How to fix Dev Error 7186 in DMZ

One of the most frustrating errors in DMZ.

A character in military gear is beaten on the ground by another character wearing a red mask in a cellar on Vondel in DMZ.
Image via Activision

There’s nothing like preparing hard in Call of Duty’s DMZ for a session of loot-farming and player-hunting madness, then dropping in and seemingly losing all your hard-earned gear because of an error code.

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An error code that has been occurring recently in season four has been “Dev Error 7186,” which has been kicking players out of DMZ the moment they enter a map. It’s already happened to me a couple of times, and I like others wanted to know if I was doing something wrong, or if there was a fix for the issue.

What is Dev Error 7186 in DMZ?

Dev Error 7186 is an error code that is occurring most when players attempt to enter the Koschei Complex or Building 21. Unlike Al Mazrah, Ashika Island, or Vondel, these zones aren’t like the standard DMZ map list—you can only enter Koschei Complex via the secret entrances in Al Mazrah, and you need an access card to enter Building 21 only on weekends.

Most people are encountering this error the moment the loading screen is complete and the countdown timer appears to begin the DMZ round. While it was initially believed a fix for this error code was deployed shortly after the Reloaded Season Four patch went live, players are still encountering this error from time to time.

It is also believed this issue is game-related and not device-related, as there are reports of this error occurring both on console and PC.

Solutions to fixing Dev Error 7186 in DMZ

Three soldiers move through a partially-flooded zone in Koschei Complex in DMZ.
Image via Activision

Unfortunately, there is no known fix at this time for Dev Error 7186 as it is believed to be caused by the game and not by an individual’s device.

As I play on PC, after I encountered the error when launching into Building 21, I was prompted to verify my game’s cache in Steam before loading the game up again. As a precaution, I verified the files, launched the game, then closed and re-verified the files again to be sure.

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I haven’t had the same issue again since, but unfortunately, a friend of mine did the same and still encountered the issue. Activision has not publicly addressed the issue outside of mentioning the issue had been fixed during the Reloaded season four patch notes.

Players are still, however, seeing the error code arise when trying to enter Building 21 and Koschei Complex from time to time. You may wish to consider a full reinstallation of the game just to be sure it’s not due to an issue on your end.

Author
Image of Nicholas Taifalos
Nicholas Taifalos
Weekend editor for Dot Esports. Nick, better known as Taffy, began his esports career in commentary, switching to journalism with a focus on Oceanic esports, particularly Counter-Strike and Dota. Email: nicholas@dotesports.com