The most anticipated racer of the year, Forza Horizon 5, was premiered on November 5th and officially released on the 9th. Like any new title, you can expect that it comes with bugs and glitches. Many players are actually reporting severe lags and connection issues while playing Forza Horizon 5. If you’re in the same boat, no worries! We’ve prepared a few working fixes for you to try.

Try these fixes…

You don’t have to try them all, just work your way down the list until you find the one that does the trick!

1: Shut down bandwidth-hogging programs

2: Test your internet connection

3: Update your network driver

4: Allow Forza Horizon 5 through the firewall

5: Set the game process priority to high

6: Configure your DNS settings

7: Lower in-game settings

Before we dive into anything advanced, make sure you check the server status first by checking the Forza Support Twitter. If everything seems fine on the server end, you can proceed to the troubleshooting steps on your end.

Fix 1: Shut down bandwidth-hogging programs

The first thing you can do is to make sure you’re not loading videos or running bandwidth-hogging programs in the background. You can check the bandwidth usage via Task Manager, and shut down the programs that seem to hog your network and slow down your game. Here’s how:

  1. Right-click your taskbar, then click Task Manager.
  2. In the Network column, select the bandwidth-hogging program(s), then click End Task.

Hopefully the lagging issue doesn’t return after you close the bandwidth-hogging programs. If that’s the case, we’d suggest you play FH5 with the least programs running in the background according to your internet service capacity. Or, consult your internet service provider and consider upgrading your plan.

If the lagging issue persists, try the next fix.

Fix 2: Test your internet connection

Lagging issues are network-related, so we should also test the internet connection to see if it needs a refresh. Here are a few basic troubleshooting steps you can try:

  • Try to power cycle your router and modem. Unplug the power cables from your router and your modem, leave them disconnected for at least 30 seconds, then plug the cables back into both devices. When your Internet is working again, run Forza Horizon 5 to see if the game still lags.
  • If you’re playing on Wi-Fi, you don’t want other devices sharing the same network to cause overcrowding. You can try turning off the Wi-Fi feature on the devices you don’t use at the moment, or disconnect them from the Wi-Fi temporarily.
  • If possible, play on an ethernet connection. It’ll provide a more stable and reliable connection.
  • If your internet is slow, it could lead to an unstable connection. You can google “Internet speed test” and pick a tool to test your Internet speed. However, when your Internet connection is unreasonably slow, consider contacting your Internet provider for help.

If your internet connection is just fine and you still encounter lags while playing Forza Horizon 5, try the next fix.

Fix 3: Update your network driver

In-game lags may indicate a driver issue. If your network adapter driver is outdated or faulty, it could cause random connection issues and thus trigger the lagging issue in Forza Horizon 5. You may want to make sure your network driver is up-to-date and functioning properly.

There are two ways you can get the right driver for your network adapter: manually or automatically.

Manual driver update – You can update the network adapter driver via Device Manager. If Windows fails to detect the latest available update, you can search on the manufacturer sites. Be sure to choose only the driver that is compatible with your Windows version.

Automatic driver update – If you don’t have the time, patience, or computer skills to update your driver manually, you can, instead, do it automatically with Driver Easy. Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and find the correct driver for your exact network adapter and your Windows version, then it will download and install the driver correctly:

1) Download and install Driver Easy.

2) Run Driver Easy and click the Scan Now button. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any problem drivers.

3) Click the Update button next to the flagged network adapter driver to automatically download the correct version of the driver, then you can manually install it (you can do this with the FREE version).

Or click Update All to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system. (This requires the Pro version which comes with full support and a 30-day money-back guarantee. You’ll be prompted to upgrade when you click Update All.)

The Pro version of Driver Easy comes with full technical support.
If you need assistance, please contact Driver Easy’s support team at support@drivereasy.com.

Restart your PC for the new driver to take effect. If updating the network driver doesn’t solve your problem, move on to the next fix.

Fix 4: Allow Forza Horizon 5 through the firewall

Your firewall may block Forza Horizon 5’s connection to the server, and thus trigger the in-game lags. You can check if the game is allowed through the firewall, and configure the settings if needed. Here’s how:

Check if your firewall has blocked Forza Horizon 5

  1. Press the Windows logo key and R to invoke the Run box.
  2. Type control panel, then click OK.
  3. Switch to View by: small icons, then click Windows Defender Firewall.
  4. Click Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall.
  5. Scroll down to see if Forza Horizon 5 is on the exception list. If so, that means the game is allowed through your firewall, and you can jump to the next fix. If you can’t find Forza Horizon 5 in the exception list, follow the steps below to unblock the game.

Add Forza Horizon 5 to the exception list

  1. Click Change settings, then click Allow another app.
  2. Click Browse.
  3. Navigate to Forza Horizon 5 game folders and add the game executable to the list.
  4. Find Forza Horizon 5 on the list, tick the checkbox of Private network, and click OK.

    This will ensure your firewall won’t block Forza Horizon 5 when you’re using a private network, for example, your home Wi-Fi. For safety reasons, we recommend you only select the private network, but you’re welcome to allow the game through all types of networks if needed.

If the lagging issue persists, try the next fix.

Fix 5: Set the game process priority to high

Some players have been able to solve the lagging issue by setting the game process as a high-priority task. Although there’s no guarantee, it’s a quick fix and definitely worth trying. Here’s how:

  1. Press Ctrl and Shift and Esc on the keyboard to open Task Manager.
  2. Go to the Details tab. Right-click Forza Horizon 5 and set the priority to high.

If this fix doesn’t help with your problem, try the next fix.

Fix 6: Configure your DNS settings

Corrupted DNS caches may cause random connection issues. If you’ve tried the above fixes and nothing worked, you may want to give this fix a try and configure your DNS settings. To fix the lag issues, there are two things you can do:

1: Flush your DNS

2: Switch to a public DNS server

1: Flush your DNS

Flushing DNS will clear the DNS cache from your PC. When the DNS cache is removed, your PC will need to obtain the data from the DNS server every time it needs to access a new website. This may solve the lagging issue in Forza Horizon 5 if it’s triggered by invalid or corrupt DNS cache data

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Press the Windows logo key and R on your keyboard to invoke the Run box.
  2. Type cmd, then press Shift and Enter at the same time. If prompted for permission, click Yes.
  3. Copy ipconfig /flushdns, and paste it in the pop-up window. Then press Enter.
  4. Your DNS cache is successfully cleared.

2: Switch to a public DNS server

We also recommend using a public DNS server to test the issue. Here we’ll use the Google DNS server as an example. Below are the steps:

  1. On your taskbar, right-click the network icon, then click Open Network & Internet settings.
  2. Click Change adapter options.
  3. Right-click the network you’re using, then click Properties.
  4. Select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), then click Properties.
  5. Select Use the following DNS server addresses, fill in the Google DNS server addresses as below, then click OK.

    Preferred DNS server: 8.8.8.8
    Alternate DNS server: 8.8.4.4

If this fix doesn’t solve your problem, no worries, there’s one more fix you can try.

Fix 7: Lower in-game settings

Some players reported that lowering the in-game graphics settings has helped with the lags. We understand that it’s such a bummer that you can’t play on ultra or extreme when you have a powerful PC, but it’s still worth a try. You can try playing on medium settings to see if the lags are gone.

There are some particular settings that players find relevant to the lag issues. You can set Environment Texture Quality to high instead of ultra and extreme. Also, try lowering the Texture Solution.

Hopefully this article is helpful! Please feel free to leave a comment down below if you have any questions or suggestions!

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