Forza Horizon 6 Won’t Launch On Steam After Unpacking Game Files

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FH6 Not Launching On Steam After Unpacking Game Files

If Forza Horizon 6 won’t launch on Steam after unpacking the game files, you are not the only one having this problem.

Some PC players are reporting that after Steam finishes unpacking Forza Horizon 6, the game either does not open, crashes after a few seconds, or the Steam button simply goes back to Play with no error message.

A few players have also mentioned errors in Windows Event Viewer, including exception code 0xc0000409, while others have seen DLL errors such as xinput1_3.dll.

At the moment, this seems to be affecting some Steam users, so it could be an issue with the Steam version of Forza Horizon 6. But there are still a few fixes you can try before reinstalling the game or asking for a refund.

Forza Horizon 6 Not Opening On Steam

If Forza Horizon 6 is not opening after unpacking on Steam, try the fixes below one at a time.

Some of these fixes are based on things players have reported working, while others are general PC game fixes that can help with launch problems, Steam cache issues, and game files not opening correctly.

How To Fix Forza Horizon 6 Not Launching On Steam

1. Use Easy Gamer Utility To Clear Steam Cache Files

The first thing you can try is clearing your Steam cache files using Easy Gamer Utility.

If Forza Horizon 6 has just finished unpacking on Steam and now refuses to launch, there could be an issue with Steam cache files or temporary launcher data.

You can download Easy Gamer Utility here: https://computersluggish.com/downloads/easy-gamer-utility/

Easy Gamer Utility has a Clean section that lets you clear cache files for different game launchers, including Steam.

To clear Steam cache files:

  1. Open Easy Gamer Utility
  2. Click the Clean tab
  3. Select Game Launchers
  4. Find Clear Steam cache files
  5. Click Clean
  6. Restart Steam
  7. Try launching Forza Horizon 6 again

You can also use this section to clear cache files for other launchers if needed, such as Epic Games Launcher, Ubisoft Connect, EA App, Battle.net, Microsoft Store, and Riot Client.

2. Use Easy Gamer Utility Custom Game Fixing

Another option in Easy Gamer Utility is Custom Game Fixing. This lets you select the game’s exe file and attempt a fix based on the launcher you are using.

This can help with some game launch problems, especially if the game is failing to open correctly from Steam.

To use Custom Game Fixing for Forza Horizon 6:

  1. Open Easy Gamer Utility
  2. Click the Fix tab
  3. Select Custom Game Fixing
  4. Click Browse
  5. Find and select the Forza Horizon 6 exe file
  6. Choose the launcher the game uses, such as Steam
  7. Click Attempt Fix

Make sure Forza Horizon 6 and Steam are closed before running the fix.

You can also use the Attempt Deep Fix / Analyze option, but make sure you save any open work first before using it.

Once the fix has finished, restart your PC and try launching Forza Horizon 6 again.

3. Launch Forza Horizon 6 From The Local Files

Some players have reported that launching the game directly from the install folder worked for them.

To do this:

  1. Open Steam
  2. Go to your Library
  3. Right-click Forza Horizon 6
  4. Select Manage
  5. Click Browse local files
  6. Find the Forza Horizon 6 exe file
  7. Right-click it
  8. Select Run as administrator

This has not worked for everyone, but it is worth trying if Forza Horizon 6 does not launch from Steam.

4. Close MSI Afterburner And RTSS

Some players have said that closing MSI Afterburner and RTSS helped them launch the game.

RTSS stands for RivaTuner Statistics Server. It is often installed with MSI Afterburner and is used for things like FPS overlays, frame limiting, and on-screen stats.

If you have MSI Afterburner or RTSS running, close them fully from the system tray, then try opening Forza Horizon 6 again.

This may help if the game is crashing a few seconds after pressing Play on Steam.

5. Enable Detours Compatibility In RTSS

If you use RTSS and do not want to close it completely, another possible fix being mentioned by players is enabling Detours compatibility for the Forza Horizon 6 exe.

To try this:

  1. Open RTSS
  2. Add the Forza Horizon 6 exe as a profile
  3. Select the Forza Horizon 6 profile
  4. Click Setup
  5. Scroll down and enable Detours compatibility
  6. Apply the changes
  7. Try launching the game again

Some players have said this helped the game open after several failed launches.

6. Disable Game Overlays

Game overlays can sometimes stop new games from launching properly, especially on release day.

Try disabling overlays for:

  • Steam
  • NVIDIA
  • Discord
  • Xbox Game Bar
  • MSI Afterburner
  • RTSS

After turning them off, restart Steam and try launching Forza Horizon 6 again.

7. Verify The Forza Horizon 6 Game Files

If Forza Horizon 6 is not opening, it is worth verifying the game files in Steam.

Even if you have already done this once, you can try it again after restarting Steam.

To verify the game files:

  1. Open Steam
  2. Go to your Library
  3. Right-click Forza Horizon 6
  4. Click Properties
  5. Go to Installed Files
  6. Click Verify integrity of game files

Once Steam has finished checking the files, restart your PC and try launching the game again.

8. Restart Steam And Your PC

If Steam has only just finished unpacking Forza Horizon 6, restart Steam completely.

To do this:

  1. Close Steam
  2. Make sure Steam is not still running in the system tray
  3. Restart your PC
  4. Open Steam again
  5. Try launching Forza Horizon 6

This can help if Steam has got stuck after unpacking or installing the game.

9. Try Unplugging Your Controller

This sounds a bit random, but some players have mentioned controller-related issues when trying to launch the game.

If you have a controller plugged in, unplug it before opening Forza Horizon 6.

You can also try launching the game with no controller connected, then plug it back in once the game has opened.

10. Check For Windows And Driver Updates

Make sure Windows and your graphics driver are fully updated.

Forza Horizon 6 may not launch correctly if your PC is missing an important Windows update or graphics driver update.

Check for Windows updates:

  1. Right-click the Start menu
  2. Click Settings
  3. Go to Windows Update
  4. Click Check for updates
  5. Install anything available
  6. Restart your PC

Also make sure you have the latest driver installed for your NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel graphics card.

11. Wait For A Steam Patch Or Hotfix

If none of the fixes above work, then this could be a wider issue with the Steam version of Forza Horizon 6.

As multiple players are reporting the same issue after unpacking the game files, it may need a game update or hotfix to fully fix the problem.

Check out this video on what else you can do to fix FH6:

Final Thoughts

If Forza Horizon 6 is not launching on Steam after unpacking, start by using Easy Gamer Utility to clear the Steam cache files and run the Custom Game Fixing option.

It is also worth launching the game from the local files as administrator, closing MSI Afterburner and RTSS, disabling overlays, verifying the game files, and restarting Steam.

If Forza Horizon 6 still will not open, then it may be a Steam launch issue that needs to be fixed with an update.

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