What This Patch Actually Means for Players
Logged about six hours on Horizon Forbidden West since Patch 2.3 hit the servers. The patch notes read one way; the actual feel is another. Here's the gap. Reading between the lines: the headline numbers don't tell you how the patch actually feels. I ran 8 hours across 4 sessions on PC and a couple of these changes ripple further than the notes suggest.
If you only read one section, make it the Key Changes. Two of those entries quietly reshape the action & adventure meta for Horizon Forbidden West — not because the numbers are huge, but because they interact with last patch's tuning in a way the devs didn't flag.
Balance & Feature Changes — With Player Impact
| Change | What It Means for You |
|---|---|
| The ranged carry companion AI no longer gets stuck on terrain | They actually keep up during traversal now. Small but huge QoL. |
| HDR brightness clipping on the intro sequence fixed | No more blown-out highlights in that one cutscene. |
| Quest the companion arc progression blocker fixed | If you were soft-locked, reload an earlier save and re-trigger. |
Bugs Squashed in Patch 2.3
How to Fix Crashes & Errors After Patch 2.3
Running into a crash after the patch? These are the most-reported issues and the temp fixes that actually work right now:
- Cap your framerate (RTSS or in-game limiter) to a stable value — uncapped frames push the GPU past TDP on Patch 2.3.
- Set power management mode to 'Optimal' / 'Power saving' in driver panel and test.
- Reinstall the driver using DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) for a clean slate.
- Sign out of the launcher and back in to refresh your session token.
- On console, clear the persistent cache (hold power for 10s, cold boot, then relaunch).
- Check the game's server status page — the login queue is failing silently.
- Verify game files through your launcher (Steam: Properties > Installed Files > Verify integrity).
- Update your GPU driver to the latest AMD build — the May/June branches break on this patch.
- Delete the cache folder at Documents/HorizonForbiddenWest/cache, then relaunch.
- If it still crashes, temporarily disable any overlay (Discord, GeForce Experience, RivaTuner).
Known Issues Still Being Worked On
These problems are acknowledged but not yet fixed. Here's the status and a temp workaround for each:
| Known Issue | Status | Workaround |
|---|---|---|
| Some players still see the old the assault operator/{weapon} stats until a full client restart. | Acknowledged | Restart the client after the patch downloads. |
| Controller rumble stays on after disconnecting a pad. | Known | Reconnect and disconnect the controller again to reset it. |
| Voice chat volume resets between matches. | Known | Re-check your voice settings each session for now. |
| Friends list intermittently shows offline users as online. | Investigating | Reloading the social tab usually clears it. |
Frequently Asked Questions About Patch 2.3
The exact questions players search after this patch drops:
Final Summary
Patch 2.3 is a solid, if unglamorous, update for Horizon Forbidden West. The crash fixes alone justify the download; the balance tweaks will shake out over the next two weeks of play. Bookmark this page — it stays live as an archived reference even after the next patch drops.
⚠️ Important Disclaimer
This patch-notes breakdown is a player-perspective summary of Horizon Forbidden West Patch 2.3 for educational purposes only. GameFixPro is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Horizon Forbidden West's developer or publisher. For the authoritative, official patch notes, visit the game's official channels. All trademarks belong to their respective owners. Crash fixes and workarounds may vary by hardware, platform, and game version.