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How to Fix game_ship.exe Error in MW2 or Warzone 2.0

As an avid Call of Duty player and social media marketing expert, I know firsthand how frustrating the game_ship.exe error can be. One moment you‘re queued up and ready to deploy into Caldera, the next you‘re staring at a crash screen.

Not to worry though, friend. In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll impart my insider knowledge to help you get Modern Warfare 2 (MW2) or Warzone 2.0 running smoothly again.

What Causes the game_ship.exe Error?

The game_ship.exe or game_steam_ship.exe file is essentially the launcher that opens up MW2 or Warzone 2 when you click Play. It kicks off the chain reaction of loading up graphics, connecting to game servers, and getting you into a match.

So when this key executable encounters issues, the whole game fails to start and you see the dreaded error pop up.

From my technical expertise and hands-on troubleshooting, I‘ve narrowed down the most common culprits:

  • Outdated or corrupt graphics drivers. This is one of the biggest causes of crashes and failed launches. always keep your NVIDIA or AMD drivers updated!

  • Third-party software conflicts. Overlays like Discord and Nvidia GeForce Experience love to cause trouble. Antivirus software can also sometimes falsely detect game files as threats.

  • Damaged or missing game files. If your game data becomes corrupted or goes missing, game_ship.exe won‘t have what it needs to start.

  • Windows compatibility issues. Game crashes can simply come down to OS bugs, old Windows updates causing conflicts, or necessary Visual C++ files being missing.

Not to worry though, I‘ve got over a dozen potential fixes we can try to nail down the specific issue and get you back in the action pronto. Let‘s start troubleshooting!

Fix 1: Update Your Graphics Drivers

Outdated graphics drivers account for a good chunk of game_ship.exe errors from my experience. Keeping your NVIDIA or AMD drivers fully updated eliminates a major cause of crashes.

For NVIDIA GPUs:

  1. Open up GeForce Experience on your PC (you can download it here if you don‘t have it).
  2. Click on the Drivers tab.
  3. Check for any pending game ready driver updates.
  4. Download and install the latest driver.
  5. Restart your PC once the installation completes.

For AMD GPUs:

  1. Go to AMD‘s Driver Download Page
  2. Enter your specific graphics card model.
  3. Download the recommended driver for your card.
  4. Run the downloaded installer and follow the on-screen steps to update your driver.
  5. Restart your machine when the installation finishes.

I recommend getting your drivers directly from NVIDIA‘s or AMD‘s website and avoiding any sketchy third party driver download sites.

Once your graphics driver is updated, try launching MW2 or Warzone again to see if it resolved the game_ship.exe issue.

Fix 2: Run MW2 or Warzone as Administrator

Here‘s a quick fix to try – set the Modern Warfare 2 or Warzone 2 exe to always launch with admin privileges. This can resolve permission issues that cause game crashes.

Here‘s how to set it up:

  1. Navigate to your MW2 or Warzone 2 install folder (usually something like Steam\SteamApps\common\Call of Duty Modern Warfare II\ or Call of Duty Modern Warfare II – Warzone).
  2. Right click on the game_ship.exe or game_steam_ship.exe file.
  3. Select Properties > Compatibility tab.
  4. Check the box for "Run this program as an administrator".
  5. Click Apply and OK to save the changes.

Now when you launch the game through Battle.net or Steam, it should open with admin access, giving the exe the permissions it needs to run smoothly.

Fix 3: Add MW2 and Warzone to Your Antivirus Exclusions

In my experience, antivirus software can sometimes falsely detect legitimate game files as malicious threats. This leads to the AV quarantining or deleting important files that game_ship.exe needs to run properly.

Adding exclusions for MW2 and Warzone‘s folder prevents this. Here‘s how to do it in Windows Security:

  1. Open Windows Security settings.
  2. Click on Virus & threat protection > Manage ransomware protection.
  3. Click Add an allowed app.
  4. Browse to the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II folder and select game_ship.exe.
  5. Click Open to add the exclusion.
  6. Repeat this process for any other MW2 or Warzone exe files.

You can also temporarily disable real-time protection in Windows Security to see if that solves the issue. Just remember to re-enable it afterwards!

Fix 4: Disable Overlays and Background Apps

In my experience debugging game crashes, overlays and background processes are frequent culprits behind game_ship.exe errors.

Apps like Discord, GeForce Experience, MSI Afterburner, Razer Cortex, and more run overlays that can conflict with the game. Antivirus software also hooks into games to scan files which can cause issues.

Here are some things you can try temporarily disabling:

  • NVIDIA GeForce Experience in-game overlay
  • Discord overlay
  • MSI Afterburner, Razer Cortex overlays
  • Browsers like Chrome or Firefox
  • Chat apps like Skype or Slack
  • Epic Games Launcher, Uplay, or other game launchers

Basically, you want to disable any non-essential software when launching Warzone 2 or MW2 to isolate potential conflicts. Fewer background apps = fewer problems for game_ship.

