Frustrating desync bug causing havoc for PS4 Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War players

Thanks, Reagan

Activision has launched its newest entry in the billion-dollar Call of Duty series. Black Ops Cold War is, unsurprisingly, a high-gloss, expensive-looking, and punchy action-adventure but its PS4 edition is causing chagrin for a battalion of wannabe war criminals.

In what we’ll dub the “Fractured Jaw” glitch, Cold War’s PS4 players are finding that the console will randomly de-sync the controller and kill the in-game sound entirely. The game continues to play, but players cannot re-sync their controller, and must force a reset in order to continue playing.

The game-breaking bug seems to be most prevalent in the single-player campaign’s third mission (the titular “Fractured Jaw”), although some players have experienced the issue during Multiplayer, Zombies, and even the previously held beta. Personally, I have experienced the issue every single time I’ve played Fractured Jaw, but not once in any other mode. It’s hugely frustrating, and here’s hoping Activision will release a fix very soon.

In the meantime, some players are suggesting that going into the PS4’s device manager and switching the “Communication” option from Bluetooth to USB in the controller sub menu offers a workaround, though some players have still commented that this did not eliminate the issue for them.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is available now on PS4, PS5, PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Look out for our full review coming later this week.