How to fix Warzone “friends list not showing” glitch

Andrew Highton
Warzone Pacific friends list not showing glitch

Warzone’s “friends list not showing” glitch that prevents players from showing up on your friends list is still a constant menace in Season 5. Here are some solutions to hopefully fix this glitch for you in both Call of Duty games.

It’s undoubtedly frustrating when the only thing you want to do is play a game online, and certain factors are preventing you from doing so. Aside from obvious internet connectivity worries, there is also Warzone’s infamous “Checking for update” bug and Xbox players not even being able to launch the game.

Another issue is a glitched friends list that doesn’t allow you to see anyone else online even if they are, and it has returned in Warzone Pacific Season 5, leaving you unable to invite them. As always, we have some ways that might be able to aid you and resolve the problem.

How to make your friends list visible in Warzone

Warzone player defusing bomb in Operation Last Call mode

You’ll know if the problem is affecting you because when you select Warzone’s social tab and try to inspect your friends, you’ll be hit with “friends list not showing.”

Just to double-check that your friends are indeed online, just quickly open up your general friends list for the console or platform you’re playing on first to check. If they are showing as online, then use our methods to hopefully make them show online on Call of Duty too.

Here are the most efficient ways to get around the glitch.

Restart Warzone

Not only is it a way to fix a computer, but the classic “have you tried turning it off and on again?” could also bring your Warzone friends list back. Just completely close down the Warzone application and open it again, and hopefully, your friends list will have returned.

Use specific party search settings

A method that many players have found success with in Season 5 is to look for a party with very specific search settings, then queue up at the same time as your friends. It won’t bring the list back, but you’ll be able to party up with your friends.

Here’s everything you need to do:

  1. Launch Warzone
  2. Select the ‘Look for Party’ option on the bottom right hand side
  3. Hit the ‘Party Search settings button’ and make sure your party is all using the same Settings. For example:
    • BR Quads
    • Voice
    • Slow & Steady
  4. Press ‘Start Searching for Party’ at the same time

Link Warzone with Discord

discord logo

Many players have reported great success by using the official Discord service to link up with their friends and enter games together.

To link up with Discord:

  1. All players must have their Discord activity status set to ‘On’
  2. Make sure you have connected your ‘Battle.net‘ account to Discord
  3. Have everyone launch Warzone or Modern Warfare
  4. Then all players should join from the same Discord

Plus, Discord has arrived on Xbox and is expected to arrive on PlayStation next year, so it will be even easier to link up with friends cross-platform.

Turn off Warzone Crossplay

Turning off crossplay in Warzone has been known to help game invites come through when encountering the friends list not showing glitch, so here’s everything you need to do:

  1. Make your way into Warzone’s or Modern Warfare’s ‘Options’ setting
  2. Select your Account
  3. Switch the ‘Crossplay’ function from enabled to disabled
  4. Restart the game
  5. See if it’s worked and whether it has or hasn’t, turn Crossplay back on, and see if the result changes with it

Simply wait

Warzone Season 5 player with akimbo pistols

The easiest and most straightforward idea to try, leave it and hope it fixes itself. Believe it or not, waiting 30-60 seconds could actually fix it and could save you a lot of time than the above fixes.

It won’t work for everyone, but it’s another solution to try and help with this persisting, long-term problem in Warzone and 2019’s Modern Warfare.


Also, check out why Dr Disrespect thinks Warzone 2 will need new developers to be a success.

Image Credit: Activision / Raven Software / Discord

About The Author

A content creator for Charlie INTEL / Dexerto that earned a degree, wrote for PlusXP, Twinfinite, and Keengamer, before finally securing his dream job of being a professional video game writer. When not writing about games, he's very busy playing every game in existence and adding to his 11,000+ PlayStation Trophies and 150+ Platinums. You can contact him at [email protected].