Forza Horizon 5: A Must-Have for PlayStation

Put simply, there’s nothing on PlayStation 5 quite like Forza Horizon 5.

The Crew Motorfest? Close. By adopting a full-fledged festival approach, it mirrors the Forza Horizon series more than its predecessors, embracing the philosophy of 'if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em'.

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown? Sadly, no. While the Forza Horizon series may owe a debt to the pioneering MMO racing of the original Test Drive Unlimited, Solar Crown’s always-online nature with no solo mode falls short. Since Forza Horizon 2 in 2014, the Horizon series has allowed players to effortlessly switch between offline and online modes.

Need for Speed Unbound? While it boasts an impressive customization suite that surpasses Forza Horizon in some aspects, Unbound's focus on high-speed pursuits sets it apart from a direct comparison.

No, the undisputed champion of modern open-world racing is Forza Horizon 5 – now available on PlayStation 5 for the very first time. Its expansive and stunning Mexico map, the delightfully drift-friendly vehicle dynamics, and an extensive garage of over 900 cars, including cult favorites not found elsewhere, offer a comprehensive experience. PlayStation users are now diving into this world, many experiencing it for the first time.

The reaction has been thrilling to observe.

This influx of new players is something the team at Playground Games eagerly anticipated.

“Yeah, I’m super excited,” says Playground Games art director Don Arceta. “Brand new people; for many, this will be their first Forza Horizon game. It’s exciting to think about that and reflect on our own first Horizon experiences.”

Arceta is particularly eager to see the creations PlayStation 5 players will make using Forza Horizon 5’s robust Event Lab customization tools.

“You’ll actually get some pretty good Halo content too on the PlayStation, with the event lab props!” he adds. “We have over 800 props now in the Event Lab, and the community’s creativity with this feature has been mind-blowing. I’m super excited to see what PlayStation 5 users will build and the creativity they'll bring to the table.”

The port to PlayStation 5 has been technically flawless, matching the quality of its Xbox and PC versions, which is impressive given the game's size and the fact that the engine had never been used on a PlayStation before.

“As you can imagine, because the series has been built around the Xbox environment and architecture, there’s a lot of code and engineering tailored to that,” explains Arceta. “Bringing it to the PS5 was no small feat. It was quite a huge task.”

“The PlayStation 5 version was developed by Panic Button, in collaboration with Turn 10 and ourselves, and they did an amazing job. The quality experience you get on Xbox and PC is now available on PlayStation, and it’s just amazing work by Panic Button.”

Personally, I’ve always viewed the Forza series as the ultimate collection of Hot Wheels, featuring an array of weird and wonderful cars, both desired and undiscovered. As a car enthusiast, I'm thrilled at the prospect of new players discovering their favorite cars in Forza Horizon 5 – cars that other racing games simply don't offer.

For Playground Games lead game designer David Orton, it’s the sheer breadth of Forza Horizon 5 that he anticipates will captivate new players.

“The breadth of Horizon is quite staggering,” Orton states. “Players dive in and find what they enjoy, and with so much freedom, that can be anything they want it to be.”

“Horizon is a space where everyone is welcome, and there’s something for everyone,” he continues. “We pride ourselves on giving players the agency and freedom to do what they want, and the game rewards and reacts accordingly. I’m excited for players to discover the breadth of content. Whether you want to focus on road racing, Rivals and track racing, taking incredible photos, or creating content in Event Lab for others, Horizon caters to all. The realization that this is more than just a racing game is what excites me the most.”

“For me, a victory would be players saying, ‘I can’t believe I’ve never played this game before.’ That surprise is what I’m looking for,” says Arceta. “Once they’re surprised, they’re engaged and eager to learn more. I’m really looking forward to hearing their stories and delight.”

Orton agrees.

“Yeah, that’s it,” he adds. “Players who’ve never tried Horizon before, whether due to platform differences or time constraints, will jump into this world and find it’s a warm, welcoming place full of fun. They’ll find a home at Horizon.”

“Players realizing, ‘Oh my goodness, how have I never played this game before? This is incredible,’ that’s a win for us. We’re targeting a new cohort of players who may have never played a Forza title. There’s an unknown element in how they’ll react, but our history shows continuous improvement. We’re excited to bring this to PlayStation and introduce a whole new group of players. That’s truly exciting.”

If there’s any hobby more tribal than car culture, it’s video game console loyalty. For racing game enthusiasts, one significant barrier has now been removed.

Let’s hope it’s not the last.