There are not many worse things you can find in a Call of Duty game than an error kicking you out of a match. Every year, there is a new game in this series, and every year you might have to deal with a new set of problems. If you are playing Modern Warfare 2 and get a message saying, “A matchmaking lobby error has occurred. Retry the operation. Error Code: 2004,” here is how to fix it.
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How to fix the “A matchmaking lobby error has occurred” error in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
If you are getting the Error Code 2004, “A matchmaking lobby error has occurred,” in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, you are dealing with a connection issue. With this in mind, we first recommend checking the game’s server status. If there are no reported issues on the game side, start troubleshooting by completely exiting out of the game and restarting it. If you are simply trying to join a friend, this can sometimes jumpstart the game.
If you are still having the issue, try fully restarting your system. On PlayStation and Xbox, power down your console fully and unplug the power cord from the wall for about 30 seconds. During this time, also reset your internet router. A good way to gauge if this is the issue is if you try to hop on another game and see how it performs.
Finally, check to make sure you are running the latest version of the game. After a full restart, whatever platform you are on should be able to see automatically if you need an update. Otherwise, do the following:
- On PC, open Battle.net and click the gear icon under MW2 and click Check for Updates
- On PlayStation, press Options on the Modern Warfare 2 tile and click Check for Updates
- On Xbox, go to My Games and Apps, scroll down to Manage, and go into Updates
After your game has been updated, you should be able to join matches freely again. If you are still having problems, we recommend getting in contact with Activision Support.
