How to Fix DEV ERROR 12502 in Call of Duty?

The Dev Error 12502 indicates a disruption between the game’s software and the system’s hardware. This error usually occurs due to corrupted game files, conflicts with other software, or even hardware glitches. 

Furthermore, this error may also occur due to various reasons, including incompatible system configurations and outdated game versions.

1. Update Game and System Drivers

This error can be caused by outdated drivers or missing game patches, so ensuring that your game and drivers are up-to-date is important. Outdated drivers may struggle to handle new graphical or system demands, hence causing the error. Similarly, an outdated version of a game may also cause errors due to missing important bug fixes.

• NVidia Users: Visit the official website of NVidia and download the latest drivers specific to your GPU. You can also use NVidia’s GeForce Experience software, which can automatically detect and download the required drivers.
  
• AMD Users: Visit the official website of AMD and download the latest drivers specific to your GPU. You can also use AMD Radeon Software, which can automatically detect and download the required drivers.
  

2. Clear Cache

Cache files accumulate over time, and they may become corrupted or incompatible with new game updates, hence causing errors like Dev Error 12502. Clearing the cache can help improve the game’s performance and fix this error by removing these corrupted or incompatible files.

System Cache Files

1. Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type in temp and press Enter.
   
3. This will open a folder with all cache files. Select all files and delete them.
   
4. Once again, open the Run dialog box and type in %temp%.
   
5. Select all files and delete them.
   
6. Lastly, restart your computer.

Steam Cache Files

1. Open Steam.
2. Go to Settings.
   
3. Click on Download from the left pane.
4. Click on Clear Cache next to Clear Download Cache.
   

Clearing cache on consoles is quite different from computers. To clear the cache on your Xbox, follow this detailed article on our website and on your PlayStation, follow this detailed article on our website.

3. Adjust Graphics Settings

Dev Error 12502 may also occur when your system struggles with the strain of low-end components, making it harder to handle the game’s demands. Lowering your in-game graphical settings can reduce system strain, thus solving the error. Additionally, reducing the resolution or lowering texture quality can help avoid crashes caused by high resource usage.

1. Go to in-game Settings.
2. Click on Quality from the options on the top.
3. Set the Quality Presets to Low.
4. Restart your game for the changes to take effect.

4. Verify Game Files

Verifying game files ensures the integrity of your game’s installation by checking for corrupted, missing, or damaged files. It compares the files installed on your system with the ones on the game’s servers and repairs or replaces any problematic ones.

For Steam

1. Open Steam and go to your Library.
2. Right-click on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and select Properties.
   
3. Navigate to the Installed Files tab.
4. Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
   
5. Steam will now check for any missing or corrupted files and repair them.

For Battle.net

1. Open Battle.net and go to the Games tab.
2. Select Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 from the list of games.
3. Click on the Options button (gear icon) next to the play button.
4. Select Scan and Repair from the list.
   
5. Battle.net will now scan the game files and repair any that are corrupted or missing.

5. Reinstall the Game

If, after trying everything, the error persists, try uninstalling and reinstalling the game as it will remove the game files that may be corrupted and reinstall them all freshly. A new installation of the game will provide files that are free of corruption or misconfigurations that might have occurred during previous installations, updates, or gameplay.

Steam

1. Open Steam and go to your Library.
2. Right-click on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, hover over Manage, and then click on Uninstall.
   
3. Confirm the uninstallation and wait for Steam to remove the game from your system.
   
4. Once done, reinstall the game.

Battle.net

1. Open Battle.net and go to the Games tab.
2. Select Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 from the list of games.
3. Click on the Options button (gear icon) next to the play button.
4. Select Uninstall and confirm the uninstallation.
   
5. Once uninstalled, reinstall the game by finding it on your game page.