COD MW3: Download Slow or Stuck on Steam & Battle

COD MW3 is now available for everyone. The campaign has been out for a week, and most have had enough time to complete it. Now that the full game is out, players are facing issues while trying to download or unpack the game.

In this guide, I have shared a few tips that will help you fix this issue:

Download Stuck Issue – Why is it happening?

There can be two reasons why your download could be stuck.

• Your game files are being patched; if you look closely, the download speed will be at 0, but your disk usage will be higher, which means your game is downloading just fine.
• You are using an old-school HDD: This can take a long time to complete. You might have to wait an hour if your installation is on an HDD. If you have an SSD available, you can install the game.
• The game is unpacking: Unpacking happens for games that have pre-load content. If you pre-loaded the game it will unpack for you, it is supposed to take time.

If you have confirmed that the installation is not progressing, restarting Steam or Battle Launcher might work for you.

To check if your game files are being patched, Launch task manager. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc and monitor the disk usage.

Fix Slow Download Speed

For Steam Users:

You can try switching your download region from the Steam settings to fix this issue:

• Go to Steam Settings > Downloads Tab
• Under Download Region, try changing from US/Singapore
• Remove any download restrictions if there are any

These are all the things you can do if you face any problems. Comment below if you need any help.

For Battle Launcher Users:

You won’t get full speeds if the Limit network bandwidth checkbox is ticked in Settings. To fix this:

• Launch Battle.net Launcher
• Click on the Battle Logo on the top left, and then go to settings
• Click on the Downloads Tab and locate the “Network Bandwidth” Section
• From here, tick the “Limit download bandwidth” checkbox and type “99999999999” in both the Latest updates and pre-release boxes.
• Click “Done”.

Other Miscellaneous Fixes

Check Your Network Connection

Downloads, of course, need consistent connection. If not, you will face slow downloading problems with every game launcher. There are two things that you can do to check this:

• Disconnect other devices from the network: Router Admin panels nowadays have a bandwidth monitor that can be used to find out what device is using the web. You can use this to find out any bandwidth-hogging devices and disconnect them temporarily. 
• Restart Your Router: Restarting the router may be necessary if you’re experiencing issues with your internet connection. This is especially true if you have a wireless network or use Wi-Fi in your home. 

Use a VPN

This is the last resort, sometimes routing is not perfect from your ISP’s end. This leads to lousy download speeds. A VPN can take care of this problem. You can choose any program of your liking.

Flush Your DNS

• Open the command prompt by pressing Windows Key + R to open the Run dialog box.
• Type “cmd” into the Run dialog box and click OK.
• Type “ipconfig /flushdns” into the command prompt and press Enter.

Use Google DNS

Using Google DNS or any custom DNS can fix download troubles immediately. Lifewire has a great guide on the best free Public DNS you can use.

These were some quicks fixes that will take care of the problem. Comment below if it helped you out.