Fix 5: Scan and Repair Game Files

Corrupted or missing game files are another common source of crashes and failed launches. Scanning and repairing identifies and replaces bad files.

In Battle.net:

  1. Open the Battle.net app
  2. Click on Modern Warfare 2
  3. Go to Options > Scan and Repair
  4. Start the scan and let it run to completion
  5. Restart Battle.net and try launching again

In Steam:

  1. Right click MW2/Warzone 2 in your Library
  2. Select Properties > Local Files > Verify Integrity of Game Files
  3. Steam will scan files and download any missing ones
  4. Launch the game again once complete

Repairing files resolves one of the most common game_ship.exe crash causes.

Fix 6: Clean Boot Windows to Isolate Conflicts

Doing a clean boot in Windows isolates software and driver conflicts by starting your system with only essential services and apps enabled. It‘s an easy way to pinpoint any conflicts.

Here are the steps:

  1. Open msconfig (press Win key + R, type "msconfig" and hit Enter)
  2. Go to the Services tab and check "Hide all Microsoft services"
  3. Disable all remaining services by unchecking their boxes
  4. Switch to the Startup tab and click "Open Task Manager"
  5. In Task Manager‘s Startup tab, right click each app and select "Disable"
  6. Restart your PC and test launching MW2 or Warzone
  7. If game_ship.exe works normally, re-enable services one by one until you find the culprit

Clean booting removes any background apps or services that may be interfering with the game‘s launch.

Fix 7: Update Windows, Drivers, and Visual C++ Files

Making sure Windows and all your system drivers are fully updated can resolve game conflicts and crashes:

  • Install the latest Windows updates. Outdated OS patches can cause problems.
  • Update chipset, network, audio, BIOS drivers in Device Manager.
  • Update DirectX via the DirectX Diagnostic Tool.
  • Install the latest Visual C++ Redistributables which games require to run.

Updating these components eliminates system-level issues that may be preventing game_ship from launching properly.

Fix 8: Adjust In-Game Graphics Settings

If the game launches but crashes later on, try adjusting your in-game graphics settings to reduce load on your hardware:

  • Lower quality presets to Medium or Low
  • Cap FPS at 60 or 120 frames per second
  • Disable taxing settings like Ray Tracing or Ambient Occlusion
  • Use Fullscreen or Borderless Windowed mode
  • Reduce Render Resolution below 100%

Tweaking these can help stabilize game performance and prevent crashes related to game_ship.exe errors.

Fix 9: Clean Install Your GPU Drivers

As a nuclear option, you can try completely clean installing the latest NVIDIA or AMD graphics drivers:

For NVIDIA:

  1. Download Display Driver Uninstaller
  2. Open it and select the Clean and Restart option
  3. Download fresh drivers directly from NVIDIA
  4. Choose Custom Install > Perform Clean Install

For AMD:

  1. Download AMD‘s Driver Cleanup Utility
  2. Run it and select Express or Custom uninstall
  3. Download the latest drivers from AMD‘s site
  4. Choose Factory Reset install option

This will completely clear out any corrupted driver files before reinstalling the new ones clean.

Fix 10: Reinstall or Re-verify Game Files

If you‘re still seeing game_ship.exe errors, reinstalling or re-verifying game files through Battle.net or Steam is a final fix:

In Battle.net:

  1. Open Battle.net and click the dropdown by MW2/Warzone 2 > Uninstall
  2. Restore any saved game settings and reinstall
  3. Once installed, run Scan and Repair again

In Steam:

  1. Right click MW2/Warzone 2 in your Library > Delete Local Game Content
  2. Reinstall the game and let Steam re-download fresh files
  3. Verify integrity after installing to check for errors

Downloading clean, new copies of the game data eliminates any corrupted files that may be causing the crashes.

Bonus Fixes and Troubleshooting Steps

If the above fixes don‘t successfully resolve the game_ship.exe error, here are a few more things you can try:

  • Update your motherboard BIOS to the latest stable version. Outdated BIOS firmware can cause compatibility issues.

  • Use the ISLC tool to clear standby memory cache which clears up RAM.

  • Check Event Viewer and Reliability Monitor for crash logs pointing to the source of the error.

  • Monitor CPU and GPU temperatures using HWInfo to check for overheating issues.

  • Try launching the game in Safe Mode which isolates drivers and software.

  • As a last resort, try reinstalling Windows 10 to fix any OS-level corruption issues.

  • Contact Activision Support for further troubleshooting if needed.

Game crashes can be tricky to pin down, so being methodical and testing every fix is key to resolving pesky game_ship.exe errors.

Hopefully this deep dive provides everything you need to get Modern Warfare 2 or Warzone 2.0 running flawlessly again. Just work down the list until you find the fix that does the job. Let me know in the comments which solution helped resolve your game_ship.exe crashing issues!