How to fix MW2 “A Required Network Service Has Failed” error

The next time you load up Modern Warfare 2, you may find the game doesn’t want to let you get to the match. When that happens, you’re left to read a quick error message and determine just what the game wants you to do in order to move past the reported issue. Here is our guide telling you how to fix MW2’s dreaded ‘A Required Network Service Has Failed’ error.

MW2 – How to fix the “A Required Network Service Has Failed” error

As the text of the error suggests, you are receiving the ‘A Required Network Service Has Failed’ error because, somewhere along the line, a network connection isn’t working like it should. To eliminate the ‘A Required Network Service Has Failed’ error, you must rectify any current connectivity issue with your network.

Related: How to fix error code 2901 in Modern Warfare 2

It’s possible the error isn’t local, and that something has happened remotely that will require a hotfix. That’s usually the case when a lot of players are reporting the issue at once. However, there are a few things to try if you’re anxious to get connected and gaming again, and they have the potential to make a difference even if the issue isn’t on your end.

Try again. Sometimes, an error appears briefly, but trying again lets you push through it and start gaming.

Make sure you have updated to the game’s latest version. When a new patch arrives, it could create incompatibilities with an older version you have installed, especially at launch.

Close the game and restart it. Something may simply have loaded wrong, and this only takes a moment to check.

Restart your system. This will take longer, but if you’re the sort of person who leaves a PC up and running for days or weeks at a time, as I sometimes do, maybe you’re overdue. ‘Have you tried turning it off and on?’ has become a bit of a joke, but that’s partly because it often works.

If you’ve tried the above methods to resolve the issue and it still persists, consider waiting for 15 or 20 minutes and then try again. You may get through, or you may find that a more appropriate and useful message has taken its place that suggests other solutions.