Forza Horizon 6 crashing or won’t launch on PC? Playground’s official fixes: FH/FHC error codes, Gaming Services, 0x12c, conflicting apps

Forza Horizon 6, Playground Games’ open-world racing game set in Japan, has been out on PC (Steam and the Xbox app) since May 19, 2026, with Early Access from May 15. Its latest updates, Series 7 “City Life” (November 2) and the Series 7 HF1 hotfix (November 5), include “performance and stability fixes”, but the official Forza Support site still lists dedicated steps for PCs where the game crashes, shows an FH or FHC error code, or won’t start at all. Here is what Forza Support says, as read on November 12, 2026. TricknFix did not test these steps itself: they are the developer’s instructions, not a guarantee. Try them in order and test the game after each one.

1. Check the PC requirements and supported graphics cards

• Minimum (Steam page): Windows 10 22H2 (version 19045) or higher, Intel i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 1600, 16 GB RAM, NVIDIA GTX 1650, AMD RX 6500 XT or Intel Arc A380, DirectX 12. Recommended: Intel i5-12400F or Ryzen 5 5600X, 16 GB RAM, RTX 3060 Ti, RX 6700 XT or Arc A580. An SSD is required and the game needs 167 GB of free space.
• NVIDIA: the minimum supported architecture is Turing. Forza Support says the game is not guaranteed to work on Pascal cards and older (for example GTX 1070 and GTX 1080), which no longer get driver support and may have stability and performance issues.
• AMD: Forza Horizon 6 will not work on Polaris or Vega cards and older (for example Radeon 400 and 500 series).
• Operating system: the PC version is supported on Windows 10/11 and on Steam Deck devices running SteamOS. Linux is not supported, and Forza Support closes bug reports from Linux, Pascal or Polaris/Vega setups.

2. Read the error code: what FH101, FH202, FHC01 and the others mean

• Startup codes: FH101 = fewer than 6 logical processors/threads; FH113 = update your motherboard BIOS; FH201, FH203, FH204, FH205 and FH206 = the graphics card does not support the required DirectX 12 features (check the minimum GPU and update drivers); FH202 = less than 4 GB of video memory (VRAM); FH301 = the graphics driver must be updated; FH302 = check the minimum GPU and drivers; FH401 = not enough system memory.
• FH601 = the game cannot load Microsoft Media Foundation; Forza Support links to the Media Feature Pack, which may need installing: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=48231
• Crash dialogs while playing: FHC = graphics card crash (FHC01 on supported drivers and OS, FHC11 on unsupported drivers or hardware such as a GTX 10 series card, FHC21 on an unsupported OS such as Linux); FHD = the GPU ran out of video memory; FHE = game crash (FHE01, FHE11, FHE21 on the same logic); FHF = the PC ran out of system memory.
• For FHC and FHE codes, Forza Support’s advice is to update to the latest GPU driver. If the error persists on supported hardware and Windows, report it on the Forza Feedback Portal. Take a screenshot of the error dialog: support asks for it in crash tickets.

3. Update Gaming Services (Steam players too)

• All PC players, including on Steam, need an up-to-date Gaming Services app. The minimum supported version is 37.114.10001.0. If you see “Invalid Gaming Services Detected” at startup, this is the fix.
• To update it: open the Microsoft Store > Downloads (bottom left) > Check for updates, then click Update next to Gaming Services. If only “Open” or “Installed” is shown, you are already up to date. You can also install it from its Microsoft Store page (product 9MWPM2CQNLHN).
• To check the version: Settings > Apps > Installed apps > search “Gaming Services” > “...” > Advanced options. The version number must be 37.114.10001.0 or higher.
• Forza Support adds that the fixes for lost saves on Windows PC (including Steam) were delivered through Gaming Services, so this update also matters for your progress.

4. Install the latest game update, Windows updates and GPU drivers

• The latest version listed by Forza Support as of November 12, 2026 is Series 7 HF1 (November 5): 3.483.970.0 in the Xbox app and 1.483.970.0 on Steam. It follows Series 7 CU (November 2: 3.479.874.0 / Steam 1.479.874.0), which lists “performance and stability fixes”.
• Install all Windows updates, then perform a complete shutdown and restart (not just a restart).
• Update your graphics driver to the latest version from NVIDIA, AMD or Intel.
• Forza Horizon 5 and 6 are among the games in Microsoft’s list of titles supporting Advanced Shader Delivery on Windows 11; see our article: https://tricknfix.com/articles/windows-11-advanced-shader-delivery-amd-intel-nvidia-qualcomm-requirements/

5. Error 0x12c, game won’t start: enable AES in the BIOS

• Forza Support’s Known Issues page lists “Error 0x12c game won’t start” on PC, with an identified workaround: enable Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) in your BIOS. The exact menu name depends on your motherboard; check its manual.
• If you get FH113 instead, Forza Support asks you to install the latest BIOS update for your processor.

