How to fix Black screen issue (Only sound, no Video) in Black Ops 3

BO3 scans both input and output audio devices on game boot up. Disable unused audio devices on your system to fix the black screen issue. This will allow you to play the game.

Black Ops 3 will fail to display video output if the user playing the game has a large amount (unknown max limit ?) of enabled Input (Microphone) and Output (Headphone) devices, resulting in a black screen. I use Voicemeeter on my machine, so I was a small percentage of people who had encountered this specific technical issue.

1. Go to the Windows Sound Control Panel
   
2. Click on the Playback tab on the top
   
3. Look for speakers/audio devices don't need enabled currently
   
4. Right-click and disable them
   
5. Repeat the same for the audio devices in the Recording tab

I scoured the internet in search of a solution and all the reddit threads (see bottom) only mentioned Output devices, not Input devices, which the game scans both at runtime, I found this out purely due to trial and error. I had basically disable all my unused microphone inputs in Windows sound control panel. This issue affects both Windows and Linux/Steam Deck players alike and is not a windows-only issue afaik.

If anyone who knows how to write code, and would like to maybe develop a proper bugfix mod or something that would be f'ing awesome and would be greatly appreciated.

You need to disable your input and output windows audio devices to play this game. Blame Treyarch/Activision for this technical and literally unplayable game bug, that should honestly not be in the final build of the game, especially from a games development company like them.

https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/197mlo7/bo3_black_screen_boot_fix/
https://www.reddit.com/r/blackops3/comments/rvl4b0/bo3_black_screen_glitch/
https://www.reddit.com/r/blackops3/comments/1mp1ui1/black_ops_3_black_screen_sound_only_fix_disable/


Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk, I'm here all night lol