Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition PC Performance Thread

[ShroudOfFate]

Well, after months of the game not working at all on my PC I finally figured out what the issue was. I'd installed Special K's global injection as part of trying to fix other games and turns out it was causing other games to break. So uninstalling it lets Horizon run flawlessly for me.

Now I've got another issue though that maybe y'all can help me with. The game won't allow me to turn on HDR even though other games allow it and my TV that the computer is hooked to definitely is capable. I've tried running the game in Fullscreen and Borderless but it still won't change. Any ideas?

 

[Gitaroo]

I really hope they will add DLSS support, at this point there is not reason not to when avengers just added it and I think it was a amd sponsored game.

 

[Deleted member 11626]

Well, after months of the game not working at all on my PC I finally figured out what the issue was. I'd installed Special K's global injection as part of trying to fix other games and turns out it was causing other games to break. So uninstalling it lets Horizon run flawlessly for me.

Now I've got another issue though that maybe y'all can help me with. The game won't allow me to turn on HDR even though other games allow it and my TV that the computer is hooked to definitely is capable. I've tried running the game in Fullscreen and Borderless but it still won't change. Any ideas?

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Just spitballing here but how old is your HDMI cable? Don't quote me, but if it's not a version 2 cable then it won't do HDR I think. Could also be the port on your tv. I've had TVs in the past where only one or two ports are capable of 4K, HDR, and other high fidelity stuff

 

[ShroudOfFate]

Just spitballing here but how old is your HDMI cable? Don't quote me, but if it's not a version 2 cable then it won't do HDR I think. Could also be the port on your tv. I've had TVs in the past where only one or two ports are capable of 4K, HDR, and other high fidelity stuff

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The cable is the same type I use for my PS4 and it allows for HDR when turned on through Windows settings it just doesn't show up ingame so I don't think it's the problem

 

[craven68]

HDR IS on Windows but the games don't see it ? Even in borderless, it's strange .
You don't miss a lot, the HDR of this game on pc is not good ( unlike ps4 version where the game is beautiful).
By the way the game is running way better since the last page and i Can change setting without crash now.

 

[Tahnit]

does this run without ui stutter or rather stutter in general yet?

 

[Mark It Zero!]

does this run without ui stutter or rather stutter in general yet?

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I finished it on patch 1.05 with a ryzen [email protected] and it was pretty much stutter free. Except for a few crashes here and there it was fine.

 

[alienups]

Game was running very smooth 'till the first scene with a lot of NPC's around, occasional big stutters. Is it a game thing ?

 

[Darktalon]

HDR IS on Windows but the games don't see it ? Even in borderless, it's strange .
You don't miss a lot, the HDR of this game on pc is not good ( unlike ps4 version where the game is beautiful).
By the way the game is running way better since the last page and i Can change setting without crash now.

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Uh you clearly just dont have your HDR set up right then. HDR is gorgeous for me (also death stranding, no surprise as its same engine)

Make sure that your brightness level is correct when you turn on HDR in windows (I have to set NVCP contrast bar to 67%)

 

[craven68]

Uh you clearly just dont have your HDR set up right then. HDR is gorgeous for me (also death stranding, no surprise as its same engine)

Make sure that your brightness level is correct when you turn on HDR in windows (I have to set NVCP contrast bar to 67%)

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I m going to try again thx. In some games, it's difficult to find a good settings.

 

[nogoodnamesleft]

HDR IS on Windows but the games don't see it ? Even in borderless, it's strange .
You don't miss a lot, the HDR of this game on pc is not good ( unlike ps4 version where the game is beautiful).
By the way the game is running way better since the last page and i Can change setting without crash now.

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HDR in horizon both on pc and console is probably the standard for how incredible hdr can look in a game.

 

[craven68]

HDR in horizon both on pc and console is probably the standard for how incredible hdr can look in a game.

