Overview
- Infinity Ward confirmed in a late-May preview that it is working to remove the persistent "Update Requires Restart" launcher prompt that forces players to close and reopen the game after patches.
- Coverage differs on timing because Dexerto reports the fix is unlikely to be ready for Modern Warfare 4's October 23 launch while other outlets interpreted Infinity Ward's wording as the change starting with MW4.
- The restart prompt exists because the Call of Duty launcher blocks play until hotfixes, shader work, and other updates finish, so removing it requires reworking how updates and shader compilation are handled.
- The restart fix is one of several quality-of-life and gameplay shifts shown at the preview, which also highlighted removal of weapon bloom and returns of the classic minimap, map voting, and the Prestige system.
- Players have long mocked and complained about forced restarts since Modern Warfare (2019), so the change would cut a frequent annoyance and the next key thing to watch is exactly when Infinity Ward rolls the update.