Call of Duty: Modern Warfare players have been reporting yet another problem in the game, this time related to a bug with the game's display of friends list. In short, some online friends will appear as offline, and therefore are unable to be invited into games.
It seems that this bug affects Call of Duty: Modern Warfare as well as Warzone, and is stopping many from playing together. If it was just a visual mistake most players probably wouldn't care, but the effect it has on playing with friends is undeniable and detrimental to the game's cooperative experience.
At the moment there doesn't seem to be any particular fix, and Infinity Ward has yet to comment on the issue, but diligent players are looking for ways to get around the bug. Until the issue is addressed, that may be the best that players can do.
For starters, it seems that the bug affects primarily cross-platform friends. Meaning if one is playing on PS4, their Xbox One and PC friends are more likely to appear as offline. That said, several users have reported this issue happening to friends on the same platform, so it isn't exclusive to cross-play by any means. Many players are upset at this, calling it the biggest problem in the game and even comparing it to the rampant cheater population. Thankfully, there are a few techniques the player can try to get the friends list to populate correctly.
Many users have reported that simply closing the application fully and reloading it repopulated the friends list, allowing them to see and play with their friends again. One user claims that by sending a friend request to a recent player and then immediately cancelling it, the list showed up again, although no others corroborated this claim. Finally, players can add their friends to a regiment, allowing them to send invites through that menu rather than going through the friends menu. Those these work arounds seem viable, most are simply annoyed that they are even necessary on a Triple A game like Call of Duty.
With any luck, Infinity Ward will catch wind of this issue and make the necessary fixes soon, as it is rather annoying for players to have to jump through hoops just to enjoy the game with their friends. Until then, hopefully these work-arounds will help players and get them through until an official patch rectifies the issue.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: TheLionsReturn/Reddit