Forza Horizon 5 won’t launch and crashing – If you are having a hard time launching the PC version of Forza Horizon 5, or are experiencing random crashes constantly, please attempt all steps given below.
Forza Horizon 5 is Crashing at Startup or is Not Launching on PC – How to fix
[Note: All the methods mentioned in this article have been suggested by the developers of Forza Horizon 5 only. I would have normally tried these methods myself. But I haven’t witnessed any issue with my copy yet.]
One of the biggest gaming titles of 2021, Forza Horizon 5, is finally available for people to try. The game is undoubtedly one of the best Racing Games I have ever laid my hands on, and I can guarantee that even if you are not a fan of Racing Games, you would love this.
The game features hundreds of the world’s greatest cars. And is nothing less than a visual marvel. Forza Horizon 5 features our most diverse, adventurous, and social open world yet, inviting players to lead breathtaking expeditions across the vibrant and ever-evolving landscapes of Mexico with limitless, fun driving action in hundreds of the world’s greatest cars. IGN has already rated the game 10/10, calling it a ‘Masterpiece’.
The game does come with some technical issues. But, that is expected from a game this big. Some PC players are facing crashing and launch issues in the game. The good thing is, the developers have already recommended some fixes for that. Check them out.
Check the Minimum System Requirements of Forza Horizon 5
Before you move any further in this article, I would like you to check the minimum requirements for the game. Because if your PC doesn’t meet the requirements, then the game with crash 100%. Here are the requirements:
As you can see, you need a GTX 970 or a RX 470 at least, to even run the game. If you are using a GPU that doesn’t have enough VRAM to render all the textures in the game, then the game will crash almost every time there is a demanding scene on your screen.
If you have an on-board graphics processor, be sure to set priority to PCI-E > PCI > Integrated Graphics / Integrated GPU in BIOS.
Update – November 17, 2021
If you are not being able to launch Forza Horizon 5 after the arrival of the November 17 Update, then you need to go to the Microsoft Store, and update your Gaming Services. I was personally facing this issue. After clicking the ‘Play’ button on the Xbox app, I was getting sent to the installation page of Gaming Services. At first, I was not being able to update Gaming Services. Then, I pressed the ‘Get’ button, followed by the ‘Install on my devices’ button. It finally got updated.
After the update, the Forza Horizon 5 Play button on my Xbox store changed to ‘Update available’. I clicked on it, and the update was successfully downloaded.
Update – November 9, 2021
I was personally witnessing crashes during some cutscenes while playing the very first part of the game. I fixed it by just running Forza Horizon 5 as admin. All you have to do is right-click on the Forza Horizon 5 shortcut on your desktop, and select ‘Run as administrator’. I have the game on the Xbox app for PC, BTW. Actually, I have made a video to show you:
Forza Horizon 5 requires Windows 10 1909
You need to have the Windows 10 1909 November 2019 update installed, at least, to launch the game. If you haven’t updated your Windows 10 in a while, or are using Windows 7 or 8.1. Then I am sorry to say, Forza Horizon 5 won’t launch on your system. You can try all you want.
Administrator Account
Log in to Windows 10 with a local Administrator Account. This has fixed the majority of cases reported for Forza 5, until now.
Check for Updates to Windows 10
Always ensure that you have the latest updates to Windows 10 by clicking Start and typing ‘Updates’ in the search box.
Here is the updated Windows assistant: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/3159635/windows-10-update-assistant
Once you’ve updated, perform a complete shutdown and restart your machine.
Turn Off Windows Defender or other Anti-virus programs
- Open Start.
- Open Settings
- Click Update & Security
- Click Windows Security. This tab is in the upper-left side of the window.
- Click Virus & threat protection
- Click Virus & threat protection settings
- Disable Windows Defender’s real-time scanning
- Set game priority to high
- Turn off any overlays
Forza Horizon 5 will not boot if you are using any of the following virus checkers.
