Forza Horizon 5 Crashing Fix: Startup and In-Game Crashes on PC
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Forza Horizon 5 crashes on PC usually come from software running alongside it — Playground Games names antivirus suites, overlays, RGB and audio utilities and capture tools as known causes — or from running out of video memory, an unstable driver or overclock, or a damaged install. Playground’s own workarounds are to close conflicting programs, play from a Windows administrator account, reset the game and try with Game Mode off; beyond that, keep Windows and your GPU driver current and lower graphics settings if your PC is near the minimum spec. Match your crash below and start there.
Match your crash to the fix
| When it crashes | Most likely cause | Fix first |
|---|---|---|
| On startup or the first loading screen | Antivirus or overlay conflict, missing permissions | Close conflicting software, then run as admin |
| In the opening drive or when the open world loads | VRAM limit, driver or overlay | Lower textures, then driver |
| While streaming or screen-sharing on Discord | Capture hook | Close capture tools |
| Game Pass / Microsoft Store version won’t open at all | App or Gaming Services problem | Reset the game and repair Gaming Services |
| Random crashes after hours of play | Overclock, XMP or thermal instability | Drop overclocks |
Fix 1 — Close the software Playground Games lists as conflicts
Software conflicts are the most common cause of Forza Horizon 5 crashes. Playground Games has published a list of programs that can stop the game from opening or crash it once you’re driving.
Antivirus packages that can block Forza Horizon 5 from launching:
- Avast
- Avira
- Bitdefender Firewall
- Comodo Antivirus
- Emisoft Anti-Malware
- Sophos
- Trend Micro Maximum Security
Third-party apps that can crash Forza Horizon 5 in-game:
| Type | Programs |
|---|---|
| Overlays and monitoring | MSI Afterburner / RivaTuner Statistics Server, EVGA Precision |
| Capture and streaming | Discord (especially screen share), OBS, XSplit |
| Audio enhancers | A-Volute Sound Studio, Nahimic Audio, Sonic Audio |
| Peripherals and desktop | Logitech G Hub, Wallpaper Engine, MacType |
| Other | Warsaw Banking App |
Close everything on the list (check the system tray, not just the taskbar), then launch the game. For antivirus, add an exclusion for the Forza Horizon 5 install folder or pause real-time protection for a test launch — then re-enable it. If the game is stable, bring the programs back one at a time to find the culprit. Nahimic and Sonic Audio often ship preinstalled with motherboard audio drivers and run as services, so you may need to disable them in Task Manager → Startup apps or uninstall them.
Fix 2 — Play from an administrator account
Playground Games recommends running Forza Horizon 5 from a Windows account with administrator rights, which removes permission restrictions that can crash the game on launch. Check under Settings → Accounts → Other users (or Your info for your own account). If your account is a standard user, change it to Administrator or sign in to an admin account, then start the game — and launch Steam or the Xbox app as administrator too.
Fix 3 — Reset or verify the game
Steam version: right-click Forza Horizon 5 in your Library → Properties → Installed Files → Verify integrity of game files. Steam re-downloads anything missing or damaged.
Microsoft Store / Game Pass version: Windows can reset the app, which Playground Games suggests for crashes on startup.
- Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps.
- Find Forza Horizon 5, click the ⋯ menu → Advanced options.
- Under Reset, click Repair if it’s offered; if that doesn’t help, click Reset.
Reset clears the app’s local data, including your graphics settings, so re-apply them afterwards. If the Store version still won’t launch — or other Game Pass games fail too — the problem is usually Windows’ Gaming Services: see how to repair Gaming Services.
Fix 4 — Turn off Game Mode as a test
Playground Games lists disabling Windows Game Mode as a workaround for Forza Horizon 5 crashes. It isn’t a guaranteed fix, but it removes one more variable. Turn it off under Settings → Gaming → Game Mode, test the game, and turn it back on if nothing changes — Game Mode is harmless for most games (when to keep Game Mode on).
Fix 5 — Stay under your VRAM limit
Forza Horizon 5 is DirectX 12 only, and its open world streams large texture sets, so a card near the minimum spec can run out of video memory in the opening drive or in Guanajuato. When VRAM runs out, DirectX 12 games often close without a message or throw a device removed or hung error.
