Fix: Horizon Zero Dawn Stuttering, Lags, or Freezing constantly
Horizon Zero Dawn is a popular action role-playing video game developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2017. It’s...
Abd Razaaq
Last updated on January 1, 2023
Abd Razaaq
Author
I'm a Tech Content Writer and Full-Time blogger. Since I love Android and Google's device, I started my career in writing for Android OS and their features. This led me to start "GetDroidTips". I have completed Master of Business Administration at Mangalore University, Karnataka.
Horizon Zero Dawn is a popular action role-playing video game developed by Guerrilla Games and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2017. It’s available for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4 platforms. The game requires enough hardware configuration to run properly, especially for PC. Not everyone may have such a configuration to run the game in full resolution and higher FPS. It’s quite common for most PC titles because they’re performance-hungry. Here we’ve provided steps to fix Horizon Zero Dawn Stuttering and Lags issues.
Unfortunately, some Horizon Zero Dawn PC players are experiencing multiple issues like stuttering, lags, crashes, frame drops, etc., while in gameplay. Depending on the compatibility factor, it can be a severe issue on some PCs. So, it’s always better to fix the issue so that at least you can play the game with a respectable FPS count. There may be several reasons behind such an issue that can be resolved by following this guide.
Check System Requirements
Check out the system requirements of the Horizon Zero Dawn game below to ensure that your PC configuration meets the game’s system requirements.
Minimum Requirements:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 10 64-bits
Processor: Intel Core i5-2500K@3.3GHz or AMD FX 6300@3.5GHz
Fixing in-game lags or frame drop issues isn’t easy because it depends on multiple factors such as PC hardware, the display resolution of the game, maximum FPS limit count, conflicting third-party apps, and more. So, we recommend you try following all the methods one by one until the problem gets fixed or reduced. Mostly changing the in-game graphics-related settings or keeping them low can fix several problems in a jiffy.
It may include the Screen Resolution of the game, in-game Texture Resolution, Shadow Resolution, Maximum Frame rate, number of Characters Displayed, or other visual effects that require higher graphics or memory. So, you can follow the steps below to try reducing the lags or frame drops up to some extent depending on which resolution and quality you’re playing the game apart from FPS count.
1. Use Launch Options
Open your Steam client > Go to Library > Right-click on Horizon Zero Dawn.
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
Make sure to run the game exe file as an administrator to avoid user account control regarding privilege issues. You should also run the Steam client as an administrator on your PC. To do this:
Right-click on the Horizon Zero Dawn 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 Zero Dawn game task.
Select Set Priority to High.
Close Task Manager.
Finally, run the Horizon Zero Dawn game to check for the issue.
5. Verify the Integrity of Game Files
If there is an issue with the game files and somehow get corrupted or missing, then make sure to perform this method to check for the issue easily. To do so:
For Steam Users:
Launch Steam > Click on Library.
Right-click on Horizon Zero Dawn 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, just restart your computer.
For Epic Launcher:
6. Change GPU Settings
Make sure to change the graphics card settings on the PC by following the steps below to check whether the problem has been fixed.
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 Zero Dawn’ 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. You should try disabling it by following the steps below:
Locate the Horizon Zero Dawn game directory.
Find and right-click on the Horizon Zero Dawn.exe file.
Select Properties > Click on the Compatibility tab.
Checkmark the ‘Disable Full-Screen Optimizations’ box.
Now, click on the ‘Change high DPI setting’s 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 Zero Dawn
If in case, you haven’t updated your Horizon Zero Dawn game for a while then make sure to follow the steps below to check for updates and install the latest patch (if available). To do this:
For Steam:
Open the Steam client > Go to Library > Click on Horizon Zero Dawn from the left pane.
It’ll automatically search for the available update. If there is an update available, make sure to click on Update.
It may take some time to install the update > Once done, make sure to close the Steam client.
Finally, reboot your PC to apply changes, and then try launching the game again.
For Epic Launcher:
Open the Epic Launcher client > Go to Library > Look for Horizon Zero Dawn from the left pane.
You must tap on the three-dot icon on your Horizon Zero Dawn application.
Make sure to check the auto-update to get a new update installation automatically.
It’ll automatically search for the available update. If there is an update available, make sure to click on Update.
Finally, reboot your PC to apply changes, and then try launching the game again
That’s it, guys. We assume this guide is useful to you. For further queries, you can comment below.
