How to Fix CS:GO Stuck on Initializing World Issue?

Counter-Strike Global Offense has been dealing with an error during its loading process for quite a while now. The game gets stuck on Initializing World at the loading screen, making the game unplayable. Conflicting video settings mainly cause this issue, but there are other causes, such as missing files, outdated drivers, and an outdated Operating System. 

Below we have mentioned all the methods that should fix the following issue.

Prerequisites: Check your System Requirements

The primary reason why CS: GO is getting stuck on Initializing World is that your system doesn’t meet CS:GO’s minimum system requirements. To check your System Specifications, follow the steps down below:

1. Press the Win + R Keys simultaneously to open the Run program.
2. In Run prompt, Type “dxdiag” and click on OK.

   

3. Now in the ‘System‘ tab, you can check your Processor, RAM and DirectX Version.

   

4. Click on the Display tab and check your Graphics Card. 

   

5. Click Exit.

Now compare those specifications with the requirements below:

1. Launch the Game on Low Settings

When you launch the game at high settings, it loads high-resolution textures, which can slow down the loading process and it can also cause the game to get stuck on the loading screen. Therefore, you must change the graphics settings to low before entering a match, increasing the chances of loading the game.

Follow the steps given below to open changing your in-game video settings. 

1. Click on the Setting Menu.

   

2. Open the Video tab.
3. Change the options to lower settings. 

   

CSGO Low Video Settings

• Aspect Ratio: Widescreen 16:9
• Resolution: 1920 x 1080
• Display Mode: Full Screen
• Laptop Power Savings: Disabled

CSGO Low Advanced Video Settings

• Global Shadow Quality: Low
• Model/Texture Detail: Low
• Texture Streaming: Disabled
• Effect Detail: Low
• Shader Detail: Low
• Boost Player Contrast: Enabled
• Multicore rendering: Enabled
• Multisampling Anti-Aliasing Mode: None
• FXAA Anti-Aliasing: Disabled
• Texture Filtering Mode: Bilinear
• Wait For Vertical Sync: Disabled
• Motion Blur: Disabled
• Triple-Monitor Mode: Disabled
• Use Uber Shaders: Enabled

2. Clear Space on your Disk

CS:GO can also get stuck at the loading screen if you do not have enough disk space to store more CS: GO game cache. To clear some space on your system, you must Run a Disk Cleanup to remove all unwanted cache, programs, and temporary files to fix this error. You can try removing the Junk files from your computer.

3. Verify the Integrity of your Game Files

CSGO can also get stuck on the initializing world screen due to missing game files. To ensure that none of your in-game files are missing and each file is updated and fixed, you must verify the integrity of the game files. 

Follow these instructions to verify your CSGO game files.

1. Open your Steam launcher.
2. Click on the Library tab.
3. Right-Click on the CSGO game file and click on its properties.

   

4. Click on the Local Files tab, which is just below the updates option on the left side of the window.
5. Click on the “Verify the integrity of game files” option.

   

6. Relaunch Steam
7. Launch CS: GO. 

4. Clear the Steam Download Cache

Having a corrupted Steam Download Cache may also cause this error. Therefore, make sure before you initiate the CSGO launch process. Follow the methods below to learn how to clear Steam Download Cache:

Note: Keep in mind that clearing the Download cache will log you out from your Steam account.

1. Right-Click on Steam and click on the properties option.

   

2. Click on the compatibility tab, which is the rightmost option on Steam properties.
3. Click on”Run this program as an administrator” in the Settings section.
4. Click on Apply and then OK.

   

5. Click on the steam option, which is the top left option on the launcher.
6. Click on the Settings option.

   

7. On the settings window, click on the Downloads option.
8. Click on the “Clear Download Cache” option at the bottom of the page. 

   

9. Click OK and Restart your Steam.
10. Re-launch CSGO on Steam.  

5. Close Unwanted Programs and Services on Windows

If your screen is stuck on Initializing World, open the task manager to see how many unwanted programs and services are running in the background when playing CS:GO. These services and backgrounds interfere with games and prevent them from running correctly. Therefore, close all of them to fix the error.

To learn how to close unwanted programs and services on your system, follow the steps given below:

1. Open the Windows Search box.
2. Type “Task Manager” to open the app.

   

3. Open the Processes tab and see what programs are running.
4. Click on the unwanted programs and click on “End Task.”

6. Disabling Windows Defender Firewall

CS: GO will have a hard time going through the loading process when the Windows Defender Firewall is actively running in the background. As a result, it will be stuck on the Initializing Screen. To learn how to disable Windows Defender Firewall from your CS: GO game file, follow the steps given below: 

1. Click on the Windows Start Menu.
2. Click on the Settings option. 

   

3. Click on the Update and Security option.

   

4. Click on the Windows Security option on the left side of the Window.

   

5. Click on “Virus and threat protection” in the Protection areas.

   

6. Click the “Manage settings” option in the Virus and threat protection settings.

   

7. Turn off the Real-Time protection button.

   

8. Restart your Computer and then Relaunch your steam to Play CS: GO.

7. Update your Graphics Driver 

An outdated Graphics Driver may cause errors where the game is stuck on the loading screen. You must update your graphics driver automatically or manually to fix this error. 

Following the steps below, you will learn how to update your Graphics driver.

1. Open the Windows Search Bar.
2. Open the Device Manager.

   

3. Click on Display adapters.
4. Right-Click on the Driver.
5. Click on Update driver.

   

6. Choose the method you prefer.

   

7. Restart your Computer.
8. Relaunch CSGO on Steam.

Note: In case you have an up-to-date graphics driver. You can follow the steps below to automatically update the Graphics driver from the Nvidia control panel. 

1. Open the Windows Search Bar.
2. Open GeForce Experience.

   

3. Click on the Drivers option on the left side of the screen, next to the Home button.
4. Click on Check for Updates and see if you have any updates available to install.
5. Click on Express Installation when you find an update available for installation.

   

6. After the installation is completed, restart your Computer and relaunch CSGO on Steam. 

8. Perform a Clean Boot

Programs running in the background will also interfere during the CS: GO Initializing World process, and due to this, it will be stuck on that screen. Performing a clean boot will ensure that no program hinders your game. However, ensure you do not disable essential drivers such as the Sound and Graphics driver.

Follow the steps below to perform a Clean Boot on your Windows.

1. Open the Windows Start Menu.
2. Type “System Configuration” and open this app.

   

3. In the ‘General’ tab, Check the “Selective startup” option.
4. Uncheck the “load startup items” option.

   

5. Now navigate to Services Tab.
6. Check the “Hide all Microsoft services” option.
7. Click on Disable All.
8. Click on Apply and then OK.

   

9. Click on Apply and OK.
10. Click on Restart.

    

11. Launch CS: GO after restarting your Computer.

9. Reinstall Counter-Strike: Global Offense

If none of the methods can fix the error for you, then it is best to re-install the entire game. You can follow the steps given below to see how you can re-install CS: GO on steam:

1. Open your Steam Launcher.
2. Click on the Library tab.
3. Right-Click on the CS: GO game file.
4. Click on Manage and then Uninstall the game.

   

5. Open CS: GO and click on Install to Re-install the game.