Forza Horizon 4 is considered the best entry in the franchise, and for good reason. The PC port of the game is well-optimized and runs smoothly on various PC configurations. Despite the optimizations, PC users are experiencing errors and issues with the game like application-specific Permission error, crashes at startup, no controller rumble or vibration, in-game crashes, stuttering, and more. I have compiled a list of fixes for each error that will help PC users resolve errors and issues like Forza Horizon 4 in-game crash.
Forza Horizon 4 Crash And Other Fixes That’ll Help
Forza Horizon 4 is an incredible arcade racing title and the second game in the Forza Horizon franchise to launch on PC. There is no doubt that it is a well-optimized game for PC, even a GTX 1060 is capable of running it at Ultra settings.
However, PC players are experiencing errors and issues with FH4 like application-specific permission error, crashes at startup, no controller rumble or vibration, in-game crashes, stuttering, and more. The following fixes will help PC users resolve Forza Horizon 4’s errors and issues.
Application-Specific Permission Error Fix
PC users report that they are experiencing the following error and are unable to play Forza Horizon 4.
Error: The application-specific permission settings do not grant Local Activation permission for the COM Server application with CLSID
To fix the application-specific permission error in FH4, follow the steps below:
- Press the Windows key + R, type “regedit” in the small window that opens, and hit OK.
- Registry Editor will open, navigate to HKEY_Classes_Root\CLSID\
- Right-click on the CLSID > Permissions > Advanced
- Click “Change” beside owner > type Administrators > click Check Names > click OK.
- Click ‘Add’ > click ‘Select a Principal’ > type Administrators > click Check Names and press Ok.
- check “Full Control” and press OK. Hit apply and press OK.
- Now, navigate to HKEY_LocalMachine\Software\Classes\AppID\ and repeat the same process.
- This will fix the application-specific permission error in Forza Horizon 4.
FH4 Crash At Startup Fixes
A lot of Forza Horizon 4 PC players are reporting that the game is crashing at launch or not starting at all. There are multiple reasons for FH4’s crashes at startup issue and the following fixes will help PC users resolve the issue.
Fix #1: Check OS
If you are trying to play the game on Windows 7 or 8.1, upgrade to the 64-bit version of Windows 10, as Forza Horizon 4 doesn’t support 32-bit OS. Upgrade the operating system and it won’t crash at launch.
Fix #2: Clear Xbox Live Credentials
Since FH4 is an Xbox first-party title, it requires that PC users log in to their Xbox accounts, and for some reason, it is causing the game to crash at launch. Clear all the Xbox Live credentials from your system and log back in to fix the issue. Here is how to clear all the credentials:
- Click the start button, type “Credential Manager”, and press enter.
- Select “Windows Credentials”.
- Find all the entries that start with ‘Xbl’
- Click on the expand button (as shown in the image) and click remove.
- Do this for all ‘Xbl’ entries.
- Log back into your account, play Forza Horizon 4, and it won’t crash at startup.
Fix #3: Update Windows
If you already have a 64-bit OS installed and FH4 is crashing at launch, the OS might not be up to date. Games receive updates and patches following release and might change their OS build requirement. Update Windows and Forza Horizon 4 will stop crashing at startup. To update the OS, open Windows Settings> Windows Update > click “Check for Updates” > install all available updates.
Fix #4: Disable Third-party Tools and Software
PC users install third-party tools and software like MSI Afterburner, RTSS(Rivatuner), driver/software for peripherals, discord, and more for their useful features. However, they can interfere with the game and cause it to crash at startup. If you are using a third-party tool, it is crashing Forza Horizon 4 at startup. To fix the issue, disable the tool. The following is a list of software applications that devs have noted can cause FH4 to crash at startup.
- Logitech G Hub
- MSI Afterburner / Riva Tuner Statistics Server
- EVGA Precision
- OBS
- Xsplit
- MacType
- Warsaw Banking App
- Wallpaper Engine
- A-Volute Sound studio
- Sonic Audio
- WeMod
- Interception (Driver)
- SeeThroughWindows
- Nahimic (Audio Driver)
Fix #5: Run Fora Horizon 4 as an Administrator
Lack of administrative rights is crashing Forza Horizon 4 at launch. To fix the issue, run the game as an administrator.
Steam: Follow the steps below to give FH4 administrative rights if you own the game on Steam:
- Right-click Forza Horizon 4 in your Steam library > Manage > Browse local files.
- A new explorer window will open.
- Right-click the game’s executable > Properties > Compatibility tab.
- Check “Run this program as an administrator” and hit apply.
- Launch Forza Horizon 4 and it won’t crash at startup.
Xbox: If you are playing Lies Of P through the Xboox App or Gamepass on PC, then follow the steps below to run it as an administrator:
- Right-click Lies of PC in Xbox App > Manage > Files > click Browse.
- A new window will open with game files.
- Go to Lies Of P > Content > LiesofP > Binaries > WinGDK.
- Right-click “LOP-WinGDK-Shipping” > properties > compatibility tab.
- Check “Run this program as an administrator” and hit apply.
- Play Forza Horizon 4 and it will work without crashing.
Fix #6: Whitelist Forza Horizon 4 in Ant-virus
PC users often use third-party anti-virus to protect their systems from malware. However, these anti-virus often falsely detect game executables as malware and quarantine them. If you are using third-party anti-virus software like DeePGuard, exclude Forza Horizon 4’s game folder from it. After that, verify the game files, launch FH4, and it will play without crashing. Here is a list of anti-virus software that devs have noted can block the game from launching.
