If you’re an avid Call of Duty player, you’ve probably encountered frustrating moments when the game suddenly stutters or freezes, causing your character to teleport or freeze in mid-action.
This issue, known as packet burst, is a common problem that can disrupt your gaming experience. But fear not—this guide will walk you through how to fix packet burst in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and get you back into the action smoothly and without interruption.
How To Fix Packet Burst In COD: Black Ops 6
What Is Packet Burst?
Before diving into the fix, it’s important to understand what packet burst is and why it happens. In simple terms, a packet burst occurs when a sudden influx of data is sent from your computer to the game server, causing network congestion or “bursting” of information. This leads to latency spikes, stuttering, and lag, making gameplay unbearable.
Common causes include:
- High internet latency (ping) is caused by a slow or unreliable connection.
- Packet loss, where data packets fail to reach their destination.
- Overloaded servers, especially during peak gaming hours.
Packet bursts can often be traced back to issues with your game’s local cache, texture settings, or network settings. The good news is that with a few simple tweaks, you can drastically reduce or even eliminate this problem.
Let’s get started on fixing packet burst in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6!
Step 1: Clear the Shader Cache
One of the most common culprits of packet burst in CoD is the accumulation of corrupted or outdated cache files, particularly within the shadercache folder. These small files, which store precompiled graphics data, can grow over time and sometimes interfere with smooth gameplay. When they become too large or corrupt, it can cause issues such as packet burst.
How to Clear the Shader Cache:
- Navigate to your game’s installation folder.
This is where Call of Duty is installed on your PC. The default path is typically:C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Call of Duty HQ. - Find and open the “cod24” folder.
Once you’re in the main game directory, open the cod24 folder. This folder contains essential game files that control the overall operation of the game. - Open the “shadercache” folder.
Inside the cod24 folder, locate the shadercache folder. Here, you’ll find several small files, often between 1 and 2 KB in size. These files are used to store textures and other graphical data that the game uses while running. - Delete all the files in the shadercache folder.
Highlight and delete all the files within the shadercache folder. Don’t worry—these files are not critical to the core functionality of the game. Deleting them forces the game to rebuild the cache, which can resolve issues caused by outdated or corrupted files. - Restart your computer.
After clearing the shader cache, restart your computer to ensure that all changes are properly applied.
By clearing these cache files, you’re giving the game a fresh start, which can help eliminate packet burst issues caused by corrupt or outdated graphics data.
Step 2: Adjust Texture Streaming Settings
Now that we’ve addressed the cache issue, it’s time to make some changes to your game’s texture streaming settings. This is a performance-related setting that controls how textures are loaded and streamed while you’re playing. By tweaking this, you can reduce the strain on your system and improve overall performance, reducing packet burst and lag.
How to Adjust Texture Streaming:
- Go to your “Documents” folder.
Navigate to the Documents folder on your PC. This is typically located under C:\Users[Your Username]\Documents. - Locate the “Call of Duty” folder.
Inside the Documents folder, find the folder labeled Call of Duty. This is where the game stores configuration files. - Enter the “players” folder.
Within the Call of Duty folder, open the players folder. Here, you’ll find a number of files related to your game settings and profiles. - Search for the term “cst.”
Use the search function in the folder (pressCtrl + F) and type in “cst”. This will help you quickly locate the relevant files that control streaming settings. - Edit the “gamerprofile.0.BASE.cst” and “gamerprofile.0.BASE.cst1” files.
The search should return two files: gamerprofile.0.BASE.cst and gamerprofile.0.BASE.cst1. These files contain settings related to texture streaming. Right-click and open each of these files using Notepad. - Adjust the “Stream limit in MB” setting.
Inside each of the files, pressCtrl + Fto bring up the search tool again. Type in “Stream” to quickly find the relevant line, which will look something like:"HTTPStreamLimitMBytes@0 = X"
The “X” here represents the limit on texture streaming in megabytes. - Set the stream limit to 0.
Change the value of X to 0. This essentially disables the streaming limit and allows the game to load textures without restriction, reducing the chances of packet burst caused by texture streaming delays. - Save the changes.
After making this adjustment in both files, pressCtrl + Sto save the changes and then close Notepad.
Final Steps and Tips
Once you’ve completed the steps above, you should notice a significant reduction in packet burst during your gaming sessions. Your game should feel smoother, with fewer latency spikes and interruptions. However, there are a few extra tips you can follow to keep your game running optimally:
Regularly Clear the Shader Cache:
It’s a good practice to clear the shadercache folder every few days. This ensures that the game rebuilds the cache with fresh data, preventing old, corrupted files from causing problems. You can follow the same steps to clear the cache periodically and maintain smooth gameplay.
Monitor Your Internet Connection:
While these steps address local issues with the game’s settings, packet burst can also be caused by a weak or fluctuating internet connection. If you continue to experience issues, consider troubleshooting your internet connection. Test your internet speed, check for packet loss, and ensure that your connection is stable.
Keep Your Game Updated:
Ensure that your Call of Duty installation is fully up-to-date. Developers frequently release patches and updates that address performance issues and fix bugs related to networking, including packet burst.
Conclusion
Dealing with packet burst in Call of Duty can be incredibly frustrating, but with the right steps, you can restore a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience. By clearing your shadercache folder and adjusting your texture streaming settings, you’ll greatly reduce the likelihood of packet burst and lag. Remember to periodically clear your cache and keep your game and internet connection in top condition for the best performance.
Happy gaming, and may your next Call of Duty session be free from packet bursts!
Last Updated on November 22, 2024
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