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Haha yeah , like i said in the post before, i m going to try it again. And if it doesn't work well, i format my insiders build, since recently even Gears 5 look bad in HDR , and this one was always looking great on my TV before

 

[craven68]

So....i did try again for the hdr ! and it was really good today !
I had an update for windows too ( i had two insiders build in two days since i had to stop for two weeks). May be one of these help to get back a good hdr on windows.
The sad things, since it was pretty, i wanted to play it....and it crashed after 5 min :/
I hope with the 3080 that i pre order ( or 6900xt if i can get it before) the game will not crash :/

 

[TheDutchSlayer]

Finally those long load times not start of the game are over!

Hi everyone!
We're happy to announce that Patch 1.07 for Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition is now live! As we mentioned in our previous update, our team has been hard at work on some of the trickier graphical issues, which needed some more time in development.
With Patch 1.07 the team has rewritten the way the engine deals with shaders and shader-optimisation. This results in the optimisation step becoming optional, as well as the Anisotropic Filtering option now working as expected.
What this means for you: upon starting the game, it will start optimising shaders in the Main Menu each time. Shaders will also still be optimised during gameplay, but this now happens automatically in the background.
Letting the game run the initial shader optimization is completely optional, so if you want to jump straight in, you can skip it; letting this process finish before playing will improve your loading times in the game. Lastly, please note that changing AF settings can take some time depending on your PC hardware.
You can find the Known Issues and full Patch Notes for Patch 1.07 below; if your issue isn't among them, you can continue to send us your reports here.
Take care,
–Guerrilla

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Patch 1.07 (HRZ-PCR 132/6056419 - Fri Oct 30 2020)
KNOWN ISSUES

• CPUs that have more than 16 cores might experience a higher amount of instability.
• Some players are experiencing graphical settings issues, such as HDR not working correctly.
• Some players are experiencing performance issues on specific GPUs or hardware combinations.
• We're aware of and continue to investigate issues that are not yet solved on both the player-compiled lists by u/EvilMonkeySlayer and u/Rampage572 – thank you!

PATCH NOTES


Graphical Improvements

• Anisotropic Filtering now works correctly
• The mandatory/unskippable shader optimisation step at first launch has been removed
• Shaders are now pre-optimised in the game's Main Menu, but can be skipped
• Shaders are also optimised dynamically in-game

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[dgrdsv]

• The mandatory/unskippable shader optimisation step at first launch has been removed
• Shaders are now pre-optimised in the game's Main Menu, but can be skipped
• Shaders are also optimised dynamically in-game

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Which is something which should've been in the port at launch.

 

[Euler007]

HDR in horizon both on pc and console is probably the standard for how incredible hdr can look in a game.

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So true. You're not blind in a dark cave, and the light and colors feel so right in the world.

 

[craven68]

This update IS really good. The game is working more than 30min now ( didn't have Time to play it more ).
And it run better Also, more smooth. Nice update.

 

[Zael Stormborn]

Bought the game at launch. Installed it for the first time after seeing the latest patch. Immediate crash after two seconds of the loading icon spinning around. Anyone still experiencing this? I verified the files, got two errors. Redownloaded the game. Still got the instant crash. I tried googling the problem, but it's all basic stuff like install the latest GPU driver (did it two days ago), verify the files (already did it as I said). Is there anyone here who managed to fix this problem on their system?

RTX 3090, 8700k, Samsung evo 970.

 

[PennyStonks]

I guess the in-game AF is much more performant than NVCP AF. Getting upwards of 3-4(4%) additional fps in the rocky desert parts. About 1 more everywhere else, and a tiny hitch every 30 or so seconds is gone. Maybe its the rewritten shader stuff.

Glad they continue fixing the game.

Bought the game at launch. Installed it for the first time after seeing the latest patch. Immediate crash after two seconds of the loading icon spinning around. Anyone still experiencing this? I verified the files, got two errors. Redownloaded the game. Still got the instant crash. I tried googling the problem, but it's all basic stuff like install the latest GPU driver (did it two days ago), verify the files (already did it as I said). Is there anyone here who managed to fix this problem on their system?

RTX 3090, 8700k, Samsung evo 970.

