How to Fix ‘Dev Error 5573’ in Call of Duty: Warzone
Error code “Dev Error 5573” occurs on Call of Duty: Warzone, it makes the game unplayable and stops you from playing it. There are many reasons for this issue to occur, however, mostly it has to do with the game updates. Keep in mind that Activision has already released a couple of hotfixes aimed at resolving this particular error code. Before you move down to any other fixes that will resolve the issue locally, ensure that you have the latest version of COD installed on your computer or console.
After investigating this particular issue thoroughly, it turns out that there are several underlying causes that might be causing this error code. Here’s a shortlist of potential culprits that might be causing the Dev Error 5573 to appear:
- Cold War items are part of your loadout – As it turns out, there are a couple of Cold War items that are known to facilitate the apparition of this error code. FFAR + PELLINGTON is the most notorious combination known to cause this error code. To avoid the error entirely, you’ll need to remove any Cold War-native items from your Call of Duty Warzone layout.
- Cold War Operator is being used – Keep in mind that Cold War items are not the only ones responsible for the apparition of the 5573 dev error. A Cold War operator can also facilitate this error as reported by a lot of users dealing with this problem. To circumvent this issue, you will need to change the active operator to one that’s native to Warzone (at least until the issue is fully fixed).
- Insufficient bandwidth – If you regularly face this issue while you’re in the middle of a game, you should also consider that you might be dealing with a bandwidth issue (especially if you are connected via a Wireless network). In this case, you should take the time to properly test to see if your Wi-Fi signal strength is strong enough and take steps to improve your effective bandwidth if necessary.
- Automated Voice profanity ban – According to some affected users, you can also expect to see this error if you’ve just been hit with an automated voice profanity ban after playing the game with voice chat enabled. If you tend to swear when playing, you should open a support ticket and check if a ban is what’s causing the Dev error in your case.
- Game file inconsistency – If none of the methods above have proven to be effective in your case, one last thing you should do is repair or reinstall the game in order to ensure that no corrupted game files are causing the Dev error. This procedure will be different depending on the platform you’re experiencing the issue on.
Now that you are familiar with every potential cause of this issue, here’s a list of fixes that other affected users have confirmed to be effective in resolving the 5573 error:
1. Install Every Pending COD Update
If you’ve been following this issue for a while, you already know that Activision has already released (unsuccessfully) a couple of hotfixes aimed at fixing this particular issue.
And even though the issue was not eradicated, the occurring frequency of the 5573 error will be way lower if you ensure that you are launching the latest available game build.
If you only play a single player (or Zombie Mode) and you don’t actively need to update your game version whenever a new build is released. However, it’s still worth going through the trouble if you want to resolve this error code.
If you face this issue on PC when launching via Battle.Net, ensure that there’s no update for your COD installation that is currently pending.
On consoles, you just need to close the game and re-open it again to be prompted to install the pending update – This is valid for Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PS4, and PS5.
Once you have ensured that every pending update is installed for Call of Duty, restart the game and see if the same 5573 error code is still occurring.
If the same problem is still popping up when you attempt to join a Multiplayer or Zombie game, move down to the next potential fix below.
2. Select a Non-Cold War Zone Loadout
Although the decision to allow shared amounts between Cold War and Warzone was a decision welcomed by the Call of Duty community, it turns out that the implementation is lacking months after shared loadouts officially became a thing.
If you are encountering the dev error 5573 only when attempting to join a multiplayer Warzone game using a Cold War loadout, you should be able to avoid the apparition of the game crash entirely by swapping out the Cold War loadout.
On top of this, there are also a couple of problematic loadout items that you might want to avoid entirely (until the issue is fully fixed) – FFAR + PELLINGTON is also a loadout combination that is known to produce this error code.
Update: As it turns out, FFAR + PELLINGTON is not the only loadout combination that is susceptible to the 5573 error. In the meantime, you should also avoid the use of any BlackOps weapons, attachments, and perks.
Once you removed every problematic item from your Warzone loadout, attempt to join another multiplayer game and see if the issue is now fixed.
If the problem is still not fixed, move down to the next potential fix below.
3. Change the Operator
If the method above did not work in your case and you are seeing the 5573 error code whenever you attempt to join a multiplayer game, you should consider the fact that you might be dealing with the infamous ‘operator glitch’ on Call of Duty Warzone.
So basically you can expect to see this error if you are trying to launch the game while using an Operator that is crossed over from Cold War – Garcia is the most commonly reported operator for causing this error.
If you are actually using an operator imported from Cold War, you can most likely fix the issue by accessing the Operators category from the ribbon menu at the top of the screen, then selecting a different Operator from the list below.
Once you have changed your operator and ensured that your loadout does NOT contain any items originally released for Cold War, attempt to join another multiplayer game once again and see if the issue is now fixed.
If the same kind of issue is still occurring, move down to the next potential fix below.
4. Switch to a LAN Cable Connection
If you get the 5573 dev error during random intervals but the problem always occurs while you are in the middle of the game, chances are you’re dealing with a bandwidth issue.
