MW2 Disconnected From Steam Error [FIXED]

Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2, or MW2, is currently on the rise of becoming one of the best-selling games in its franchise on Steam since Black Ops 2, but errors such as the game getting constantly disconnected for users on the platform have many debating its release. Although the game may have had an enigmatic launch, several bugs and glitches need resolving, so we have prepared a guide that will tackle how users can fix the game from being disconnected from the Steam Launcher.

So without further delay, let’s dive deeper and discuss precisely what the error is and how users can solve it as quickly as possible with the known solutions from the community and player base.

How To Fix The Disconnected From Steam Error In MW2

The problem in itself is pretty self-explanatory as Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 is available across almost every hardware, including PC. The PC version of the game is available on both Battlenet, and the Steam launchers, which are two of the biggest platforms but unfortunately, not everything is sunshine and rainbows here.

Verify The Integrity Of Game Files On Steam

First things first, it is highly advised that you make sure the game files are in-check. More often than not, popular games such as COD MW2 will run into random crashes, which will cause the game to close indiscreetly. This has a chance to cause a malfunction within the core game directory where the vital files are stored. If it happens, the files will end up going missing or, worse, corrupted, which will then cause your game to run into more errors.

However, in the slight chance that the game is being disconnected from Steam, the best bet here would be to verify the integrity of the game files, which is a great feature from the launcher to help evaluate the condition of the directory and, if any files are in need of reinstallation. Follow the steps below in order to activate the procedure of verifying the files on Steam:

• Launch the Steam launcher application by searching for it in your Windows search bar or, preferably, have it pinned in your taskbar to open it quickly from your desktop.
• Once you have it opened, simply navigate to the Library section, where your owned games and other applications of the launcher are located.
• Here scroll through the list and locate Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2 and right-click on it, and open the Properties option from the sub-menu.

• You will now find yourself in the Properties menu of the game, where you can manage elements such as the DLC and Updates, but for now, simply head to the Local Files section shown in the image above.
• Here, you should be able to spot the option to Verify the Integrity of Game Files which will begin the process of checking Modern Warfare 2’s directory for any missing aspects.
• Depending on the size of the game or application, the entire procedure should take somewhere around 10 to 15 minutes to complete, so patience is key here.
• Once done, the launcher will notify you of the process being completed as well as any files that need to be validated and redownloaded again through the platform.

Run The Game On Administrator Settings

Thankfully, according to some users, you can run the game under Administrator settings which will likely resolve the issues you are facing, including the annoying disconnections from Steam. Follow the steps listed below to grant the game permission to run under the administrator functionality.

• Locate the Modern Warfare 2 executable file in the main directory installation of the game on your desktop, as shown in the image above.
• Now simply just right-click on it and click on the Run as Administrator option to run the game in administrator mode.

However, if you want to enable the game to run on these settings by default every time you launch it, then simply follow the short steps below to do that:

• Right-click on the game’s executable (.Exe) file again but this time scroll down and click on the Properties option to open up a new menu.
• Here, navigate to the Compatibility tab as shown in the image above.
• Now, if you look below, just checkmark the box which says Run This Program as Administrator.
• Don’t forget to click on Apply to save the settings to make sure the game always launches under administrator privileges when you open it.
• Test the game again on Steam to see if it helped you resolve the disconnection error or not so we can move on to the other fixes.

Allow The Game To Access The Windows Firewall Defender Settings

If the game is frequently running into errors and most of the fixes we’ve listed didn’t manage to work so far, then it’d be wise to permit the game to access the Windows subroutine functions by making it an exception in your Windows Firewall settings which will allow the desktop to be less restrictive on its functionality.

First of all, you will need to make the directory’s executable apps an exception in the Controller Folder settings, which can be done in the following way:

• In the Windows search bar, search up and open the Virus and Threat Protection Settings on your desktop, as shown in the image above.

• As shown in the image above, at the bottom of the menu, click on the Manage Ransomware Protection settings to open another menu.

• If you haven’t already, make sure to enable Controlled Folder Access, as it will allow your important files on the system not to experience any kind of unwanted change or modification.
• Once you have enabled it, simply click on the option below highlighted in the image above called Allow an app through Controlled folder Access.

