If you’ve launched Black Ops II on PC (Steam) only to be greeted by a small popup stating "Error during initialization: Unhandled exception caught", you’re not alone. This is one of the most common and frustrating launch errors for the game. The good news: it’s almost always fixable.
Crucial: Ensure you repair both the x64 and x86 versions if both are present. 3. Run in Compatibility Mode Change r_multithreaded_device from "1" to "0"
Summary
Some users report that having non-English characters in their Windows username or system region causes the game to crash during initialization. After each installation, restart your PC if prompted
Corrupted game files are another common cause. After each installation
r_multithreaded_device from "1" to "0". (Forcing single-threaded rendering bypasses modern GPU driver conflicts).r_mode to a universally safe resolution: "1024x768". (You can change it back later).r_refreshRate to "60", even if you have a 144Hz or 240Hz monitor. BO2’s engine often trips over high refresh rates.Here is a verified guide to fixing this error and getting back into the game. 1. Change Steam Beta Participation