Whether you play the game on a console or a PC, you need to ensure your effective ping is good enough to support the connection with the Call of Duty server.
Keep in mind that with every Call of Duty game, the minimum bandwidth requirement is 4 MBps.
If you suspect this might be the issue in your case, follow the instructions below to test if your effective speed test is over 4 MBps:
- On a computer connected to the same home network, close any other browser tab and any network-hogging application that might be slowing down your internet connection.
- Visit the official SpeedTest page from any browser and click on GO to initiate a Speed Test.
Test your favorite browser - Wait until the operation is complete (and grand the necessary permissions if applicable), then analyze the results.
- If the DOWNLOAD / UPLOAD bandwidth is lower than 4 Mbps, you will need to upgrade to a better internet connection in order to be able to play Call of Duty: Warzone in a stable manner.
Testing your download bandwidth
If the Download and Upload values are higher than the minimum requirement but your Ping is unusually high (over 40), chances are you are connected via a wireless network – This is not ideal for online gaming as your ping might fluctuate wildly and cause random disconnects.
In case you are connected to a wireless network, switch over to a cabled connection to ensure that the connection is strong enough to sustain the data exchanges when you play the game.
Note: If there’s no way for you to use a cabled connection, consider setting up a Wi-Fi expander to ensure that your Wi-Fi signal is strong enough.
If this particular scenario was not applicable to your current situation, move down to the next potential fix below.
5. Reinstall or Repair the Game Installation
If none of the fixes above have proven to be effective in your case, you should start considering the fact that the problem is caused by some kind of system file corruption that is preventing the game from loading certain UI elements.
If this scenario is applicable, you should be able to resolve the 5573 error by repairing the game (on PC) or by reinstalling the game (on consoles).
To accommodate every potential scenario, we’ve created different sub-guides to cover every platform where the game is available. Follow the applicable sub-guide below to repair or reinstall the Call of Duty game installation:
5.1 Repair the game on PC ( Battle.Net)
- Ensure that Call of Duty Modern Warfare is completely closed and no background process belonging to it is running.
- Open up the Battle.Net application and click on the Games tab from the menu at the top of the screen.
- With the Games tab selected, click on the Call of Duty installation to select it.
- Next, move over to the right-hand section of the screen and click on Options > Scan & Repair.
Scan and Repair the game - Once you see the confirmation prompt, click on Begin Scan and wait for the operation to complete.
- Wait until the operation is complete, then restart your computer and launch Call of Duty once again to see if the same error code is still occurring when you attempt to join a multiplayer game.
5.2 Reinstall the game on Ps4
- On the main dashboard menu of your Playstation 4 console, access the Library menu from the list of available options.
Accessing the Library menu - Inside the Library menu of your PS4 console, select Games (from the left-hand section of the screen), then locate the entry associated with Call of Duty Modern Warfare on the menu on the right and press the Options button on your controller.
- Next, from the context menu that just appeared, use the Delete option and confirm the operation when asked to.
Deleting the game - After the deletion procedure is finally complete, restart your console before reinstalling Call of Duty and checking if the problem is now fixed.
- After the game gets reinstalled and every relevant update is applied to it, attempt to join a multiplayer game once more and see if the problem is now fixed.
5.3 Reinstall the game on PS5
- From the main dashboard of your PS5, use your controller to select the Call of Duty listing and press Options (on your DualSense Controller) to bring up the context menu.
- At the context menu that just appeared, select Delete and confirm at the final confirmation prompt.
- Once you get to the next menu, select every sub-component of Call of Duty before clicking ok and starting the uninstallation.
Uninstalling Call of Duty on Ps5 - Once the operation is complete, return to the main UI dashboard once again and navigate to the right end of your list of items and access the Game Library menu.
Accessing the game library menu again - When the list of Library games is fully loaded, navigate to the COD listing and select it by pressing X.
- Next, hit the Download button and wait for the operation to complete.
- After the game is re-downloaded and installed once again, restart your system before opening it for the first time and see if the error DEV error is now fixed.
5.4 Reinstall the game on Xbox One / Xbox Series X / Xbox Series S
- On your Xbox One / Xbox Series S or Xbox Series X console, press the Xbox button on your controller, then use the guide menu that just appeared to access the My games & Apps menu.
Accessing the Games & Apps menu - Once you’re inside the Game & Apps menu, scroll down through the list of installed applications and locate Call of Duty.
- Once you discover the correct listing, press the Start button and choose Manage game from the newly appeared context menu.
Managing the COD Warzone - After you get to the next menu, select Uninstall all, then follow the on-screen instructions to uninstall both the base COD: Modern Warfare game + every add-on.
Note: Data related to your character and online progress is safely backed up on Activision’s cloud and will not be touched by the reinstallation procedure. - After the uninstallation operation is complete, reboot your console the go-ahead and reinstall Call of Duty from scratch using its store listing.
- Launch the game once again and see if the 5573 Dev error is fixed.
