What really makes Forza Horizon 5 special, though, is that there's never a wasted second. It's a powerfully satisfying feedback loop that makes it very hard to put down the controller. You may not think you're a racing game fan, but spend a little time with Forza Horizon 5, and you might surprise yourself. FORZA HORIZON 5, the 2021 offering in a series of games spun off from the original Forza Motorsport series designed to reach an audience beyond just serious racing sim fans, brings the franchise's famed racing festival to Mexico. Once this introductory race ends, the world is open for exploration. Players can freely race around hundreds of square miles containing nearly 600 roads and an enormous variety of events, including dirt races, speed challenges, multiplayer championships, drifting events, and more.
You can alter AI difficulty and which driving assists to use, upgrade and tune cars, choose whether to play solo or to go up against human opponents, and even create and publish your own courses for others to try. As the game progresses, the player's garage will fill with hundreds of authentic cars, each of which can be assigned skill points earned for stylish driving, improving the rewards you receive while using that particular car. This is a massive racing game, with scores of hours of activities and content plus ongoing multiplayer challenges. Parents need to know that Forza Horizon 5 is an open-world racing game for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows PCs.
This 2021 game in the Forza racing franchise puts players in the role of a star driver helping to introduce the Forza Horizon racing festival -- a collection of races, challenges, and other car-focused events -- to Mexico. This driver can be customized as the player likes, including gender, pronouns, skin tone, and even limb prosthetics. The high-speed racing action is set in an open world rather than closed circuits, which means players zoom through towns and in and out of civilian traffic, often getting into high-speed accidents. No one's ever killed or even injured, but the lack of consequences may give young drivers the wrong impression about the dangers of street racing. Parents should be aware that real-world brands feature prominently throughout, including dozens of car and auto parts manufacturers as well as consumer brands painted on vehicles.
Players can also use real money to purchase additional in-game items, such as car packs and a treasure map. Create your own expressions of fun with the powerful new EventLab gameplay toolset including custom races, challenges, stunts, and entirely new game modes. Customize your cars in more ways than ever before with new options such as the ability open and close convertible tops, paint brake calipers, and more.
Use the new Gift Drops feature to share your custom creations with the community. Forza Horizon 5 is wonderfully welcoming, featuring instantly intuitive controls and a collection of cinematic events and activities bound to drop the jaws of both racing rookies and seasoned gearheads. Indeed, with a bit of tweaking in the settings menu, even first-time racers should be able to handle some of the game's fastest and wildest vehicles. Hard-core racing fans, meanwhile, can adjust these same settings to create a deeply realistic simulation-style experience, fine-tuning each of their cars exactly how they like. Forza Horizon 5 is a racing video game set in an open world environment based in a fictional representation of Mexico. The game has the largest map in the entire Forza Horizon series, being 50% larger than its predecessor, Forza Horizon 4, while also having the highest point in the Horizon series.
The map was described by creative director Mike Brown as one of the most diverse Forza Horizon maps the team has built. The map contains an active caldera volcano, jungles and beaches, ancient Mayan temples, and towns and cities such as Guanajuato. Players can explore the open world freely, though they can also compete in multiplayer races and complete the campaign mode.
Both the cars featured in the game and the player character can be extensively customised. Players are able to create custom liveries and tunes for cars, and perform engine swaps, drivetrain swaps, or install body kits on certain vehicles. The game is the first in the franchise to support ray tracing on cars .
This is Your Open World - Create your own expressions of fun with the powerful new EventLab gameplay toolset including custom races, challenges, stunts, and entirely new game modes. Fans of racing games will get everything they want and more from Forza Horizon 5's stunningly realistic open world. Players are treated to unlimited gameplay opportunities thanks to the intricately detailed user customization and accessibility options. Despite this, Forza Horizon 5 has pushed the capabilities of the new Xbox consoles to its limits, offering the most stunning and varied racing experience yet. Keep coming back for new events, challenges, collectibles, and rewards, and new areas to explore. No two seasons will ever be the same.Play on Xbox Series X and Xbox One consoles.
