Occasionally the software stops after short intervals
Occasionally the software stops after short intervals
I'm experiencing issues with Forza Horizon 4. The game freezes after about ten minutes and sometimes shuts down completely. Task Manager displays minimal CPU activity—under 2%—and high memory usage, yet GPU usage remains low. My Windows installation is fresh, but I've faced similar problems on Windows 11, so I switched to a more stable version like Windows 10 LTSC 21H2 about a week ago. The game is up to date via Steam, and my drivers are current. Only background apps—Discord, Microsoft Edge, Steam, and the game itself—are running. My suspicion is either a slow hard drive or insufficient RAM, though I'm not certain. Both my HDD and RAM hit maximum capacity during gameplay. The GPU stays at around 90% usage, CPU rarely goes above 20%, and FPS stays steady at 85. I'm upgrading my PC on a tight budget and want to identify the exact component to fix this. Details: Ryzen 5 5600G, PNY GTX 1650, 4GB DDR4 RAM, WDC 500GB HDD, 5600RPM, installed Windows on separate 120GB SSD.
Consider reinstalling the drivers and check the event viewer for any hints. Problems seem linked to game updates. Do these issues appear in other titles? Does reducing graphics quality help resolve them?
I attempted driver versions 527.56 and 528.02 following a fresh installation, even after installing the AMD auto-detect chipset. Both high and medium configurations fail—always causing crashes after over 20 minutes. It happens even when navigating menus, with no dramatic visuals. The thermal readings are normal; CPU stays under 56°C and GPU under 65°C. I didn’t capture HwINFO at the time due to a power outage (I can do it again if needed). Only RAM and the storage drive showed heavy usage, and the game was up to date via Steam. I haven’t tried many other titles on my new 5600G yet, but I experienced the same issue with Apex Legends using a Ryzen 3 2200G and GTX 1650. After upgrading the CPU it resolved for that game, but now I’m facing the same problem with FH4.
I’d have suggested using the drive even if it wasn’t outdated or slow. HDDs tend to be more prone to data integrity problems, and it looks like bad sectors are present on the drive despite the OS reinstall. SATA SSDs are affordable because you’ve already upgraded to larger storage; purchasing a 500GB or higher SSD would be a solid improvement. RAM usage is probably within normal ranges.
Alright the problem is solved. Turns out it was GPU Driver issue, especially with newer NVIDIA drivers that cause Forza Horizon 4 specially to crash. Very widespread issue that NVIDIA and Devs have acknowledged, however didn't resolve. GeForce GRD 527.37 Feedback Thread (Released 12/1/ | NVIDIA GeForce Forums NVIDIA Related Game Crashes :: Forza Horizon 4 General Discussions (Opinon, Feedback, Discussions) (steamcommunity.com) Downgrading to version earlier than 522.25 solved it. No more crashes.