Here is our review of Forza Horizon 5, which takes players of the popular racing game franchise for a Mexican adventure.
Here is my review of Forza Horizon 5, as reviewed on PC (Steam) using a controller. RaceDepartment has a Forza Horizon 5 forum where RD users can share, ask, or just chat about this racing game.
The latest installment of the massive Forza franchise is releasing worldwide in the coming days. Forza Horizon 5 sets the familiar open world racing title in Mexico this time. Fun is once again the focus, with developer Playground Games challenging the player to race with others in a variety of multiplayer modes, beat the AI in the massive array of single player races, or just explore the large Mexican map to find new challenges and hidden items and locations. However you choose to play it, FH5 delivers on what millions of players around the world have come to expect.
Graphics
Forza Horizon 5 is undeniably gorgeous. While many racing game fans consider the British setting of Forza Horizon 4 to be among the best-looking racing games ever released, it looks comparatively gray and dull next to the bright and colourful landscape of Mexico. To complement the stunning scenery, the 500+ cars available at release are all nicely detailed. The lighting is also impressive to look at, and FH5 will likely have you reaching for the screenshot key early and often.
Xbox users have voiced issues about FH5’s graphical limitations on console, as they are forced to choose between Quality mode which offers improved visuals at a lower frame rate, or Performance mode which offers the inverse. The PC version is instead highly customizable and limited by hardware. As tested on my 3900X/6800 XT system, I was able to achieve a consistent 72FPS on Ultra settings at 3440x1440 resolution. Steam recommends an Intel i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 1500X CPU, 16 GB RAM, and an NVidia GTX 1070 OR AMD RX 590 GPU, so even the recommended hardware isn’t outrageous.
Sounds
A focus of Playground Games since the 4th Horizon has been to improve the sounds of the cars on offer. And while I haven’t had the chance to listen to the engine notes of even half of the over 500 cars on offer, the ones I have listened to sound good. I’ve yet to find a car that meets or exceeds the level of sound we might hear in RaceRoom Racing Experience or one of the many impressive sound mods for Assetto Corsa, but given the breadth of vehicles available in FH5, what Playground has achieved here is very nicely done.
Besides the engine notes, there are several other sounds that elevate the experience in Horizon 5. Much of your time in this game is spent with the car radio blasting music, occasionally interrupted by one of your virtual friends at the Horizon festival informing you of a new potential adventure. And thankfully neither becomes annoying. The music sets a fun tone, and the voice acting is well done. Finally, the environmental noises as you slide sideways around corners, smash through residential fencing, crossing rivers in the jungle, or just sit idle and catch your breath after a marathon session of any or all of the above are well done.
Driving Experience
Sim racing purists will need to pass on Horizon 5. Dropping out of an airplane in your Ford Bronco in the first minute of gameplay and hitting a jump that would have made Evel Knievel blush should be all you need to know about the realism of the driving experience here. Playground Games has clearly prioritized fun over accuracy in the Horizon franchise, and little has changed on that front since FH4.
There are, of course, fundamental vehicle physics that are well implemented. Sports cars outperform SUVs, off-road vehicles handle better on dirt surfaces than road cars, and so forth. But you’re never far removed from launching a passenger car off the side of a mountain and landing after several seconds of hang-time with only a cracked windshield. If players are to enjoy FH5, expectations of simulation-level physics will need to be suspended.
NOTE: some users are experiences errors when trying to map their inputs to a wheel and pedals set, and I was among them. I will edit this review at a later date with information about the force feedback once the game is patched.
Gameplay Experience
From the first launch of the game, players are dropped into the deep end of the Mexican Horizon car festival. There is only an hour or so of exposition and plot-building, and then we're off to explore a big free roam. The menu system isn’t outstanding, but the small percentage of time spent out of your car is mostly spent referencing your map. Thankfully the map is easily accessible, but it definitely feels cluttered with the volume of quests available. Logically laid out sub menus in the game allow you to customize your graphics and sound experience, map custom controls, and manage your car fleet.
One of the few facets of Forza Horizon 5 that I found annoying, and the only one worth mentioning in this review, are the loading screens. The load times are longer than many titles on the market, but excusable given the massive map the runs seamlessly once you're in game. The issue I had with the loading screens was the boring visuals. While in game, pressing the up arrow on your controller brings you to a photo mode that creates stunning images at nearly any moment of time in FH5. But Playground Games has limited the loading screens to a few repeating images that make load times feel even longer.