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I've not experienced anything like that. If you upgraded your GPU from an older one you might want to use DDU before installing the GPU drivers. Some newer games only cooperate with a fully(at least update 2004) updated windows 10 as well. You might want to try toggling Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling too.

 

[Gitaroo]

I really hope they can add dlss next, AMD sponsorship doesn't mean they can't add nvidia features. Avengers added DLSS support even thought it was AMD gpu sponsored.

 

[Zael Stormborn]

I guess the in-game AF is much more performant than NVCP AF. Getting upwards of 3-4(4%) additional fps in the rocky desert parts. About 1 more everywhere else, and a tiny hitch every 30 or so seconds is gone. Maybe its the rewritten shader stuff.

Glad they continue fixing the game.



I've not experienced anything like that. If you upgraded your GPU from an older one you might want to use DDU before installing the GPU drivers. Some newer games only cooperate with a fully(at least update 2004) updated windows 10 as well. You might want to try toggling Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling too.

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Thanks for the tips! Although I've already done all of those. I do a clean install of drivers using DDU everytime I update them. Already have the October update on my Windows 10. Aaand I've had the Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling on ever since that was released this year. It's definitely a mystery.

I'll keep trying though. It seems the PC version really is the way to play the game after the most recent patches.

 

[ChristianM]

I must admit this game is in a quite good state right now. I have no issues whatsoever anymore. Playing at 1440p with Digital Foundrys optimal settings. Getting between 70-100fps depending on area. I've been to meridian and other places that might tank the performance. Using gsync (technically VRR) and the game stays really smooth. There is the occasional stutter but they are rare now and not something that really bothers me. On launch there were constant stuttering.

From my experience I would definitely recommend the game in its current state.

I'm running it on a 3700x/2070 super with 32 gigs of ram so my system is quite powerful.

 

[PennyStonks]

Thanks for the tips! Although I've already done all of those. I do a clean install of drivers using DDU everytime I update them. Already have the October update on my Windows 10. Aaand I've had the Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling on ever since that was released this year. It's definitely a mystery.

I'll keep trying though. It seems the PC version really is the way to play the game after the most recent patches.

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Damn. The only thing beyond that I can think of is an issue with Window's ability to play videos. That is, as far as I know, an antiquated issue with playing videos. Zero Dawn opens with a video, so maybe that could be an issue?

Do you have any issues with other games? Specifically DX12 or Vulkan?

 

[Zael Stormborn]

Damn. The only thing beyond that I can think of is an issue with Window's ability to play videos. That is, as far as I know, an antiquated issue with playing videos. Zero Dawn opens with a video, so maybe that could be an issue?

Do you have any issues with other games? Specifically DX12 or Vulkan?

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Haven't had any problems with this system. After my most recent upgrade (RTX 3090) I've played a lot of FFXIV, Doom Eternal DLC and Yakuza Kiwami 2 from start to finish with no problems.

 

[Deleted member 50232]

This is running really well for me, finally it's a decent port.

I get 90fps+ consistently with everything maxed out on my 3080.

 

[ChristianM]

I get 90fps+ consistently with everything maxed out on my 3080.

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On what resolution? I'm negotiating with myself if i should by a 3080 or not.

 

[Greenlock]

On what resolution? I'm negotiating with myself if i should by a 3080 or not.

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I get the same with a 3080 at 1440p.

 

[Deleted member 50232]

On what resolution? I'm negotiating with myself if i should by a 3080 or not.

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3440x1440

 

[craven68]

Thanks for the tips! Although I've already done all of those. I do a clean install of drivers using DDU everytime I update them. Already have the October update on my Windows 10. Aaand I've had the Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling on ever since that was released this year. It's definitely a mystery.

I'll keep trying though. It seems the PC version really is the way to play the game after the most recent patches.

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Can you try to downclock your gpu a little? i had to do this for red dead redemption to work without crash, and horizon was always crashing before, and now, it's good too on this game.

 

[alphacat]

Just finished the game. Was a treat on PC! Highly recommended.

