Modern Warfare 2 beta: How to prevent getting locked out of game on Steam?

How to not get locked out of Modern Warfare 2 on Steam (Images via Activision/Steam)
How to not get locked out of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on Steam (Images via Activision/Steam)

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 beta is available for PC via Battle.net and Steam. This means that during the weekend, players on PC, Xbox, and PlayStation can all play together.

However, though the beta version of the game has received positive reactions from fans on consoles, the story is different for PC players. Gamers who have been playing the title on computers are reporting performance hiccups, crashes, and getting shadowbanned in their games for no reason. Another major problem these PC players have been facing is not being able to play MW2 on Steam and getting locked out of the game.

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How not to be locked out of Modern Warfare 2 on PC (Steam)

Players getting locked out of MW2 on Steam isn't a problem plaguing the Battle.net version of the game and seems to be exclusively related to the Steam platform.

In order to play the beta version of the title, players are required to verify their phone numbers on Battle.net or Steam. Due to a bug in the latter's system, players are required to verify their phone no every time they log into the game. Unfortunately, this is causing the platform to lock players out of MW2. The good thing is that being locked out of the game can be prevented.

Suggestion 1

Make sure that your Steam account already has a phone number connected to it and that the no. is verified. It is also recommended to link your Call of Duty account to your Steam account prior to installing the game.


Suggestion 2

The developers at Beenox suggested that players change their usernames. When you create your ATVI account, a random name is provided to you; making alterations to it is recommended before the process ends.

Suggestion 3

Players are finding themselves getting locked out of Modern Warfare 2 nearly every time they restart the device. Hence, it is advised that you refrain from doing so. If that isn't possible, try to restart the system only when absolutely necessary.


Suggestion 4

Fixing MW2 Steam lock (Image via Steam)
Fixing MW2 Steam lock (Image via Steam)

Although there are no official patches or fixes deployed by the developers, they recently made a post on Modern Warfare 2 Beta's official Steam forum about a possible walkaround. If you cannot access your game despite adding a phone no., this is what you need to do:

  • Make sure MW2 isn't running in the background.
  • Now, on Steam, go to 'Steam' in the top-left corner. Clicking on it will open up a drop-down menu.
  • Here, click on 'Settings'.
  • A window should now present itself. Proceed to click on 'Web browser' on the left panel.
  • Click 'Delete web browser data'.

Following the above steps should now allow you to access the Modern Warfare 2 beta. However, this isn't a fix or guaranteed to work for all. This is only a possible workaround.


Modern Warfare 2 is all set to launch on October 28, 2022, on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series S/X, and Xbox One.