How to Fix Forza Horizon 5 Connection Issues

The much-awaited Forza Horizon 5, developed by Playground Games and released by Xbox Game Studios, finally debuted on Xbox and Windows platforms in November 2021. Despite being the fifth installment in the acclaimed Forza Horizon series, it hasn’t been immune to bugs or errors, causing some concerns among players. Notably, several users have reported experiencing connection issues with Forza Horizon 5.

If you find yourself frequently disconnected from the server or unable to join due to a timed-out request, rest assured, you’re not alone. Many reports indicate that the “server disconnection play solo” error message has become a prevalent issue among Forza Horizon 5 players. Interestingly, this issue has persisted since the game’s early access phase, leading to some surprise that the developers haven’t yet resolved this persistent problem.

How to Fix Forza Horizon 5 Connection Issues

Meanwhile, we should say that sometimes the connection issue may appear due to internet connectivity or server-side outage in some regions or for any gaming platform. As per the reports, either the players are unable to join the server online, or the stability of the connection isn’t good enough, which leads to the connection being disconnected most of the time.

In both scenarios, affected players might irritate a lot. In some cases, even after having a stable and faster internet connection, several Forza Horizon 5 players are still encountering connection issues, irrespective of the unexpected platform. It’s always recommended to check for the possible workarounds below and try fixing the connectivity issue manually. Otherwise, the affected players won’t be able to play the game online.

1. Update Forza Horizon 5

Check for the Forza Horizon 5 game update because sometimes the game version becomes outdated or buggy that requires a new patch fix update. It’s worth mentioning that developers have recently released a server-side patch fix. So, you should always check for the game patch update from the client and install it. Launch the Steam client > Go to Games Library > Click on Forza Horizon 5 > If the update is available, install it.

2. Check Forza Horizon 5 Status

If you feel that there is some issue with the game server then make sure to check the official Forza Support Twitter handle for further info or reports. Additionally, you can visit the third-party Down Detector Forza Motorsport page to check for the server status. At the time of writing this article, it seems that the game has some issues at the server-side that have been reported by the players within a couple of days.

However, if you’re seeing that the game server is going well then make sure to follow other workarounds to fix the online connectivity issue.

3. Check your Internet Connection

You should also check for the internet connection at your side whether the network connectivity has some issues or not. Try checking the Wi-Fi or wired (ethernet) connection to cross-check the issue. You can also reboot the gaming device as well as turn off and on the network connection to refresh the system or networking glitch.

4. Try Switching Internet Connection

Make sure to switch your internet connection from wireless (Wi-Fi) to wired (ethernet) or vice versa to check for the issue properly. Sometimes switching the internet connection manually can fix several glitches or connectivity issues completely.

5. Power Cycle your Wi-Fi Router

If the above methods didn’t work for you, try performing the power cycle of your Wi-Fi router properly by following the steps below to refresh the internet connection glitch. To do so:

• Power off the Wi-Fi router > Unplug the power cable from the router.
• Next, wait for around 30 seconds then plug back the power cable into the router.
• Turn on the router and check for the connectivity issue again.

6. Repair Game Files

If there is an issue with the game files and the game consistently crashes or can’t connect to the server online that means the game files become corrupted or missing. So, make sure to repair the game files by following the steps below:

• Launch Steam > Click on Library.
• Right-click on Forza Horizon 5 from the list of installed games.
• Now, click on Properties > Go to Local Files.

• Click on Verify Integrity of Game Files.
• Now, wait for the process to get completed.
• Once done, just restart your computer to change effects immediately.

7. Turn Off IPv6 Connection from Wi-Fi

Make sure to turn off IPv6 (Internet Protocol Version 6) on the computer under the network properties section by following the steps below. If your internet network doesn’t support IPv6 then it’s worth mentioning to turn it off.

• Press the Windows + I keys to open Windows Settings.
• Click on Network and Internet from the left pane window.
• Go to Status > Click on Change Adapter Options.
• Now, right-click on the network connection that you’re currently using.
• Select Properties > Search for the Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6) option from the list.
• Make sure to uncheck or disable the option and click on OK to save changes.
• Finally, reboot your PC to apply changes.

