A new Forza Horizon 5 “hotfix” update is hitting consoles and PCs today, with the issues of vanishing vehicles and infinite save loops at the center of attention.
The update comes in at just under 850MB on Xbox Series (v3.417.812.0), with slightly larger downloads noted on other platforms, so it isn’t quite as large as the first hotfix or the most recent update. However the range of issues it’s aimed at is also slightly less broad.
One of the main problems the hotfix looks to address was actually introduced by the previous update. This could cause Xbox Series players to experience a “soft lock” — manifesting as a seemingly unending black screen with a loading circle — after certain game actions. That included tuning, photo mode, and livery editing, among others.
While this issue was less severe following a small fix on December 7, the hotfix addresses what PG describes as “the root cause”, so players on the next-gen devices should have an easier time of it now.
The other main issue affects players across all devices covers disappearing cars. This applies to both players vanishing from Convoys — which could become invisible rather than truly disappearing — and “NPC” traffic which could vanish entirely.
In both cases this hotfix won’t correct everything, but PG does state that it has identified and addressed one issue for Convoys and has included a fix for civilian cars not appearing whole players are in Horizon Life mode. Other issues have been identified but are not yet corrected, and the team will — after a Christmas and New Year break — continue work on them.
The update notes also state that overall server stability has been improved too, along with an issue that stopped players jumping servers to join a Convoy.
One final issue that players have been vocal about relates to seasonal Festival Playlist challenges that cannot be completed. That covers three events from the first season and the Blazing Thunder Treasure Hunt in this week’s playlist. There is no fix for this yet but PG is aware of the issue and hopes to come up with a solution for players who’ve missed out on completion and rewards.