Being the fifth instalment in the series, Playground Games has taken huge steps to make the driving experience more immersive. Starting with the map size, which is 50 per cent larger than Forza Horizon 4, the game features countless locations such as an active volcano, jungles, beaches, ancient Mayan temples, and the narrow, colourful streets of Guanajuato. Besides the standard campaign mode, players can take part in online multiplayer races and explore the open world with no restrictions. A new Forza Horizon game always comes with at least a handful of new features and improvements over its predecessor, but Forza Horizon 5 delivers even greater amounts of content to players. The extra year of development Forza Horizon 5 got over previous entries in the series clearly helped things along because there is a lot about which to talk.
Not only has Playground Games baked in significantly more content into Forza Horizon 5's base game, but it's also given the community a way to add essentially infinite new events and races to Forza Horizon 5 over time. FH5's online features have seen significant improvements to more completely connect players all around the world. Create your own expressions of fun with the new EventLab gameplay toolset including custom races, challenges, stunts and new game modes.
This is a "driving" game more than a "racing" game, and that's kind of a positive. Yes, there is racing and competition, but the thrill of Forza Horizon is that you can pick from hundreds of amazing cars and just drive around this huge area - on roads, through dirt, up mountains, through grass - ANYWHERE. There is a story but it's mostly optional and it's always positive.
The main character helps another honor her family's love of cars, there's friendly trash-talking about racing that always ends in characters bonding over their love of cars. It's almost awkwardly positive at times, but that makes it approachable to players of any age. The driving physics are fine-tuned and realistic, but the world physics are meant to be unobtrusive to the driving, meaning you can easily plow through telephone poles and fences without losing any speed.
But you can also drive off cliffs, hit the ground, and just keep going, so it's very clearly implied that this isn't how cars actually work and wouldn't give the false impression to a player that this is a "safe" way to drive. The fact that you can drive anywhere, all the time, is part of the fun. It's the kind of game where you could hand the controller to a young kid and they would have fun watching the trees go by at 150mph but not be bombarded with consumerism or violence or anything negative. It's neither an educational game nor a violent or offensive game. You pick a car, you drive it everywhere, you pick a different car, repeat.
This consists of a series of mini-multiplayer games strewn across the map. One of these mini-multiplayer games is called "Piñata pop" where the Horizon Festival's cargo plane drops piñatas. The goal is to pop as many piñatas as they can with the help of other players. It also introduces the "EventLab", a toolset in which players can create custom games, races, and more depending on their personal preference. According to Brown, it is an AI assistant that tracks the current statuses of players, helping them to link with other players online and play together. Forza Link can also link players' GPS systems if they accept the invitation from another player.
Forza Horizon 5 has finally hit consoles and computers for all users , so racers ready for the latest racing experience can enjoy some truly impressive graphics and customization options. One of the things we love about Forza is how friendly its various Tours and racing matches are, from trying out different competitive modes to joining a team and making your way through a world tour together. Keep in mind thatHorizon 5 also includes Kudos and Gift Drops to share with the community, so teamplay is a core aspect for many gaming modes. As you play the game, you'll earn experience points through skillful driving. Level up to unlock cars and outfits at home bases you acquire as you uncover the map. In these first few hours, I tested cars like the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Coupe, Ford Bronco, and Toyota GR Supra.
The driving itself still sits at a nice sweet spot between mainline Forza's stodgy driving simulation and a more accessible, forgiving arcade racing game like Need for Speed—especially if you activate the assists. Even when FH5 players have gotten through the majority of content in the base game, Forza Horizon 5's multiplayer is grander and more accessible than ever before, with a nearly endless amount of content to explore. Forza Horizon 5 is akin to a "car-lovers sandbox," and lets you play however you want. While there is a story and full-blown campaign with the Horizon Adventure, Expeditions, and smaller Horizon Stories, it's still up to players how they progress and what path they take. All in all, the focus of Forza Horizon 5 is the vast arsenal of cars, the wide variety of races and events, the sheer level of creative freedom available, and the deeply integrated online multiplayer gameplay.