- Drop Texture Quality first, then Environment Texture Quality and other Ultra/Extreme options.
- On a 4–6 GB card, start from the Medium or High preset rather than Ultra.
- Watch VRAM usage with an overlay — but close it again if it turns out to be the crash source (see Fix 1).
- More on this error: out of video memory fix.
Steam’s listed requirements for Forza Horizon 5:
| Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Intel i5-4460 / AMD Ryzen 3 1200 | Intel i5-8400 / AMD Ryzen 5 1500X |
| RAM | 8 GB | 16 GB |
| GPU | GTX 970 / RX 470 / Arc A380 | GTX 1070 / RX 590 / Arc A750 |
| API | DirectX 12 | DirectX 12 |
| Windows | 10 version 18362 or newer | 10 version 18362 or newer |
| Storage | 110 GB | 110 GB |
Below the minimum, expect crashes no matter which settings you pick.
Fix 6 — Clean-install the GPU driver and drop overclocks
Update Windows and your graphics driver first. If you’ve already updated and the crashes started after a driver change, do a clean install with DDU rather than installing over the top.
Then remove any instability you’ve added yourself: reset GPU overclocks and undervolts to stock, and if crashes are random and happen after long sessions, test with XMP/EXPO turned off in the BIOS. Forza Horizon 5 holds a heavy, steady load on both CPU and GPU, which exposes a marginal overclock that lighter games pass.
If Forza Horizon 5 still crashes
- Check Windows Event Viewer → Windows Logs → Application for an error at the crash time. A faulting module named
nvlddmkm,amdkmdagor a DXGI code points to the driver or VRAM (Fix 5–6); a third-party DLL points to software injecting into the game (Fix 1). - An access violation in the log is covered in the 0xc0000005 crash fix.
- If the game runs but hitches rather than crashing, that’s a different problem: see the Forza Horizon 5 stuttering fix.
- Still stuck: open a ticket with Forza Support, including your PC specs and the Event Viewer error.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Why does Forza Horizon 5 keep crashing on PC?
Forza Horizon 5 crashes on PC most often because of conflicting software — antivirus suites, overlays, RGB and audio utilities, and capture tools such as MSI Afterburner, Discord screen share or OBS — which Playground Games names as known causes. The other common causes are running out of video memory at high texture settings, an unstable GPU driver or overclock, and a damaged install that needs verifying or resetting.
Which programs conflict with Forza Horizon 5?
Playground Games' list includes the antivirus packages Avast, Avira, Bitdefender Firewall, Comodo Antivirus, Emisoft Anti-Malware, Sophos and Trend Micro Maximum Security, plus A-Volute Sound Studio, Discord, EVGA Precision, Logitech G Hub, MacType, MSI Afterburner and RivaTuner Statistics Server, Nahimic Audio, OBS, Sonic Audio, Wallpaper Engine, Warsaw Banking App and XSplit. Close or uninstall them one at a time to find the one that crashes the game on your PC.
How do I fix Forza Horizon 5 crashing on startup?
Close every overlay and the antivirus programs on Playground Games' conflict list, then launch Forza Horizon 5 from a Windows administrator account. If it still closes on startup, verify the files in Steam, or reset the game from Windows Settings if you have the Microsoft Store or Game Pass version, and repair Gaming Services.
What are the minimum PC requirements for Forza Horizon 5?
The Steam store lists a minimum of an Intel i5-4460 or AMD Ryzen 3 1200, 8 GB of RAM, an NVIDIA GTX 970, AMD RX 470 or Intel Arc A380, DirectX 12 and Windows 10 version 18362 or newer. The recommended tier is an i5-8400 or Ryzen 5 1500X, 16 GB of RAM and a GTX 1070, RX 590 or Arc A750. Below the minimum, crashes are likely regardless of settings.
Does lowering graphics settings stop Forza Horizon 5 crashing?
It can, when the crash comes from running out of video memory. Forza Horizon 5 loads large texture sets, so on a 4–6 GB graphics card drop Texture Quality first, then other high presets, and watch VRAM usage in an overlay. Lowering settings will not fix a crash caused by conflicting software or a corrupt install.