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| Forza Horizon 5 |
Forza Horizon 5
| Platform | Microsoft Windows Xbox One Xbox Series X/S |
| DESIGN | |
|---|---|
| Genre(s) | Racing |
| Developer(s) | Playground Games |
| Publisher(s) | Xbox Game Studios |
| Director(s) | Mike Brown |
| Producer(s) | Andy Ward |
| Designer(s) | Ryan Greene Ben Thaker-Fell |
| Programmer(s) | Matt Craven |
| Artist(s) | Don Arceta |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
| Series | Forza |
| Engine | ForzaTech |
| Release Date | November 9, 2021 |
| Download Link | Xbox | Windows |
| Price | Standard edition ($59.99) | Premium Add-Ons Bundle ($44.99) | Deluxe Edition ($44.99) | Premium Edition ($99.99) |
Forza Horizon 5 is a racing video game with an open world environment setting in Mexico. It features the largest map among the Forza Horizon series, and is 50% more extensive than the map in Forza Horizon 4. The new map also bears the highest point in the Horizon series. The city of Guanajuato along with several towns are shown in the game.
Forza Horizon 5 is a 2021 racing video game developed by Playground Games and published by Xbox Game Studios. It is the fifth main installment in the Forza Horizon series and is set in a fictionalized representation of Mexico. The game was released on November 9, 2021 for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Forza Horizon 5 received critical acclaim upon release, with praise for its visuals, gameplay, and open-world design. The game was also a commercial success, selling over 10 million copies in its first week of release. It won multiple awards, including IGN's Game of the Year award and three jury-voted awards at The Game Awards 2021.
Gameplay
Forza Horizon 5 is a racing video game set in an open world environment based in a fictional representation of Mexico. It has the largest map in the entire Forza Horizon series, being 50% larger than its predecessor, Forza Horizon 4. The map contains an active caldera volcano, jungles and beaches, ancient Mayan temples, and towns and cities such as Guanajuato. Players can explore the open world freely, though they can also compete in multiplayer races and complete the campaign mode. Both the cars featured in the game and the player character can be extensively customized.
New features
- Local weather system: This new weather system allows players to visit one side of the map and visibly see a storm. Because Mexico is such a vast nation with such a wide range of elevations, multiple climates would appear in the game at around the same time. For example, in the dry season, dust storms will appear, while tropical storms occur throughout the fall storm season.
- Horizon Arcade: This is a series of mini-multiplayer games strewn across the map. One of these mini-multiplayer games is called "Piñata pop" where the Horizon Festival's cargo plane drops piñatas. The goal is to pop as many piñatas as you can with the help of other players.
- EventLab: This is a toolset in which players can create custom games, races, and more depending on their personal preference.
- Forza Link: This is an AI assistant that tracks the current statuses of players, helping them to link with other players online and play together. Forza Link can also link players' GPS systems if they accept the invitation from another player.
- Accolades: These are new to the Forza Horizon series and allow players to collect points and prizes for completing certain tasks. Some vehicles can only be unlocked through the completion of the Accolades. There are over 1,800 accolades for the player to achieve.
Other features
- The Eliminator battle royale game mode: This returns from Forza Horizon 4, but players now start in a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle rather than a 1965 Mini.
- In-game houses: Players can buy in-game houses ranging from small beachside cabanas to even a hotel, which can unlock rewards such as Wheelspins and the right to Fast Travel.
- Over 600 licensed vehicles: This is the most number of vehicles in any Forza Horizon game to date.
Content and gameplay updates
Forza Horizon 5 has seen many content updates and bug fixes since its release. Monthly content updates include new cars, collectibles, horns, clothing, etc. These updates typically have a specific theme; for example, the Series 2 update in December 2021 was based around Christmas. Many updates also include series-specific map changes, for example, the Series 5 update introduced a stunt park located in the stadium on the map.
- Series 13 update: This celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Forza Horizon series, adding new content to the game in celebration. This included a new radio station titled "Horizon Mixtape", featuring a total of fifteen music tracks from the previous four entries, the return of Midnight Battles from Forza Horizon 3, and new achievements, accolades, and badges.
- Series 14 update: This added a new Horizon Story featuring the members of Donut Media.
- November 2022 auction house closure: After a money-making exploit was discovered in the game's Super7 mode, Playground Games disabled the game's auction house and later released a patch to fix the exploit. However, they announced that the auction house would remain closed for the time being to rebalance the game's economy.
- June 2023 Barbie car collaboration: A 1956 Chevrolet Corvette and 2022 GMC Hummer EV pickup featuring details inspired by the film Barbie was added to the game as part of a collaboration with Xbox Game Studios and Mattel in advance of the film's release.
Expansions
Forza Horizon 5, the critically acclaimed racing game, released two expansions in 2022 and 2023. The first expansion, Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels, was released on July 19, 2022. It was a follow-up to a similar expansion for Forza Horizon 3, and it added a new map with Hot Wheels tracks, cars, and challenges. The announcement of the expansion was accidentally leaked three days before its official announcement.