- Trend Micro Maximum Security
- Comodo Antivirus
- Sophos
- Emisoft
- Avira
- Avast
- Bitdefender Firewall
Reset or Repair Forza Horizon 5 to fix crashes
If you are playing Forza Horizon 5 on the Xbox app on your Windows 10 PC, then you can actually repair the game. This will fix the game if there are any sorts of missing or broken files. Here is how to do it:
- Go to your Windows Settings
- Select Apps & features
- Look for Forza Horizon 5 from the app list
- Click on Forza 5 once you find it (Just use sort by : size)
- Select Advanced options
- Click on Repair
- Wait until the process is completed
- Restart the Xbox app
To Reset the app:
- Follow Step 1-5 from above
- Click on Reset
- Restart the Xbox app
Steam users can simply go to their Library, and Verify the in-game files of Forza Horzion 5 from there.
Crashes due to Software
The game does not explicitly support and may even see certain applications/software as a conflict or threat and as such refuse to run, or run with crashes.
Disable ALL background software or applications including, Antivirus, Firewalls, and any FPS boosting or monitoring software.
The following list of software applications can cause Forza Horizon 5 to either fail to launch or crash while playing. Please make sure you either disable or uninstall to ensure successful gameplay.
- Logitech G Hub
- MSI Afterburner / Riva Tuner Statistics Server
- EVGA Precision
- OBS
- Xsplit
- Discord
- MacType
- Warsaw Banking App
- Wallpaper Engine
- A-Volute Sound studio
- Nahimic Audio
- Sonic Audio
If you are using OBS, Xsplit, or any other streaming programs, please set your source to display capture.
I would suggest disabling Game Mode on Windows and closing any overclocking, hardware monitoring, streaming, recording, and nonessential apps while you play the game.
Install the latest Microsoft Visual Studio
Please try downloading and installing the latest version of Visual C++ redistributable, as there’s a chance it hasn’t been installed correctly.
Turn off any extra Power monitoring software
- MSI DragonCenter
- RyzenMaster
- Gamefast from Dells Killer Control Center
- Any software installed that may be adjusting or monitoring power settings
Then, make sure your Power settings are correct
- Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Power Options
- Change to High Performance
- Perform a Full Shutdown (not restart)
Updates from Microsoft Store Gaming Services
If you open your Microsoft Store app and go to the downloads and updates section. You will find plenty of pending downloads. There are some vital services, like the Microsoft Gaming Services, that you need to keep updated.
Make Sure the Time/Date on your PC is Correct
-
- Right-click on the clock on your start menu.
- Select Adjust Date/Time.
- Untick then retick ‘Set time zone automatically.’
- Reboot your PC.
Missing/Corrupted files
The game may have encountered an issue with a recent update (Windows, Drivers, Content) and refuses to run with crashes or missing updates.
- Ensure you have the MOST recent Windows 10 update
- Make sure your Graphics Card is updated with the latest patch, after Windows update
- Full re-installation of the title.
Try moving Forza Horizon 5 to a different drive
You can try moving the game to a different drive. For some users, crashes may be attributed to low disk space on the drive where the game is installed. Freeing up space on that drive or moving the game to a different drive will provide additional virtual memory to run the game.
To move your game to a different drive, follow these steps:
- Press the Windows key and search for Apps & features
- Click on Forza Horizon 5
- Click on the Move button
- Choose a new drive from the drop-down menu.
- Click Move to automatically move the game to a new home.
Reset the Microsoft Store
You can use the steps below to refresh the Microsoft Store, which will clear the cache and refresh your library permissions. This fixes the majority of the cases.
- Close the Windows Store app if you have it open
- Click Start and type ‘WSRESET‘, without the quotes
- Right-click on the command and click ‘Run as Administrator‘. If the Windows permission box appears, click ‘Yes’ or ‘Run’
- A black MS Dos screen will appear for a few seconds. Wait for it to disappear, and the Store will automatically open
- Attempt to Install Forza 5
If none of the solutions mentioned above work for you, then you need to contact the support. Visit this link, to report your issue.
Last Updated on July 20, 2022
Shoaib, 30, is a simple guy who loves to play video games, and enjoys new cuisines sporadically. He has been gaming since he was 7 years old, and with an experience of 22 years, under his belt, there is not a single AAA game in this world, that he hasn’t played. Despite being a MBA Graduate he decided to follow his passion. And because of his love for gaming, Frondtech came into existence.