However, Forza Horizon 5 is on another level on Xbox Series X and it's one of the few games where I prefer the 30fps quality mode to its 60fps equivalent. The increase in fidelity and the more graceful LOD transitions combined with the upgraded visuals elevate it significantly beyond performance mode. True, it's not 60fps but the motion blur is the best I've seen in bridging the gap. Of course, it is possible to play this game at full frame-rate with Series X's mixture of high, ultra and extreme settings - and that's where the PC version comes into play. We'll be reporting back on our testing and experiences there soon. But there are possibilities for even more modes thanks to the new Eventlab.
The new toolset lets players create their own races, game modes, and gameplay experiences, with a whole suite of customisation options. Traxion is a collective of racing, esports and gaming enthusiasts. Bringing you the latest news, reviews, updates, opinions, and insight from the most recognized and respected names from the world of racing games.
We are building a positive community of likeminded gamers, sim racers and fans and we want you to be a part of it. Game Informer appreciated the social intreractions in the game, especially the score comparisons, "More times than I could count, I noticed my friend hit a higher top speed, causing me to turn around and try the challenge again". Playing Forza Horizon 5 on a phone might not be ideal if you're a more competitive racer.
If I did that while playing on my phone, I don't think I'd keep up. Switch from 30fps to the 60fps 'Performance' mode and you'll immediately feel the difference. Playground state that this is still running at a maximum 4K resolution, but that "additional graphics settings adjusted to maintain target framerate".
In practical terms motion blur is reduced significantly giving it a much more gamey feel and pop-in is now noticeable, . However, it's also just that much more responsive feeling when you play the game and, after a short time at 60fps, a switch back to 30fps feels like daggers in your eyes. For the most part, Forza Horizon 5 does support cross-saves, meaning that you can continue your progress on other platforms, which is great if you've got multiple gaming set-ups. However, it's worth noting that players on Steam will not be able to use the cross-save feature, though they'll still experience the benefits of cross-play with other platforms.
Yes, Forza Horizon 5 does support cross-play across Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S and PC players, meaning you can group up in convoys or race against multiple players no matter which platform they happen to call home. Forza Horizon 5 also supports cloud gaming too, so those who are playing via mobile devices can also experience cross-play with all the regular platforms. If there's one thing that brings Forza Horizon players together like nothing else, it's the sheer level of creative freedom afforded by the games. Forza Horizon 5 is the most customizable and inclusive Forza Horizon yet, with nearly infinite replayability thanks to new player tools and features. Players have control over their cars, in-game characters, races, and even full-blown unique events you can't find anywhere else. Firstly, there is the choice between the standard edition of the game and the premium one, which offers a plethora of early game unlocks and promised expansion packs, but costs almost twice the price.
Whether you're struggling to find the rare cars hidden in various barns across the map, or you want the latest kooky sounding horn or wacky emote, Forza Horizon 5 has the in-game shop for you. Many can be unlocked via gameplay and chance, but you're certainly encouraged to pay upfront to unlock your favorite in-game items. Highlights here include the accessibility menu, offering subtitling and colorblind-friendly gameplay, and a wide range of difficulty options that allow you to adjust everything to your preference. There are even extensive tuning options for every vehicle, so you can get them to drive just the way you want them to. Outside of the menus, you're spoilt for choice – to open up cross-country tracks, or road-racing, to finish story missions or excel on one type of track; it's all down to you.
Accessibility options for difficulty and needs, as well as the ability to finely tune each vehicle, ensure a truly unique experience for all. However you want to experience the expansive world of Forza Horizon 5, somewhere here there's a way to do so. But sometimes a game can be so pretty that it helps you appreciate an experience that you would normally feel mild about. For example, I'm not the biggest racing game fan in the world. When I do enjoy a racer, it's usually a more arcadey experience like Ridge Racer Type 4 or the more recent Cruis'n Blast. Forza Horizon 5 has finally arrived, bringing with it the biggest and best map in an open-world racing game ever.
