My adventure with Forza Horizon 4 (FH4) ended as unceremoniously as it began — I was ejected from the servers, and the game unexpectedly crashed. My expectations for Forza Horizon 5 (FH5) was therefore quite high. The game had to be stable. Fortunately, FH5 surprised me. The entry sequence had my first car attempting a raucous skydive into dusty roads; and the game only grew increasingly dramatic from there on. FH5 is, in the statistical sense of the phrase, the bigger and better version of FH4.
The sentence “FH5 has a bigger map” understates the potential of the race options. A bigger map in FH5 is more than just more roads to explore. It also means barns become more difficult to find. FH5 is situated in a fictional rendition of Mexico, and the climactic conditions of the region allow for new biome options. We could have a dirt race, with classic muscle cars, encircling a live volcano, all while a tropical storm rages in the background.
FH5 is also on track to have more cars than FH4. There is startling lack of Alfa Romeos, but the cars are shinier than ever, so all is good. It might just be that the game has gotten easier, or my raw car-racing skills have emerged, but I found that I was missing fewer checkpoints on an average. Either way, car handling seems to be a smoother experience across the board. Jury is still out on whether the engine sounds have increased to sound more realistic. I haven’t really heard the engines so far, because my Forza radio is always blasting; they are cycling through TikTok viral hits now.
The best part of the new game are the brand new story missions. Festival missions provide a variety, with all the different terrain options. They introduce some pretty cool cars too! Every event is like a tasty sandwich, and there are endless combinations possible. Unlocking levels and new missions has never been easier, and I find myself constantly with surplus money from wheelspins. Cars are in abundance and easily accessible. We can even earn back the credits lost to vehicle upgrades in just a single racing event.
FH5 is determined to make us have a good time without working for it. An X-class rating for Forza Horizon 5 from me. It’s worth getting the game pass for just this.