- OS: Windows 10 64-bit (version 1909 or higher)
- Processor: Intel Core i5-8600 or AMD Ryzen 5 3600
- Memory: 16 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 or AMD Radeon RX 5700
- Storage: 150 GB available space
- Additional Notes: 150GB SSD Space
Fix: Horizon Forbidden West Stuttering and Lags Badly
In-game lags and frame drops are complicated issues that depend on several factors, such as PC hardware, display resolution, maximum FPS limit count, and third-party apps. Try each method individually until the issue is resolved. One quick fix is to adjust in-game graphics-related settings. To reduce lags and frame drops, consider screen resolution, texture and shadow resolution, maximum frame rate, and the number of characters displayed.
1. Use Launch Options
- Open your Steam client > Go to Library > Right-click on Horizon Forbidden West.
- Select Properties > On the General tab, you’ll find Launch Options.
- Enter the launch options -fullscreen = Forces the engine to start in fullscreen mode.
2. Update Graphics Drivers
- Right-click on the Start Menu to open up the Quick Access Menu.
- Click on Device Manager from the list.
- Now, double-click on the Display Adapters category to expand the list.
- Then, right-click on the dedicated graphics card name.
- Select Update driver > Choose Search automatically for drivers.
- An update will automatically download and install the latest version if available.
- Once done, make sure to reboot your computer to change the effects.
3. Run the game as an administrator
Running the game exe file and the Steam client as administrator can prevent privilege issues and user account control.
- Right-click on Horizon Forbidden West exe shortcut file on your PC.
- Now, select Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.
- Make sure to click on the Run this program as an administrator checkbox to checkmark it.
- Click on Apply and select OK to save changes.
4. Set High Priority in Task Manager
Make your game priority in the higher segment via the Task Manager to tell your Windows system to run the game properly. To do this:
- Right-click on the Start Menu > Select Task Manager.
- Click on the Processes tab > Right-click on the Horizon Forbidden West game task.
- Select Set Priority to High.
- Close Task Manager.
- Finally, run the Horizon Forbidden West game to check for the issue.
5. Verify the Integrity of Game Files
If there is an issue with game files getting corrupted or missing, use this method to check for the problem easily.
- Launch Steam > Click on Library.
- Right-click on Horizon Forbidden West from the list of installed games.
- Now, click on Properties > Go to Local Files.
- Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
- You’ll have to wait for the process until it gets completed.
- Once done, restart your computer.
6. Change GPU Settings
It is important to check the PC’s graphics card settings to determine if any issues have been resolved. Follow the steps below to make sure the settings are correct.
For Nvidia:
- Open up Nvidia’s Control Panel > Right-click on the desktop screen.
- Click on Nvidia Control Panel > Click on Manage 3D Settings.
- Select Program Settings > Find ‘Horizon Forbidden West’ and manually add the game if it’s not in the list:
- Monitor Tech: G-Sync (If available)
- Maximum Pre-rendered frames: 2
- Threaded optimization: On
- Power Management: Prefer Maximum Performance
- Texture Filtering – Quality: Performance
For AMD:
- Monitor Tech: G-Sync (If available)
- Maximum Pre-rendered frames: 2
- Threaded optimization: On
- Power Management: Prefer Maximum Performance
- Texture Filtering – Quality: Performance
7. Disable Fullscreen Optimizations
Full-screen optimization and DPI settings are the default ones on Windows. It would be best if you tried disabling it by following the steps below:
- Locate the Horizon Forbidden West game directory.
- Find and right-click on the Horizon Forbidden West.exe file.
- Select Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.
- Checkmark the ‘Disable Full-Screen Optimizations’ box.
- Now, click on the ‘Change high DPI setting button.
- Checkmark the ‘Override high DPI scaling behavior’ > Select ‘Application’ from the drop-down menu.
- Click on Apply and then OK to save changes.
8. Update Horizon Forbidden West
If you haven’t recently updated your Horizon Forbidden West game, follow these steps to check for updates and install the latest patch.
- Open the Steam client > Go to Library > Click on Horizon Forbidden West from the left pane.
- It’ll automatically search for the available update. If an update is available, make sure to click on Update.
- Installing the update > and closing the Steam client may take some time.
- Finally, reboot your PC to apply changes, and then try relaunching the game.
That’s it, guys. We assume this guide is useful to you. If you have further queries, you can comment below.