 

[Zael Stormborn]

Damn. The only thing beyond that I can think of is an issue with Window's ability to play videos. That is, as far as I know, an antiquated issue with playing videos. Zero Dawn opens with a video, so maybe that could be an issue?

Do you have any issues with other games? Specifically DX12 or Vulkan?

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Can you try to downclock your gpu a little? i had to do this for red dead redemption to work without crash, and horizon was always crashing before, and now, it's good too on this game.

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Installed it for the third time and it started working just fine, at least so far. Fingers crossed. Thanks for the tips!

 

[TheDutchSlayer]

Hi everyone!

We're happy to announce that Patch 1.08 for Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition is now live! With this patch, we're introducing several crash fixes and performance improvements that were reported by the community. Be sure to restart your game and client when you've updated to 1.08!

We are also very excited to announce that we're bringing Horizon Zero Dawn for PC to GOG.com! In addition to Steam and Epic Games Store, Horizon Zero Dawn will now be available on GOG for everyone playing on PC from today!

With Patch 1.08, we are also introducing an update to our Epic SDK, adding features such as Cloud Saves and Achievements! Do note that Achievements will not retroactively unlock, so in order to successfully obtain all Achievements you will need to restart your playthrough.

You can find the Known Issues and full Patch Notes for Patch 1.08 below; if your issue isn't among them, you can continue to send us your reports here. Please update your game and let us know what you think!

–Guerrilla

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Hotfix 1.08.6 (HRZ-PCR 142/6118783 18:05 - Tue Nov 24 2020)
PATCH NOTES


Crash Fixes

Fixed a crash that occurred when starting up the game

Patch 1.08 (HRZ-PCR 140/6102784 17:43 - Sun Nov 22 2020)
KNOWN ISSUES

Some players are experiencing graphical settings issues, such as HDR not working correctly.
Some players are experiencing performance issues on specific GPUs or hardware combinations.
We're aware of and continue to investigate issues that are not yet solved on both the player-compiled lists by u/EvilMonkeySlayer and u/Rampage572 – thank you!


PATCH NOTES


Crash Fixes

Fixed an audio crash when using mono audio devices
Fixed a crash that could happen in certain circumstances on 5.1 audio devices
Fixed a crash in NetPresenceManager
Fixed multiple crashes that could occur during Shader optimization
Fixed a crash in PlacementMeshUpdateJob that occurred on machines with more than 16 cores
Fixed a start-up crash for CPUs that do not support AVX instructions

Audio Improvements

Potential fix for dialogue sounding metallicy and blown out for some users

Functionality Improvements

Epic SDK updated to latest version and now supports platform features like Achievements and Cloud Saves
GOG SDK integrated for launch on GOG.com

Performance Improvements

Improved VRAM budgeting which should help prevent VRAM-related instability and improve general performance and reduce micro-stutters
Improved Clouds performance on high and ultra settings
Improved swap-chain buffering to allow for smoother frame-pacing

Graphical Improvements

Fixed clouds looking pixelated in certain windowed resolutions
Added FidelityFX Contrast Adaptive Sharpening functionality to Graphics Settings

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[dgrdsv]

Patch 1.09 is out on Steam:

Known Issues

• Some players are experiencing performance issues on specific GPUs or hardware combinations.
• We're aware of and continue to investigate issues that are not yet solved on both the player-compiled lists by u/EvilMonkeySlayer and u/Rampage572 – thank you!

Patch Notes

Crash Fixes

• Fixed a crash that could occur when switching resolutions
• Fixed a crash that occurred during the cutscene during main quest "The Face of Extinction" after objective "Defend The Ridge"
• Fixed a cause of GPU hangs on certain combinations of GPU/driver/memory

Performance Improvements

• Improved the automatic Shader Optimization step in the menu – The optimization step *message* should now show less frequently on mid-/higher spec machines (please note you are also able to skip it on most machines!)
• Added a VRAM Gauge that indicates amount of VRAM available and used, to help you optimize graphical settings for your hardware
• Fixed RenderTarget aliasing, which reduces VRAM usage which may improve performance, texture quality and model quality

Graphical Improvements

• Fixed HDR looking washed out on certain HDR configurations
• Fixed Depth Buffer Copies which should fix multiple graphical glitches
• Fixed graphical glitches due to RenderTarget aliasing not working correctly
• Fixed that fog turned off when you turn off shadows in graphical settings
• Fixed plant simulation at frame rates higher than 30FPS

Gameplay Improvements

• Fixed that holding W when looting no longer stops registering other keys until release

Other

• Fixed several warning message localization issues on Windows
• Improved the benchmark results screen

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[martincrimson87]

1.10 should be a big one. Hopefully they can improve performance across the board and add checkerboard rendering?