• Now the only task remaining is to go through and add all of the ‘.Exe’ files in here as shown in the image above, which should only take a minute at max.
• Once you’re done, simply head back to the game and evaluate if it helped in any capacity against the game closing and disconnecting from Steam.

Allowing The MW2 App Through Firewall

• Open up the Windows Firewall Settings by searching it in the Windows search bar.
• In the top-left section of the new menu that pops up, click on Allow an app or feature through Windows Firewall.

• You will now be presented with a list of applications and software that you can enable to add as exceptions through the main Firewall settings of the operating system.
• To make things easier, click on Allow Another App at the bottom of the screen shown in the image above.

• Now make sure to add all of the executable files located within the game directory and checkmark both the Private and Public boxes next to each one, as shown in the image above.
• It will help ensure that there aren’t restrictions tied to the game via the backend network settings.
• After doing all of this, head back into the game to see if it helped in any way with curing the disconnection error on Steam.

Disable Texture Streaming

During the previous installment’s release on PC, the developers at Infinity Ward had implemented a fantastic new feature that allowed players with high-end hardware PCs to download high-resolution textures at the cost of extra bandwidth whilst playing the game.

The feature proved to be helpful to an extent, and it made its way over to Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2, but seemingly enough, it should be easier said than done to conclude that it can be a troublesome aspect too for some users, especially for those who’re frequently running into problems associated with the game.

So, it should be noted that if your system doesn’t have beefy specifications or the disk storage is running low, then it’d be wise to turn it off, as you will most likely run into issues such as disconnections from Steam. Not to mention, it will help ensure that the game isn’t using any allocated bandwidth in the background for any other purpose besides running your online match or gameplay smoothly.

In order to turn the feature off, simply head to the main settings tab of MW2 and navigate toward the Graphics section, where you should be able to locate the “On-demand Texture Streaming” option, as shown in the image above. If, for some reason, the game has it automatically toggled on, then turn it off immediately. Once it is done, give the game a quick restart and check in-game if it helped resolve the issue.

Clear The Steam Web Browser And Download Cache Data

Another workaround that a few users on the forums used was by clearing the Steam Web Browser data along with the download cache, which can be done by opening the launcher and clicking on the ‘Steam’ option on the top left of the launcher, which will open a new menu with some of the core features and settings.

It will allow the platform to work in a refreshed state without any kind of non-existential cache data limiting it, which is highly recommended if you’re running into issues causing MW2 to disconnect from Steam.

Clearing the download cache should be simple as it is located in the Downloads section, as shown in the image above. Just keep in mind that the launcher will close, and you will probably need to re-login again with your Steam account.

Deleting the Web Browser data is just as crucial because it further improves the stability of the launcher, and the option to do it can be done in the Web Browser section of the same menu. Once you do all of this, make sure to head back to the game and evaluate if it helped boost the compatibility of the game on the launcher.

Disable Background Applications & Overlays

It is highly advised that you make sure the Modern Warfare 2 application is running with a sufficient amount of available RAM and CPU usage. The game requires the optimal resources from all of your PC’s main components, so having them focused on another task in the background might cause the application not to run into errors.

Use The Following Command Prompts

One of the last methods that you can follow to enable a safeguard against any further disconnections is by using the Network command prompts we have listed below in order which you will need to simply paste in the Windows command prompt box which can be opened by searching for it in the Windows search bar.

1. ipconfig/flushdns
2. ipconfig /release
3. ipconfig /renew
4. netsh Winsock reset
5. netsh int IP reset

If you followed along in order and used the command prompts listed, you should be able to refresh the main framework of the network components of the system. It will help reset any old DNS cache data stored on your PC, as well as restore some of the features to their renewed state. After copying and pasting all of them, you will be presented with the task of restarting the system to apply the last change, which is the “netsh int IP reset.”

The Wrap-Up

If none of the mentioned fixes worked out for you, then we strongly suggest filing a complaint ticket by heading to the Official Support Site of Activision for MW2, which will detail the exact steps that you need to take in order to find a coherent solution to the problem, straight from the developers.

Since its release a few days ago, Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2 has constantly run into game-breaking issues for players, such as the Hueneme Error and the Dev error 356. These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Modern Warfare 2 application crashing since the game has been notorious for tons of glitches and errors ever since the previous installment back in 2019.

Next: Modern Warfare 2 Installing Multiplayer Error