Thanks for providing the specs. First of all, I would like to point out that this game freeze
could be related to Windows 11 OS. Horizon 4 doesn’t always work as expected in Microsoft’s latest desktop platform.
Some players have posted on Microsoft’s support forum about Forza Horizon 4 not running. For them, the game is not even launching in Windows 11 or keeps crashing when they start it at least. But for some users, there are no such issues.
Some steps you can try out now:
1. Try re-installing the game from scratch. Uninstall and then re-install the game if need be.
2. Or, instead of reinstalling, since you have the game on STEAM, then you could also try to verify the integrity of the game cache files. Check this link:
Steam Support :: Verify Integrity of Game Files (steampowered.com)
3. Run the game as an ADMIN under Windows 11 OS. Right-click the desktop shortcut for Forza Horizon 4 and select
Properties. If you don’t have one, add a shortcut for it to the desktop by dragging the Horizon 4 app from the
Start menu.
Then click the
Compatibility tab on the game’s properties window. Select the
Run as administrator checkbox. Press the
Apply button, and click
OK to exit.
4. Some conflicting software might be causing this freeze issue.
"Sonic Audio, Discord, FRAPS, OBS, MSI Afterburner, Logitech G Hub, Nahimic Audio, Xsplit, and EVGA Precision" are some of the apps confirmed to conflict with Forza 4. By any chance are you using a Microphone for Horizon 4 ?
5. Try to reset the Forza Horizon 4 APP.
How to reset app not working on Windows 11 - Pureinfotech
6. Try updating the drivers for your GPU.
Unless I'm mistaken, you are running a very older version of the driver, 442.74 as mentioned by you. The latest driver for the
GT 1030 seems to be 528.24
WHQL for Windows 11 OS.
GeForce Game Ready Driver | 528.24 | Windows 10 64-bit, Windows 11 | NVIDIA
7. Try to disable any third-party antivirus software for the time being. There are quite a few anti-virus utilities that don’t mix well with Forza Horizon 4. AVG, Avast, Avira, Comodo Antivirus, and Emisoft Anti-Malware are among those confirmed to conflict with the game. So, it’s recommended to at least disable antivirus software before playing the game.
Alternatively, you could try adding Forza 4 to your antivirus utility’s exceptions list. Check the instructions on your antivirus utility’s website for further details about how to set up software exclusions for it.
8. Try doing a CLEAN boot of Windows 11 OS. This link might help.
How to perform a clean boot of Windows 11 | Windows Central
9.
Disable ALL background software or applications, including, Antivirus, Firewalls, and any FPS boosting or monitoring software.
Example list of virus checkers that will make the game not boot.
- Trend Micro Maximum Security
- Comodo Antivirus
- Sophos
- Emisoft Anti-Malware
- Avira
- Avast
- Bitdefender Firewall
- AVG
The following list of software applications examples can cause the game to either fail to launch or crash while playing. Please make sure you either
disable or
uninstall to ensure successful gameplay.
- 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
10. Enable the windows high performance power plan as shown below, if need be.
11. Download the VC_Redist runtime packages for Visual C++ 2005, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022.
Visual C++ Redistributable Runtimes All-in-One (Nov 2022) Download | TechPowerUp