- Trend Micro Maximum Security
- Comodo Antivirus
- Sophos
- Emsisoft Anti-Malware
- Avira
- Avast
- Bitdefender Firewall
- AVG
Xbox Controller Trigger Rumble Fix
Steam users report no Xbox One controller vibration or trigger rumble while playing Forza Horizon 4. Here is how to fix it:
- Right-click FH4 in your Steam library > properties > Controller tab > select “disable Steam input”.
- Go to this link and download X1nput v2.0.
- Open the 64-bit folder and then copy the XInput1_3.dll file.
- Again right-click Forza Horizon 4 in your Steam library > Manage > Browse local files.
- A new explorer window will open with FH4 game files.
- Paste XInput1_3.dll file here.
- Play Forza Horza Horizon 4 and the Xbox controller trigger rumble or vibration will work in the game.
Forza Horizon 4 In-game Crash Fix
PC users are experiencing in-game crashes while playing Forza Horizon 4. There are multiple reasons for this issue like third-party tools interfering with the game, overclocked GPU, and more. The following fixes will help PC users resolve FH4’s in-game crashes.
Fix #1: Disable Third-Party Tools
Third-party tools can be really useful as they can provide performance information, record gameplay, allow audio tweaking, and more. However, they can interfere with Forza Horizon 4 and crash to the desktop while playing. Disable any third-party tool you are using and the issue will be fixed. Also, check the following list of applications that Playground Games has noted can interfere with FH4 and cause in-game crashes:
- Logitech G Hub
- MSI Afterburner / Riva Tuner Statistics Server
- EVGA Precision
- OBS
- Xsplit
- MacType
- Warsaw Banking App
- Wallpaper Engine
- A-Volute Sound studio
- Sonic Audio
- WeMod
- Interception (Driver)
- SeeThroughWindows
- Nahimic (Audio Driver)
Fix #2: Disable GPU Overclock
PC users often overclock their PC hardware like GPU, CPU, or RAM to squeeze more performance out of them. However, it can make gaming an unstable experience as games start to crash. If you have overclocked your graphics card, it is crashing Forza Horizon 4 to the desktop. Revert the graphics card to its default GPU and MEmory clocks to fix the issue.
Fix #3: Use Recommended GPU and Memory Clocks
Graphics cards from third-party vendors like Zotac or GIGABYTE are often factory overclocked or use higher GPU and Memory clocks compared to reference models. These higher clocks are crashing Forza Horizon 4 while playing. To fix the issue, enable the Debug Mode through the Nvidia Control Panel, as it will force the graphics card to use Nvidia’s recommended GPU and Memory clocks. Open the Nvidia Control Panel > Help > Debug Mode.
Fix #4: Limit Max Frame Rate
Playing games at a high or unlocked frame rate is a different experience. The visuals look smooth and input latency is reduced significantly. However, it can put the GPU and the CPU under a lot of stress which crashes games to the desktop while in-game. If you are playing Forza Horizon 4 at an unlocked FPS, it is crashing the game. Limit the game’s max FPS to fix reduce the GPU and CPU load and fix in-game crashes.
- Open the Nvidia Control Panel.
- Click “Manage 3D Settings” and open the Program Settings tab.
- Select Forza Horizon 4 from the drop-down menu.
- Scroll down, enable Max Frame Rate, and set a value.
Note: Unless you use a Freesync or G.sync display, your Max Frame Limit should be 1/2, 1/3rd, or 1/4th of your monitor’s refresh rate. Otherwise, the game will feel jittery.
Fix #5: Update GPU Driver
The current GPU driver installed on your Windows PC is either outdated or incompatible with Forza Horizon 4, which is crashing the game. Update or install a different driver version to fix the in-game crashes. Ensure that you do a clean installation so settings from the previous install won’t interfere with the new one.
Low FPS, Stuttering, How To Boost FPS in FH4
There is no doubt that Forza Horizon 4 is one of the best-optimized games on PC. Even a GTX 1060 can run this game at Ultra settings at 1080p. However, performance issues are quite common among PC video games. PC users report performance issues like Low FPS and stuttering and the following fixes and tweaks will help resolve them.
Update or Reinstall the GPU Driver
The current GPU driver is either outdated or incompatible with FH4, which is causing stutters and low FPS issues. Ensure you have installed the latest GPU drivers and do a clean installation.
Also, open Task Manager and check if there is any background process using too much CPU, GPU, or HDD. If there is such a background process, wait for it to complete. In case it’s taking too long, terminate that process.
Tweak Nvidia Control Panel Settings for FPS Boost
Some tweaks in the Nvidia Control Panel can make a lot of difference in in-game performance. I tweak these settings to ensure I get the most performance out of the GPU. Open Nvidia Control Panel > Manage 3D Settings > Program Settings > select Forza Horizon 4 and make the following changes.
Anti-aliasing-FXAA – “Off”
Anti-aliasing-Gamma Correction – “Off”
CUDA GPUs – “All”
Low Latency Mode – Ultra.
Set Power Management to “Prefer Maximum Performance”
Shader Cache – “On” only if you are using an HDD. Don’t need to enable it for an SSD.
Set Texture filtering – Quality to “High Performance”
Triple Buffering – “Off”
Set Vertical Sync to “Use the 3D application setting”
Apply these settings and not only it fixes stuttering, but players will also see a boost to FPS.
That is all for our Forza Horizon 4 fixes for errors and issues like Application-Specific Permission errors, in-game crashes, no Xbox One controller rumble/vibration, crashes at startup, and more. If you are facing errors and issues with other PC games or your PC then also see our hub for commonly occurring PC errors and their fixes.