On the multiplayer front, Horizon’s simple, fun and popular experience is hard to beat. There are multiple modes, including simply challenging a fellow player to a race, playing tag, elimination races, and group races. Sales of the Horizon series have been incredible in the four preceding titles, and FH5 should enjoy a similar level of popularity and give players a great online racing experience with others around the globe for years to come.
For those that prefer solo play, Horizon 5’s map is littered with races, quests and exploration areas. It does feel more like a collection of interesting things to do than a career or storyline at times, but there are at least three things that keep things perpetually interesting in FH5.
Firstly, the prospect of saving enough credits to buy your dream car. Maybe your first car will be that stunning red Ferrari you've always had your eyes on. And then your dream Lamborghini. And that cool new Project One. And on it goes. Buying and testing the 500+ car on offer is one of the best features here.
Secondly, customizing those cars. The upgrade and customization options in FH5 are comprehensive, and it makes the already large car selection feel almost limitless. Most of the major components of your vehicles can be changed out and upgraded, along with the paint and decal scheme of each vehicle.
Lastly, once you have a garage filled with cars you’ve always wanted to say you own, and then customized them to your liking, it’s time to drive. Forza Horizon 5’s large and detailed map holds so much potential for fun just in exploring. Whether you break the 200mph barrier in your hypercar, use a pickup truck to scale the side of a volcano, or cruise through the beautifully rendered towns, just driving in FH5 is fun enough unto itself.
Summary
Forza Horizon 5 carries on the well-established traditions we’ve come to love in the series. Everything is set up to ensure that you find fun in the game early and often. For those looking to channel an inner action hero instead of an inner racing driver, FH5 provides a perfect solution. It’s undeniably entertaining, thoroughly gorgeous to look at, and the enhancements to the sounds and vehicle customization represent progress in a series that could rightfully be apprehensive to change their recipe.
Hours of enjoyment lie ahead for anyone with a taste for racing and cars. Whether you play against other real players, AI, or just cruise around in your fantasy dream car, this is a great game. It may not be groundbreaking, but Forza Horizon 5 still ranks among the best racing games I’ve ever owned.
Good
As always, we want to hear the reviews of the community. If you own FH5, click this link directly or the hit the Submit your Review button at the top or bottom of this article and share your review with us. Good, bad or indifferent, let the community know your thoughts on the newest Forza Horizon title.
Or, leave a comment below with thoughts and questions about this racing game.
Here is my review of Forza Horizon 5, as reviewed on PC (Steam) using a controller. RaceDepartment has a Forza Horizon 5 forum where RD users can share, ask, or just chat about this racing game.
The latest installment of the massive Forza franchise is releasing worldwide in the coming days. Forza Horizon 5 sets the familiar open world racing title in Mexico this time. Fun is once again the focus, with developer Playground Games challenging the player to race with others in a variety of multiplayer modes, beat the AI in the massive array of single player races, or just explore the large Mexican map to find new challenges and hidden items and locations. However you choose to play it, FH5 delivers on what millions of players around the world have come to expect.
Graphics
Forza Horizon 5 is undeniably gorgeous. While many racing game fans consider the British setting of Forza Horizon 4 to be among the best-looking racing games ever released, it looks comparatively gray and dull next to the bright and colourful landscape of Mexico. To complement the stunning scenery, the 500+ cars available at release are all nicely detailed. The lighting is also impressive to look at, and FH5 will likely have you reaching for the screenshot key early and often.
Xbox users have voiced issues about FH5’s graphical limitations on console, as they are forced to choose between Quality mode which offers improved visuals at a lower frame rate, or Performance mode which offers the inverse. The PC version is instead highly customizable and limited by hardware. As tested on my 3900X/6800 XT system, I was able to achieve a consistent 72FPS on Ultra settings at 3440x1440 resolution. Steam recommends an Intel i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 5 1500X CPU, 16 GB RAM, and an NVidia GTX 1070 OR AMD RX 590 GPU, so even the recommended hardware isn’t outrageous.
Sounds
A focus of Playground Games since the 4th Horizon has been to improve the sounds of the cars on offer. And while I haven’t had the chance to listen to the engine notes of even half of the over 500 cars on offer, the ones I have listened to sound good. I’ve yet to find a car that meets or exceeds the level of sound we might hear in RaceRoom Racing Experience or one of the many impressive sound mods for Assetto Corsa, but given the breadth of vehicles available in FH5, what Playground has achieved here is very nicely done.
Besides the engine notes, there are several other sounds that elevate the experience in Horizon 5. Much of your time in this game is spent with the car radio blasting music, occasionally interrupted by one of your virtual friends at the Horizon festival informing you of a new potential adventure. And thankfully neither becomes annoying. The music sets a fun tone, and the voice acting is well done. Finally, the environmental noises as you slide sideways around corners, smash through residential fencing, crossing rivers in the jungle, or just sit idle and catch your breath after a marathon session of any or all of the above are well done.