 

[Grimminski]

Getting to the point where I might finally pick this up

 

[mordecaii83]

Patch 1.09 is out on Steam:

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This is great, finally the last issue that actually bothered me is fixed (the plants at higher than 30fps issue). The game released a bit rough but I'm really happy with them taking the time to continue fixing issues.

 

[fluffy pillow]

Holy crap, HDR finally looks good!

 

[Gitaroo]

They should add DLSS support, we know AMD sponsered doesn't mean they can not like Avengers for example.

 

[BoredLemon]

They should add DLSS support, we know AMD sponsered doesn't mean they can not like Avengers for example.

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Avengers partnered with Intel, not AMD.

 

[ILikeFeet]

They should add DLSS support, we know AMD sponsered doesn't mean they can not like Avengers for example.

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Avengers is sponsored by Intel, who doesn't have a dGPU yet, which is probably why they get a pass

 

[Gitaroo]

Avengers is sponsored by Intel, who doesn't have a dGPU yet, which is probably why they get a pass

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I always thpguht it was Amd for some reason, my bad. But they should still add dlss support at some point or checkerboard rendering.

 

[NeoRaider]

They should add DLSS support, we know AMD sponsered doesn't mean they can not like Avengers for example.

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HZD has few of AMD technologies and DLSS won't be added. It's AMD sponsored game.

 

[Mentalist]

They should add DLSS support, we know AMD sponsered doesn't mean they can not like Avengers for example.

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Nvidia stealthily removed the game from the list of games recognized by GeForce Experience, so I don't think that's happening.

 

[ILikeFeet]

Nvidia stealthily removed the game from the list of games recognized by GeForce Experience, so I don't think that's happening.

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Avengers already got DLSS in the last update, at least

 

[ThreepQuest64]

RTSS overlay is not working in HZD for me and taking a screenshot with it causes the game to crash. It's the only game so far that has this issue. Couldn't find anything on Google.

Using RTSS 7.2.3 after Afterburner 4.6.2

Can anybody help?

EDIT: Fixed. The GOG Galaxy Overlay was causing the issues. Now everything works!

 

[CrichtonKicks]

RTSS overlay is not working in HZD for me and taking a screenshot with it causes the game to crash. It's the only game so far that has this issue. Couldn't find anything on Google.

Using RTSS 7.2.3 after Afterburner 4.6.2

Can anybody help?

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Weirdly RTSS works fine for me (7.3.0 Beta 6) but GeForce Overlay Metrics (Alt+R) will not even though I can get the overall GeForce overlay (Alt+z) to work.

 

[Firefly]

Holy crap, HDR finally looks good!

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Can you share your in game settings?

 

[fluffy pillow]

Can you share your in game settings?

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I'm afraid I don't have it installed any more, but from what I remember I just reset the HDR brightness settings to defaults (from where I'd been fiddling with them) and it looked really nice.

 

[cowbanana]

I continued my HZD PC playthrough today after taking a break playing other games. I'm 30 hours in and the last couple of patches dropped since I last played the game.

Now the game optimizes shaders every time I start the game, which is a bit annoying. It only takes a minute or two, but last I played the game it didn't optimize every single time I started the game. I'm not touching settings or graphics drivers between game launches.

Anyone know of a fix for this?

 

[dgrdsv]

Now the game optimizes shaders every time I start the game, which is a bit annoying.

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It only does that after a GPU driver update. Are you sure that you didn't update the driver between these starts?