6. Close conflicting apps, overlays and antivirus software

• Forza Support asks you to disable all background software, including antivirus, firewalls and FPS boosting or monitoring tools. Antivirus examples it gives: Trend Micro Maximum Security, Comodo Antivirus, Sophos, Emsisoft Anti-Malware, Avira, Avast, Bitdefender Firewall and AVG. Sophos Home users can add a local exclusion for the game’s .exe file.
• Apps it says can stop the game from launching or make it crash: Logitech G Hub, MSI Afterburner / RivaTuner Statistics Server, EVGA Precision, OBS, XSplit, MacType, the Warsaw banking app, Wallpaper Engine, A-Volute Sound Studio, Sonic Audio, WeMod, the Interception driver, SeeThroughWindows and Nahimic. With OBS or XSplit, set the source to display capture.
• Overlays (Discord, the NVIDIA overlay, Fraps-style capture or monitoring tools) and input tools such as Interceptor can also interfere. Windhawk users should add the game’s process to Windhawk’s exclusion list.
• Also turn off power-monitoring software (MSI Dragon Center, Ryzen Master, Killer Control Center’s Gamefast), disable RAPID mode in Samsung Magician, and avoid unsigned drivers. If nothing helps, perform a Windows clean boot to find the conflicting program.

7. Windows-side resets that Forza Support recommends

• Sign in with a local administrator account and launch the game as administrator.
• Make sure the PC’s date and time are correct (untick and re-tick “Set time zone automatically”, then reboot).
• Clear your Xbox credentials: Credential Manager > Windows Credentials > Generic Credentials, remove every entry starting with “Xbl”. You may have to sign back in to other apps.
• Reset the game and the Microsoft Store app (Settings > Apps > the app > Advanced options > Reset), run WSRESET as administrator, and repair Gaming Services (Settings > Apps > Gaming Services > Advanced options > Repair). As a last resort, Forza Support gives PowerShell commands to remove and reinstall Gaming Services.
• Check that your Microsoft account has fewer than 10 devices (account.microsoft.com > Devices), reinstall the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable, and try Windows Game Mode both on and off.

8. Crash with no error message: check Event Viewer and your RAM

• Open Event Viewer > Windows Logs > Application, sort by date and time, and look for an “Application Error” at the time of the crash.
• If the details show an exception code such as 0xc0000005, 0xc000001d, 0xc0000409, 0xe06d7363, 0xc0000374, 0xc00000fd, 0x80000003, 0xc0000096, 0xc0000094 or 0xc0000006, Forza Support asks you to report it to Microsoft’s Windows support and to open a Feedback Hub report.
• Forza Support also suggests running a memory test (MemTest) to rule out a RAM problem.

9. Lost or reset save: what to do

• Keep Gaming Services up to date (37.114.10001.0 or higher). Since the July 13, 2026 update, if data loss happens, a conflict dialog appears the next time you load the game: choose the Cloud save option to restore your most recent saved version.
• To reduce the risk: be online when you quit, let the save sync to the cloud before turning off or switching devices, don’t force-quit during save screens and don’t power off during gameplay. Take extra care if you switch between PCs, Steam and Cloud Gaming.
• If progress is still lost, open a ticket with Forza Support the same day, and avoid starting new sessions until support has reviewed your case.

10. Other known PC issues

• Audio crackles may occur on low-spec PCs (known issue).
• Long loading times after long play sessions: restarting the game should fix it, according to the Known Issues page.
• Forza Support now tracks known issues and their status on the Forza Feedback Portal (an Atlassian account is required): search for your problem and vote or comment on the existing report rather than opening a duplicate.

11. Still broken? Contact Forza Support

• Submit a ticket from the Forza Support site and attach your event logs (Event Viewer > Windows Logs > Application > Save Selected Events), a DxDiag report (Win+R > dxdiag) and a screenshot of the error code. Never share your account password. Main troubleshooting page: https://support.forza.net/hc/en-us/articles/360007593074-My-Game-is-Not-Launching-or-is-Crashing-on-PC

Sources (Forza Support and Steam, read November 12, 2026)

• Forza Support, “My Game is Not Launching or is Crashing on PC” (updated June 9, 2026): https://support.forza.net/hc/en-us/articles/360007593074-My-Game-is-Not-Launching-or-is-Crashing-on-PC
• Forza Support, “Forza Horizon 6 PC Crash Error Codes” (updated June 23, 2026): https://support.forza.net/hc/en-us/articles/51642089902739-Forza-Horizon-6-PC-Crash-Error-Codes
• Forza Support, “Update Gaming Services Before Playing Forza Horizon 6 on PC” (updated June 12, 2026): https://support.forza.net/hc/en-us/articles/51646424423827-Update-Gaming-Services-Before-Playing-Forza-Horizon-6-on-PC
• Forza Support, “Forza Horizon 6 PC Specs” (updated June 9, 2026): https://support.forza.net/hc/en-us/articles/50088215399827-Forza-Horizon-6-PC-Specs
• Forza Support, “Forza Horizon 6 Known Issues” (updated November 6, 2026): https://support.forza.net/hc/en-us/articles/51701860097811-Forza-Horizon-6-Known-Issues
• Forza Support, “Notice Regarding Lost Save Issues in Forza Horizon 6” (update 5, August 5, 2026): https://support.forza.net/hc/en-us/articles/52517543779859-Notice-Regarding-Lost-Save-Issues-in-Forza-Horizon-6
• Forza Support, “FH6 Release Notes: November 2, 2026” (Series 7 CU) and “FH6 Release Notes: November 5, 2026” (Series 7 HF1): https://support.forza.net/hc/en-us/articles/57179145129363-FH6-Release-Notes-November-5-2026
• Steam store page, Forza Horizon 6 (system requirements, 167 GB, SSD required): https://store.steampowered.com/app/2483190/