8. Flush DNS on Windows

Maybe the IP configuration or DNS server has become corrupted for some unexpected reason on your Windows PC that should be fixed manually by flushing the DNS server configuration on your computer. To do this:

• Click on the Start menu > Type cmd in the search bar.
• Right-click on Command Prompt from the search result.
• Click on Yes if prompted by UAC and the command prompt window will open.
• Type the following command line and hit Enter to flush the DNS server configuration on your PC:

ipconfig /flushdns

• This method will successfully flush the DNS Resolver Cache on your computer.
• Finally, reboot the PC, and try connecting to the Forza Horizon 5 game server again.

9. Turn Off Antivirus and Firewall Programs

It may be possible that your default Windows Defender Firewall protection or any third-party antivirus program is somehow blocking the ongoing connection from your computer to protect the device security. So, you should try turning off the antivirus program or Firewall program on the PC to check for the issue. To do this:

• Click on the Start Menu > Type firewall.
• Select Windows Defender Firewall from the search result.
• Now, click on Turn Windows Defender Firewall on or off from the left pane.

• A new page will open > Select the Turn off Windows Defender Firewall (not recommended) option for both the Private & Public Network Settings.

• Once selected, click on OK to save changes.
• Finally, restart your computer.

Similarly, you have to turn off the Windows Security protection too. Just follow the steps below:

1. Press Windows + I keys to open the Windows Settings menu.

2. Click on Update & Security > Click on Windows Security from the left pane.

3. Now, click on the Open Windows Security button.

4. Go to Virus & threat protection > Click on Manage settings.

5. Next, you’ll need to simply turn off the Real-time protection toggle.

6. If prompted, click on Yes to proceed further.

7. Additionally, you can also turn off Cloud-delivered protection, Tamper protection if you want.

10. Uninstall other conflicting applications

It seems that there are a bunch of third-party conflicting applications available in the market that does offer useful features but eventually your PC will degrade in performance. Make sure to check out whether any of the following programs have been installed on your PC or not. If so, try uninstalling them to ensure everything works fine or not.

The conflicting third-party apps for Windows have a bad reputation of occurring several issues with the game launching or stable gameplay. You may find apps like A-Volute Sound Studio, Discord, Logitech G Hub, EVGA Precision, MacType, MSI Afterburner, Riva Tuner, Nahimic Audio, OBS, Sonic Audio, Wallpaper Engine, Warsaw Banking app, Xsplit, Nvidia GeForce Experience app, some other overlay apps or RGB lighting effect software, etc.

11. Disable Overlay apps

Sometimes overlay applications can cause several issues whatsoever that basically run in the background while playing games and reduce system performance. So, it’s always better to disable overlay apps completely to check for the issue further. To do this:

Disable Discord Overlay

• Open the Discord app > Click on the gear icon at the bottom.
• Click on Overlay under App Settings > Turn on the Enable in-game overlay.
• Click on the Games tab > Select Forza Horizon.
• Finally, turn off the Enable in-game overlay toggle.
• Make sure to reboot your PC to apply changes.

Disable Xbox Game Bar

• Press Windows + I keys to open Windows Settings.
• Click on Gaming > Go to Game Bar > Turn off Record game clips, screenshots, and broadcast using Game bar option.

If in case, you’re unable to find out the Game Bar option then just search for it from the Windows Settings menu.

Disable Nvidia GeForce Experience Overlay

• Open the Nvidia GeForce Experience app > Head over to Settings.
• Click on the General tab > Disable the In-Game Overlay option.
• Finally, restart the PC to apply changes, and launch the Forza Horizon 5 game again.

12. Contact Forza Horizon Support

If none of the methods worked for you, try contacting Forza Horizon Support for further assistance. In most cases, the official support team can resolve the issue or submit your feedback to the developers quickly than usual.

That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. For further queries, you can comment below.