Forza Horizon 5 Review: ‘Makes a strong case for best racing game ever’

Forza Horizon 5 is a perfect marriage of the series’ best ideas so far, neatly planted in its most exciting and diverse location yet. For returning Forza players, there’s a combination of both major and subtle changes, from the fantastic improvements to car sounds to the intense dynamic weather options such as tropical storms and sandstorms. For new players, its once overwhelming litany of menus and activities have been streamlined, with easy-to-understand progression making it the most accessible Horizon entry yet.

The best Forza Horizon yet?

In most racing games, players will eventually find that one special vehicle and mostly stick by it until the bitter end. But that’s never been Forza developer Playground Games’ bag, and never has that been more apparent than in Forza Horizon 5. This year the team at Playground has put a ton of time into making each car look, sound, and feel unique. As such, it’s now completely impossible to select a handful of cars to drive and be done with it. I found myself happily skipping between motors of all classes, and with each new vehicle unlock came a new toy to experiment with.

This makes Forza Horizon 5 particularly thrilling on the tougher difficulty settings. Playing on Expert with a number of the assists disabled, I found myself having to assess the route of each race before picking the right car for the job. A cross-country race with a couple of lengthy straights? I’d need something that was both speedy but also had decent offroad stats, like my Lancer Evolution X. A curvy slalom through Mexico’s streets? My GTB Fiorano with drift wheels equipped would let me glide around those tight corners.

Unlocking a new vehicle and discovering its strengths, weaknesses, and figuring out how to apply it to certain race types leans more into the simulation aspects of the Forza series than ever before. There are some balancing issues — I found drag races to be impossible with any of the recommended cars on higher difficulty levels — but for the most part, cranking that level of challenge up a notch really pays off and there’s an incredible amount of depth here. For those looking for an easy arcade thrill, the lower difficulty settings provide a more laid-back journey through Mexico.

Viva La Mexico

Speaking of Mexico — Forza Horizon 5’s updated controls would be wasted if its open-world wasn’t up to scratch. Thankfully, this is the series’ most diverse landscape yet, offering multiple different biomes from sprawling sandy desert, to lush jungle, to sun-kissed beach. Dynamic weather has been introduced, too, and while it isn’t a common occurrence outside of races, hurtling through a tropical storm or a sandstorm is thrilling. It’s not quite Motorstorm Apocalypse levels of chaotic, but it’s close.

The vibrancy of this setting is complemented by Horizon 5’s stunning visuals — this is the best-looking game I’ve played on Xbox Series X by a wide margin, and one of the best-looking games on PC, too. From the hugely impressive draw distance that stretches as far as the eye can see, to the plumes of realistic smoke that plume from beneath your tires while drifting around a turn, Forza Horizon 5 is frequently jaw-dropping. The robust photo mode returns, allowing you to capture all of your best moments with a variety of filters and settings — needless to say, I had trouble putting the camera down.

Mexico is far easier to explore than Horizon 4’s Scotland, too. This year, players will be guided through the festival by way of earning accolades, obtained by completing races and objectives. These accolades are used to unlock new chapters of your adventure through the festival, which also unlock brand-new Horizon Outposts reflective of different types of racing. These Outposts, along with the houses you can buy, allow you to quickly bounce around the map to different destinations, while offering a base from which to enjoy different types of events.

Master of events

And there are many, many events this year. For races, there’s the likes of cross-country, street racing, road, and dirt races, alongside the usual speed traps, drift zones, and stunts. Showcases return in dramatic fashion, too, with there being several Horizon Adventure Chapters dedicated to them. There are plenty of adrenaline-pumping moments tucked away in these chapters, from a sprint to the finish against jet-skis to speeding alongside a freight train.

Forza Horizon 5 also introduces stories, which guide players through various missions around a central theme. For instance, in one story, players will take on the role of a stunt driver. In another, they’ll be photographing areas of interest. The characters are inoffensive and nowhere near as annoying as the over-joyous hipsters in previous Horizon games, but aside from the player-character being voice-acted this time around, it’s still a thin narrative revolving around people who just love racing cars.

With each new set of events unlocking after you complete a certain challenge, it’s far less overwhelming than Forza Horizon 4’s immediately busy map, and it’s way easier to focus on the kind of events you enjoy doing. The cross-country races are a real highlight, presenting a solid combination of both the off- and on-road racing that makes Horizon special. Street racing and the presence of pedestrian cars spice things up, too, even if this Mexico map lacks a sprawling city akin to Horizon 3’s Surfers Paradise. Considering Forza Horizon 5 boasts all of the best bits of Horizons past, it’s a shame that we didn’t see the likes of Mexico City replicated here — I hope that’s being saved for a future expansion.

Then there’s the multiplayer; once a sore spot for the Horizon series, it’s improved this time around. Linking up with players for head-to-heads and general exploration of the map is easier than ever before, convoys can be quickly set up and disbanded with players able to join each other in PvP and PvE matches, while the addition of EventLabs adds whole new customization options for creative types to set up their own races. It remains to be seen exactly how the community will utilize this when the game launches proper, but the fun to be had here is reasonably clear. In one particular highlight, I raced through an event that repeatedly blared a rubber duck noise at me, while flashing directions to “NOT GET DISTRACTED” on the screen. EventLabs is a work-in-progress, but I hope for GTA Online-esque weird maps and unusual activities in the near-future.

Forza Horizon 5 Review: The final verdict

Forza Horizon 5 is the best Forza yet and, not only that, but it also makes a strong case for being the best racing game period. A joyous combo of arcade racing and simulation-level depth, all wrapped up in a beautiful bow thanks to its diverse, expansive Mexico setting, this is an unmissable iteration in what is arguably gaming’s most consistently fantastic series.