With a ton of content crammed onto it, over 500 cars on the roster, and cutting-edge visuals, there's plenty to keep you drifting and danger sign jumping for hours on end. As such, you may be wondering what the deal is with Forza Horizon 5 crossplay, so you know exactly what the deal is with your progression carrying over from one platform to another. Forza Horizon 5 will have 6 festivals compared to one of Forza Horizon 4. After that, they can pick the direction they advance in from a variety of other festivals that will cover street racing in high-performance cars to cross-country races in rally cars. Some will prefer the expanded frame rate and see that as a necessary trade-off, but we have to say that the 30fps quality mode still plays very well indeed and you get the maximum visual effect, to boot. The game still gets its graphical intent across, but the LOD scaling really shows this console's age.
As you race through jungles, you'll notice that the tree foliage stays in its blobby low level of detail until you're almost right up against it, at which point you will have whizzed on by. At times it feels like the game engine shouldn't bother trying to pull in those higher detail assets. The gameplay still holds up though, and a steady frame rate in this situation is going to be the most important aspect. Forza Horizon 5 also features a brand-new weather system, where players will be able to experience different climates in different parts of the country. Additionally, you are also introduced to the Horizon Arcade, where you can play a series of mini-multiplayer games spread across the map. Like many other Xbox games that span generations, Forza Horizon 5 supports Xbox Smart Delivery.
This means you have to buy Forza Horizon 5 only once for Xbox consoles, and Xbox will automatically download the best possible version of the game for the console you're playing on, at no additional cost. This also includes Xbox cloud saves, meaning there's full cross-progression between generations. Forza Horizon 5 is packed with a ton of new mini-games, all of which fit under the Horizon Arcade banner. Instead, they happen dynamically all over the Forza Horizon 5 map as public events while you're driving around with other players. Players can participate in these spontaneous events to earn Forzathon Points. Convertible cars have existed in Forza Horizon games before, but with FH5 you're able to put the top off or take it down with the click of a single button, even when you're out in the wide FH5 world!
While the story or plot in a racing game may not be the most crucial element for some players, it can still add a lot to the experience for those who do appreciate it. Forza Horizon 4 was gently criticized by the community for its lackluster story and general lack of direction for players, so Playground Games went back to the drawing board for Forza Horizon 5. FH5 takes players on a journey through the Horizon Adventure to have their name added to the Hall of Fame, and the drive there should be pretty wild. Playground Games has delivered their latest masterpiece with Forza Horizon 5, which features the series' most diverse map and largest car list yet. Forza Horizon 5 somehow fulfills its ambitious promises to be the best open-world racer right now, and one of the best racing games in general.
Detailed in the Forza Horizon 5 FAQ page, the developer has noted that the game includes cross-save support, irrespective of the platform they're playing on. There is one exception as players who have purchased their copy via Steam will not have access to the feature. Crossplay has become a standard inclusion in recent times, allowing players to play alongside each other across multiple gaming platforms. We finally answer this important question ahead of the release of Forza Horizon 5. On Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, the framerate is capped at 30fps at the highest graphical fidelity, but whether you choose graphics or performance mode the experience is equally spectacular.
Whether you're driving, photographing, or customizing them, they look pure perfection from every angle. Each vehicle reacts differently and realistically to the environment, and they also provide a contrasting driving experience dependent on the weather. The controller rumbles dynamically to match the different styles of track, immersing you in the experience of being on the road. Pop-in can also be noticeable, at least when playing on performance mode (and if you're like me and need 60 fps, you'll be playing on performance mode). It's not an obnoxious issue, and it's well within the norm for open-world games, but it does become more noticeable with games like this getting so close to looking like the real thing.
