel’s second skin equipped because this might be the principal cause. There is nothing to do besides changing the skin to any other skin.

Now if this scenario is not applicable to you and your error has another trigger, go below to see the next method.

Another fix that you can try in order to fix the Call of Duty Vanguard 0x00001338 error is to make sure that you have both the latest Visual C++ x86 and x64 packages installed on your computer.

You can check that by downloading and installing the latest packages available from the Microsoft official site.

Here are the steps on how to do that, in case you don’t know the steps:

• Access the Microsoft official site and download both the Visual C++ x86 and x64 packages.Download the missing Visual C++ packagesNote: If you’re downloading the files through Chrome, you need to confirm that you give permission to download more than one file.
• Once the installation is complete, restart your computer and wait until it boots back, then launch Call of Duty Vanguard to see if you still encounter the error.

Delete the game cache

You can also try to delete the game’s cache files from the ProgramData folder. This method has helped a few players to fix their Call of Duty Vanguard 0x00001338 error.

Cache files are some hidden files that don’t affect the app directly because they are not needed for the correct operation of the app. It is simply some information from an app that is stored on your device to make the browsing process faster.

• Open a Run dialog box by pressing the Windows key + R, then inside the box type ‘%programdata%’ and press Enter to open the ProgramData folder.Accessing the Program Data menu
• After you are inside the ProgramData folder, go to the Blizzard Entertainment folder, then double-click on the Battle.net folder and open the Cache folder.Accessing the Cache folder
• Now that you are inside the Cache folder, make sure to delete all the files that you find inside that folder, then close the folder and test the game to see if your problem was fixed.

Turn off GeForce Experience Overlay

The Call of Duty Vanguard 0x00001338 error might be also caused by a common glitch that is happening when a screen overlay is detected on your screen.

A screen overlay that was reported causing this problem is the GeForce experience overlay. Players have managed to fix it by disabling the overlay from the GeForce experience application.

If you don’t know how to disable the overlay, here’s a guide that will help you do it:

• Open the Nvidia GeForce Experience application. You can do this from the hidden icons menu located on the right side of your taskbar.Accessing Nvidia Experience
• After you are inside the Nvidia GeForce Experience app, go to the General tab from the next-hand section, then move over to the right side and search for the In-Game overlay option.
• When you find it, click on the toggle next to it to disable the feature.Disable the in-game overlay
• After that, save the changes and close the Nvidia GeForce Experience application, then launch the game to see if the error still occurs.

If the game is still crashing with the same error code even after disabling the screen overlay, move down to the next method.

A few affected players have reported that this error could be caused by the Xbox Game Bar that is by default enabled on every Windows version.

The Xbox Game Bar is a tool designed for gamers that comes with a lot of features including capturing videos, taking screenshots, and more. But sometimes it may cause errors to some games due to incompatibility, so can fix this by disabling the Xbox Game Bar.

Here’s a guide that will help you disable the Xbox Game Bar, in case you don’t know how to:

• Press the Windows key + R to open up a Run dialog box and type ‘ms-settings:’ to open the Settings menu.Accessing the MS Settings menu
• Inside the Settings menu, click on the Gaming section.Accessing the Gaming menu
• Now that you are inside the Xbox Game Bar setting, click on the button under where it says Xbox Game Bar to disable the tool.Xbox game Bar
• Now you can close the Settings tab and launch CoD Vanguard to see if the same error still appears.

In case you still encounter the Call of Duty Vanguard 0x00001338 error, go to the next guide below.

Revert GPU overclock (if applicable)

In case you are using the MSI Afterburner application and you have overclocked your GPU, the CoD Vanguard error might be caused by this.

People are recommending reverting the GPU overclock back to default if this scenario is applicable to you. You can do this by deleting the profiles created inside the MSI Afterburner application.

Note: Before deleting the profiles created on the MSI Afterburner app, make sure you screenshot or remember the settings you’ve made, in case you will need them afterward.

• Open File Explorer and go to the disk you have the MSI Afterburner application installed on, then access the Program Files (x86) folder (or wherever you have the app installed).Accessing the Program Files menu
• Now open the MSI Afterburner folder and go to the Profiles folder.Accessing the Profiles menu
• Inside the Profiles folder, select all the files inside that and delete them.Deleting the Contents of Profile menu
• Now reboot your computer, then test it to see if you still encounter the same issue.

In case this method hasn’t fixed your CoD Vanguard issue, check below the next guide.

Set COD Vanguard Priority to High in Task Manager

If you are still encountering the Call of Duty Vanguard 0x00001338 Error, you can try to set the priority for CoD Vanguard to high in Task Manager.

This process will boost your FPS because you are basically telling your CPU to prioritize the CoD Vanguard process, but could also fix your error code.

• Now inside the Task Manager, click on More details to extend the drop-down menu, then right-click on the Call of Duty Vanguard process and click on Go to details.Accessing the Details menu
• After you are inside the Details tab, right-click again on the CoD Vanguard process, highlight with the click where it says Set priority to extend the menu, then click on High to set the priority.Set the Priority to HighIf this method didn’t work as well, check below the last method.

Reinstall Battle. net

In case neither of the methods before has helped you fix the Call of Duty Vanguard 0x00001338 error, the last thing you can try is to uninstall, then reinstall the Battle.net launcher.

By doing a clean installation of the launcher, if there are any harmed files they will be removed and freshly installed.

In case you don’t know how to do that, here’s a guide that will help you reinstall the Battle.net launcher:

• Open a Run dialog box by pressing the Windows key + R and type ‘appwiz.cpl’, then press Enter to open the Programs and Features menu.Open up the Programs and Features menu
• After doing that, visit the official Blizzard site and click on the Download on Windows button to download the installation.Downloading the latest version of Battle.net
• Once you’ve done that, launch the game to see if you Call of Duty Vanguard 0x00001338 error was fixed.