Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 has finally launched, and while the system requirements aren’t anything too crazy, performance issues can affect even the best gaming PCs out there. For anyone who is dealing with stuttering or crashing in Black Ops 7, we’ve put together a guide with the best fixes. In this guide, we primarily focus on issues on the PC platform.

There are a few prerequisites to playing BO7, including the need for Secure Boot on your Windows machine. The same was the case for Battlefield 6 (here’s how to turn it on if you don’t already know). With that, let’s jump into the fixes for crashes or stutters.

How to fix Call of Duty Black Ops 7 stuttering or crashing on PC

Simply restarting the game or your PC might do the trick. If issues continue to persist, here are the best fixes so far.

Verify the integrity of game files

This is one of the first things you’ll want to do if you’re having trouble with stuttering or crashes. This is relevant to the Steam version of the game on PC, but you can do the same on Epic Games (official guide here). Verifying your game files clears up any corrupted or missing game files that may be the root cause of your issue. This method ensures that everything is installed correctly.

• Open your Steam game library
• Locate Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 and right-click it
• Select ‘Properties’ from the context menu
• Find the ‘Installed Files’ tab
• Click ‘Verify integrity of game files’

Then, let Steam do its thing. Once this process is complete, restart your PC and relaunch the game to see if the issue is fixed.

Update graphics drivers

Updating drivers for your GPU is always an important part of any new game release. All GPU manufacturers (Nvidia, AMD, and Intel) provide regular driver updates for their graphics cards, and there are usually fresh drivers being released during a new game release, especially for something as big as Call of Duty. Outdated drivers may be causing suboptimal performance.

• Nvidia: You can automatically update your drivers in the Nvidia App or GeForce Experience. Alternatively, you can manually search for drivers on the Nvidia website here. Check out our ‘How to update Nvidia drivers‘ guide for a walkthrough.
• AMD: Updating your AMD graphics drivers is a similar process to Nvidia. The easiest way to do it is in AMD’s Adrenalin software.
• Intel: If you’re using an Intel graphics card, head on over to the Intel Arc graphics drivers page for the latest drivers.

Close background applications

Preventing performance issues might be as simple as giving Black Ops 7 more resources to work with. Be sure to close any background programs you are not currently using or otherwise don’t need open. Demanding programs include web browsers, Discord, or recording software. These applications tend to consume a good chunk of your CPU and RAM resources, so it always makes sense to free up system memory or processing power to ensure better performance and stability.

• Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager
• Click the ‘Processes’ tab (it should already be selected on Windows 11)
• Identify applications that are high in CPU, RAM, or GPU usage that you don’t currently need
• Right-click on the application and select ‘End Task’

Lower your graphics settings

Choppy performance may be a result of your graphics settings. Black Ops 7, like most modern games, has a pretty large selection of in-game graphics settings to think about. It even has an exclusive feature for AMD RX 9000 series owners, as the first game to receive FSR Redstone support. BO7 isn’t the most demanding of titles, so you should be able to enjoy smooth performance on a wide range of rigs.

• Disable ray tracing.
• Turn on upscaling technology (FSR, DLSS, or XeSS) to render the game at a lower resolution while upscaling it to maintain good image quality. Alternatively, you can just lower the resolution and play with worse visuals. Frame generation is another AI-powered way to boost your frame rate.
• Change to low or medium presets or lower your texture, anti-alias, and shadow settings for improved performance.
• Disable V-Sync if you have issues with noticeable input lag.

For potentially more up-to-date solutions, check out the official guide on Activision’s website here.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.