A Modern Warfare installing shaders bug is preventing players from being able to access the game on PC. The bug informs players that it is “installing shaders to optimize performance during gameplay,” but is then getting stuck ‘in progress’ and leaving players connecting to online services instead. Fortunately, there is a way around it, even if it’s an annoying workaround.
Fix Modern Warfare installing shaders to optimize performance bug
If Modern Warfare is stuck on the installing shaders screen for a few minutes, you shouldn’t immediately assume that you’ve hit a bug. Some players have reported that this particular part of the installation has taken up to 10 minutes for them, meaning that Modern Warfare may simply be carrying out an install as planned.
However, if your game is stuck on this screen for longer than 10 minutes — players have reported that they’ve waited on it for hours — then rest assured you’ve encountered an unfortunate bug, but it can be rectified.
Unfortunately, to fix the Modern Warfare installing shaders bug, you must cancel your installation altogether. Close down the game by either right-clicking and closing the window or entering your task manager and ending all processes related to it. Then restart your installation of Modern Warfare, and wait until you hit the installing shaders screen again. Players who have encountered this error have stated that upon restarting the install, the installing shaders part of the process is still relatively lengthy, though does work on the second try.
While this is only a workaround, Activision hasn’t pushed out a proper fix for this bug at the time of this writing. Hopefully, a future patch will rectify this unfortunate error, but for the time being it seems that restarting the installation is the only way to complete the install after it gets stuck on this shaders bug.
