@shivoa: That aint the complete settings, it may be the parts you have changed and want saved but its not the complete file. Also they do want everyone to run their "dynamic" settings. They dont want every supportcall after a patch to start with "wipe your settings and restart the game".

So comparing my pre-patch experience (where I only really saw crashes with the DLC menu and jumping into the store page while the DLC was broken for everyone) with post-patch, it sure does crash a lot more now on my system. Like, I've not been able to get a solid hour in without it crashing to the gray screen then exiting to desktop. Seems to be linked to certain saves (hitting a billboard or just getting to the final chunk of a road to complete it seemed to be what was happening just before a lot of the crashes and the billboards definitely were not hit when the game resumed), at least for quite a few crashes.

But that's really the final straw for me. Great game, lovely world, so much more to do than in Horizon 1. But the failure to note the game requires an internet connection, the difficult to maintain performance, and now the crashing (which it seems plenty are having issues with, pre- and post-patch). For a game that costs more than a normal console release (£50+) and a lot more than is normal for PC releases where I live (Mafia III is £27 to put that price in context with other AAA releases right now). At least the refund process is painless using the online support chat. When I explained my issues the support rep noted that these are all Known Issues on Windows 10 and jumped straight to processing a refund.

Maybe the game will be patched to a stable state with performance in line with what Forza 6: Apex shows is possible when the CPU load isn't trying to melt a single core and idling the other 3-7 hardware threads on a typical gaming PC. I'm guessing the internet requirement isn't going away but maybe they'll start listing it on the store page under requirements. I sure expect it to get cheaper with time.

@shivoa: Been getting crashes since the patch too, but only when entering a random race with my current car. After every reboot I'll crash on that race, but if I swap cars and try it then I'm fine.

I'm now walking the tightrope of not playing it a lot in the hope it gets patched properly before I burn out on it (pun intended). Without the stuttering, menu problems and now CTDs, it'd be a GOTY contender for me but as things sit my game time will probably diminish markedly before being dropped altogether.

Am I the only one who have to disable my microphone to be able to play the game at all?

@t0ffe: Nope, common cause of a crash on startup.

I had a consistent 30fps at 1440p ultra (i5/970/16GB ram) before the patch, now I'm getting all sorts of stutters and issues. Will continue from here on out on the Xbone because the game is so damn good but am seriously bummed out about the PC issues. Definitely a shame.

FWIW, I hear that Gears 4 is much more optimized on PC. Seems like MS's play anywhere system will have to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

New patch has improved things A LOT for me in terms of performance. I'll still get the occasional stutter from 60 down to the mid 50s (1080p/Ultra) but nothing more than that so far.

Was just about to give it an unreserved recommendation when the game CTD'd on me...

New patch is better for me. Still not great, but better. The screen still tears like crazy even with vsync on.

Same - much improved and was pretty happy and then it hard crashed after an hour or so. Still not 100% fixed.

I haven't looked at the patch notes to see what specifically they changed, but I'm also seeing a far more stable framerate. It's not perfect, but running at 60fps actually seems like a reasonable option now.

I did my personal benchmark test of taking the Ariel Atom at high speed down the main stretch of Surfer's Paradise, and I only got a couple of hitches down to around 50fps - doing this test previously was putting into the 40s for extended periods.

(GTX 970, i5 4690K)

woo havent played for a bit, cant wait to jump back on.

someone leave the giant bomb club plz.

Performance is a lot better this patch but Jesus is that city still a cluster for my framerate.

@ripelivejam Make that two people.

Unlocked framerates and framerates in general are better now yea. Still some stuttering here and there and performance could still be better, but general gameplay seems relatively stutterfree now.

Yeah mine seems to be performing far better, noticed some minor hitching but realized dynamic optimization was on, when I switched that off it seemed to remedy the hitching. High runs nice at around the 60 mark and Ultra hovers around 30 in busy areas (though there is some hitching whilst approaching cities in both high and ultra but not nearly as bad)

It's getting there, but I think as is now is an acceptable time to jump in for those on the fence over the performance.

Gtx 970 1080p

The new patch has been a miracle for me. I was getting glitchy graphics and semi-regular crashes at the beginning of a race. That seems to be gone completely and I'm getting more stable frame rates like others are reporting.

I've also been able to overlock my CPU and Video Card like I normally do where as before it would increase the number of crashes. This is with a GTX1080 and i7 6700k.

This game is busted in all sorts of weird ways and it's getting harder to tell whether I'm encountering patch issues or just running into bugs I've never seen before.

Pre-patch had really bad performance in customization menu's specifically rims for whatever reason. It's a *little* better after the patch but still hanging for a good half second (as opposed to full on 1-2 pauses before).

Also co-op campaigns were functional 85% of the time pre-patch, only occaisionally booting one of us out into whatever limbo doesn't allow you to rejoin a session or get invited back. Now after the patch things seem to be worse. I will consistently fail to join co-op sessions, and on the off chance I am able to join it will boot me out at the most inopportune times (mid-race). I'll get stuck at loading screens indefinitely after a race only to be broken free when the other person tries to set up a race. Once I drop from a session it's pretty much impossible to get back in, it doesn't help that Horizon is so utterly unclear about what state you're in. For a game that is so much about racing with your friends, it seems like that's the only part of the game that's genuinely broken.

I've not had a crash since my first experience with the new patch, in my previous post, so maybe that was a coincidence.

The latest update is running better for me, although I've heard it's running monstrously worse for some people. In the hour-ish I had the chance to play I was able to comfortably run at 60 fps with only a few dropped frames in freeroam at Surfers Paradise. I had an offroad race go into the 40s, but the framerate was fine once I was in 1st.