Driving Experience
Sim racing purists will need to pass on Horizon 5. Dropping out of an airplane in your Ford Bronco in the first minute of gameplay and hitting a jump that would have made Evel Knievel blush should be all you need to know about the realism of the driving experience here. Playground Games has clearly prioritized fun over accuracy in the Horizon franchise, and little has changed on that front since FH4.
There are, of course, fundamental vehicle physics that are well implemented. Sports cars outperform SUVs, off-road vehicles handle better on dirt surfaces than road cars, and so forth. But you’re never far removed from launching a passenger car off the side of a mountain and landing after several seconds of hang-time with only a cracked windshield. If players are to enjoy FH5, expectations of simulation-level physics will need to be suspended.
NOTE: some users are experiences errors when trying to map their inputs to a wheel and pedals set, and I was among them. I will edit this review at a later date with information about the force feedback once the game is patched.
Gameplay Experience
From the first launch of the game, players are dropped into the deep end of the Mexican Horizon car festival. There is only an hour or so of exposition and plot-building, and then we're off to explore a big free roam. The menu system isn’t outstanding, but the small percentage of time spent out of your car is mostly spent referencing your map. Thankfully the map is easily accessible, but it definitely feels cluttered with the volume of quests available. Logically laid out sub menus in the game allow you to customize your graphics and sound experience, map custom controls, and manage your car fleet.
One of the few facets of Forza Horizon 5 that I found annoying, and the only one worth mentioning in this review, are the loading screens. The load times are longer than many titles on the market, but excusable given the massive map the runs seamlessly once you're in game. The issue I had with the loading screens was the boring visuals. While in game, pressing the up arrow on your controller brings you to a photo mode that creates stunning images at nearly any moment of time in FH5. But Playground Games has limited the loading screens to a few repeating images that make load times feel even longer.
On the multiplayer front, Horizon’s simple, fun and popular experience is hard to beat. There are multiple modes, including simply challenging a fellow player to a race, playing tag, elimination races, and group races. Sales of the Horizon series have been incredible in the four preceding titles, and FH5 should enjoy a similar level of popularity and give players a great online racing experience with others around the globe for years to come.
For those that prefer solo play, Horizon 5’s map is littered with races, quests and exploration areas. It does feel more like a collection of interesting things to do than a career or storyline at times, but there are at least three things that keep things perpetually interesting in FH5.
Firstly, the prospect of saving enough credits to buy your dream car. Maybe your first car will be that stunning red Ferrari you've always had your eyes on. And then your dream Lamborghini. And that cool new Project One. And on it goes. Buying and testing the 500+ car on offer is one of the best features here.
Secondly, customizing those cars. The upgrade and customization options in FH5 are comprehensive, and it makes the already large car selection feel almost limitless. Most of the major components of your vehicles can be changed out and upgraded, along with the paint and decal scheme of each vehicle.
Lastly, once you have a garage filled with cars you’ve always wanted to say you own, and then customized them to your liking, it’s time to drive. Forza Horizon 5’s large and detailed map holds so much potential for fun just in exploring. Whether you break the 200mph barrier in your hypercar, use a pickup truck to scale the side of a volcano, or cruise through the beautifully rendered towns, just driving in FH5 is fun enough unto itself.
Summary
Forza Horizon 5 carries on the well-established traditions we’ve come to love in the series. Everything is set up to ensure that you find fun in the game early and often. For those looking to channel an inner action hero instead of an inner racing driver, FH5 provides a perfect solution. It’s undeniably entertaining, thoroughly gorgeous to look at, and the enhancements to the sounds and vehicle customization represent progress in a series that could rightfully be apprehensive to change their recipe.
Hours of enjoyment lie ahead for anyone with a taste for racing and cars. Whether you play against other real players, AI, or just cruise around in your fantasy dream car, this is a great game. It may not be groundbreaking, but Forza Horizon 5 still ranks among the best racing games I’ve ever owned.
Good
- Gorgeous visuals
- Massive open world map
- Huge car selection
- Fun. Fun. Fun.
- Bugged control setup
- Boring load screens
As always, we want to hear the reviews of the community. If you own FH5, click this link directly or the hit the Submit your Review button at the top or bottom of this article and share your review with us. Good, bad or indifferent, let the community know your thoughts on the newest Forza Horizon title.
Or, leave a comment below with thoughts and questions about this racing game.
