Forza Horizon 5 is an open-world racing game developed by Playground Games and published by Xbox Game Studios. The series has left the cold UK behind for sunny Mexico in a massive sandbox that is not only beautiful to behold, but provides countless opportunities for fast-paced racing action.
The Forza Festival has arrived in Mexico in Forza Horizon 5, bringing with it a storyline that mostly exists as a framework for exciting gimmick races. Character creation is fast and then players are unleashed upon the massive world map, where they can approach the game in any way that they'd like. Completing races grants points that can be spent on unlocking new outposts on the map, with their own associated races and tasks. There are also individual story missions that are unlocked through play, which involves special races that add flair to the more standard proceedings.
Forza Horizon 5 is filled with smaller missions, such as completing different kinds of races to earn currency, finding hidden barns on the world map to unlock secret vehicles, or completing stunts and tricks to earn points. All of this exploration and play gradually unlocks new items and vehicles to use, which ties into the infectious enthusiasm of Forza Horison 5 NPCs. Much of the game is simply encouraging those engaged with it to have fun rather than worry about best performance.
Forza Horizon 5 has a massive selection of vehicles, with in-depth customization options, both in terms of how they work and how they look. Racing in Forza Horizon 5 is incredible, featuring controls which are tight and responsive, with the Trigger Rumble adding a satisfying feel when taking corners or going over rough ground. The racing line which shows the optimal route and the Rewind function are also back, giving the player plenty of opportunities to master the mechanics of the game.
There are many accessibility options in Forza Horizon 5, which ensures players can tailor the difficulty to their liking. This means a strong balance between casual and difficult gameplay, though some of the story missions can be extremely strict in their approach, essentially forbidding any mistakes to successfully complete them. These generally involve scripted scenarios, where the player is forced to use specific vehicles that cannot be altered. The story missions are all about spectacle and excitement, but these restrictions can be jarring, especially compared to how free the rest of Forza Horizon 5's world feels. Luckily, completion of these missions isn't mandatory, and there is plenty to do for players who don't want to engage with them.
The game world of Forza Horizon 5 is much larger than its previous iteration, and it does away with restrictions on seasonal elements. In Forza Horizon 5, the map's biomes feature a diverse range of locations and weather effects. This means off-roading through a rain-covered jungle in one race can be followed by circling an active volcano in the next, all within a short space of time.
Forza Horizon 5 has different options for its visuals, depending on the platform. Screen Rant played the Xbox Series X version of the game, which has a performance mode that runs at 4k/60fps, and a quality mode, which runs at 4K/30fps, but has drastically improved reflections and light particles. Forza Horizon 5 running in quality mode looks absolutely stunning, especially when driving through water or through misty city streets at night, with the natural effects offering splashes of beauty against the fast pace of the race.
Players can make their own race tracks in Forza Horizon 5 using the EventLab mode, which lets them create a track or racing line by simply running the course they want to make while pausing to plant checkpoints. There are some more complicated options for players who want stricter rules for the race, which are assembled using a set of triggers in the menu and activate under specific circumstances. These rules are a little more complicated to use and experiment with, but the EventLab is simple enough that it's easy to make basic races with little hassle.
Forza Horizon 5 is a master class in world design, with its version of Mexico being a joy to explore. Forza Horizon 5 caters to all skill levels and approaches, and with its staggering number of missions to complete, things to collect, and fast-paced gameplay, it's an experience that attempts many things and succeeds in all of them with style.
Forza Horizon 5 will be released for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on November 9, 2021, with some editions of the game offering early access from November 5. Screen Rant was provided with a digital code for the Xbox Series X/S version of the game for the purposes of this review, and it was played on an Xbox Series X.
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