Windows 10: Any Microsoft store game I play will freeze unless another window is selected

This issue has only been happening since I built my new PC a couple of weeks ago, spec at bottom of post. I first tried to play the Minecraft RTX beta, where it would freeze constantly unless I select another window on my second monitor i.e chrome, or I simply alt-tab out of the game, where it will unfreeze until I go back into the game. I then tried to play Forza 7, where the exact same issue persists. This issue does not happen on steam games or origin games, only games downloaded from the Microsoft store. I have the most up to date graphics drivers installed, as well as all other drivers. I also have reinstalled the graphics drivers. Have activated / deactivated game mode, and have turned off overclocks. None of these work. CPU use while in Forza 7 for example is at 15% or less, and heat on CPU and GPU never rises above 40 C, so system performance is not an issue.


Any help would be greatly appreciated.


PC Specs:


i9 9900K at 4.8GHz

RTX 3070 Ventus OC 3 Fan

32 GB DDR4 3600Mhz ram

650W PSU

970 Evo 1TB SSD

:)

 

Xbox Play anywhere games

I uninstalled and re-installed the game. The freezing is still happening.

 

Can't play Hit It Rich game and system freezes

Hi carmenstanley1,

Thank you for your response.

I can understand how frustrating it would be. This issue might be due to corrupted profile or if the game is not installed completely. I suggest you to follow these steps and let us know if it works.

Could you please help me with the below questions:

• Are you aware of any changes happened on the computer prior to this issue?
  
• Have you tried playing this game on other browser (Google chrome or Mozilla) and check for the issue?
  

Step 1: Uninstall or Repair the game.

1. Press Windows and
   R key together on your Keyboard.
2. Type appwiz.cpl and hit enter.
   
3. Right click on the Hit it Rich app > Select Repair or uninstall it.
4. Reinstall the application and check for the issue.
   

Step 2: Create a new local account.

The reason might be due to user account corruption, so I would suggest you to ‘Create
a local user or administrator account’ and check if the issue persists.

Note: You will not see all your files under your default file location.
So your data will be saved under C:\Users\User_name.

If you are facing issues with freezing, I would suggest you to follow the troubleshooting steps on
Tips to improve PC performance in Windows
10.

Hope it helps.

Roohi Taj S

Microsoft Community - Moderator

 

System freezes when playing game.

Hello Donovan,

We realize the inconvenience you are experiencing with playing game. We will certainly help you.

In order to help you better, could you please confirm a couple of things

• 
  Did you install the application from the Windows store?
  
• 
  Did you make any changes prior to this issue?
  

Let's try the below steps and check if it helps to resolve the issue.

Try Updating the graphics driver and check.

Step 1: Follow these steps to
update graphics drivers.

• Press Windows key + X and select Device Manager.
• Search for Display Adapters and expand it.
• Right click on the graphics driver and select
  Update driver software.
• Restart the System and check opening the application again.

Step 2: Uninstall and Reinstall the graphics card drivers
and update and check.

Refer:How to: Install and Update Hardware Drivers in Windows 10

Step 3: Follow the st3eps from the link below and check:

Game freezes or stops responding on a Windows 10 device

Let us know the result. We will be happy to assists you further.

Thank you.