The second expansion, Forza Horizon 5: Rally Adventure, was released on March 29, 2023. It included a new map set in the Sierra Nueva region of Mexico, a variety of off-road vehicles such as trophy trucks and buggies, and a new career mode. The expansion was well-received by critics, who praised the new map, vehicles, and career mode.
Development
Forza Horizon 5 is the latest installment in the popular racing game series from Playground Games. The game was developed with the goal of creating a racing experience that is significantly larger and more visually stunning than its predecessors.
To achieve this goal, Playground Games chose Mexico as the game's setting. Mexico is a country with a diverse and varied landscape, which provides the perfect backdrop for a racing game. The game features everything from lush jungles to snow-capped mountains, and players can race through it all in a variety of cars.
In addition to its impressive visuals, Forza Horizon 5 also features a number of new gameplay features. One of the most notable new features is the game's use of photogrammetry data. Photogrammetry is a technique that is used to create 3D models from photographs. This technique has been used extensively in Forza Horizon 5 to create a virtual environment that is incredibly realistic.
Another new feature in Forza Horizon 5 is the game's car audio. Playground Games took a new approach to car audio in this game, switching implementation from looping to granular synthesis. This new approach allows for a much wider range of sounds, and it makes the cars in the game sound incredibly realistic.
Forza Horizon 5 was announced during Microsoft and Bethesda's showcase at E3 2021. The game was released for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S on 9 November 2021. It was a critical and commercial success, and it quickly became one of the most popular racing games of all time.
Reception
Forza Horizon 5 received "universal acclaim" according to review aggregator Metacritic, with critics praising its visuals, open world, and social interactions.
Game Informer appreciated the social interactions in the game, especially the score comparisons. They said, "More times than I could count, I noticed my friend hit a higher top speed, causing me to turn around and try the challenge again."
Ars Technica liked the visuals of the title, praising how it looked "next-gen." They said, "I seriously cannot keep track of how many times FH5 made my eyes bulge. The game takes special care to emphasize massive vistas... with screen-bursting HDR effects doing wonders for a richly saturated canvas of cities, sunsets, and scenery."
While criticizing the car handling for making the game too easy, Rock Paper Shotgun enjoyed the new additions to the formula like the EventLab creator and Super7 events. They said, "If you've played a Forza Horizon game before then you might feel a slight sense of deja vu, but you won't care as the formula has been perfected at last."
Eurogamer praised Horizon 5's open world of Mexico, writing that "The map is an absolute wonder, backed by a game engine which can deliver staggering views across the whole thing from the summit of the volcano that towers over it. The environments are rich and saturated with colour and atmosphere, from humid swamps to arid dunes, from deep, verdant canyons to pastel-striped barrios."
Polygon liked the settings to tune difficulty and handling, but felt the game bombarded you with too many events and activities at once. They said, "I feel constantly pinged with mentions and suggestions, from all directions, like two teenagers are blowing up my DMs."
The Verge felt the progression systems were less confusing overall compared to Forza Horizon 3, and praised how the player could choose what to do next. They said, "You're able to choose which specific types of events to unlock as you progress... I feel like if I stopped playing the game and came back to it weeks later, I'd have much more of a sense of what I'd been doing."
Forza Horizon 5 was selected as IGN's Game of the Year, and it's easy to see why. It's a visually stunning, open-world racing game with tons of content to keep players entertained for hours on end. If you're a fan of racing games, then Forza Horizon 5 is a must-play.
Commercial performance
Forza Horizon 5 had a massive launch, with over 1.2 million players accessing the game before it even released. The game also reached #1 on the Steam weekly charts in its first week.
In the first 24 hours after launch, more than 4.5 million people had played Forza Horizon 5. This was the largest launch for any Xbox Game Studios game, and it also had three times more concurrent players than Forza Horizon 4.
During its first week of release, over 10 million people had played Forza Horizon 5. This was the most players for a game's first week in the history of the Xbox brand.
Erik Kain, writing for Forbes, attributes Forza Horizon 5's success to its availability on Xbox Game Pass, cross-platform play, cloud gaming support, and high quality.
Two months after its release, Forza Horizon 5 had passed the 15 million player mark. This broke the record for the previous game in the series in less than a year.
Seven months after its initial release, Forza Horizon 5 had attracted more than 20 million players. This is an incredible achievement for any game, and it is clear that Forza Horizon 5 is a huge success.
Awards and accolades
Forza Horizon 5 has been a critical and commercial success, winning numerous awards since its release in November 2021. Here is a look at some of the accolades that Forza Horizon 5 has received:
These are just a few of the many awards that Forza Horizon 5 has received. The game has been praised for its stunning visuals, immersive gameplay, and innovative features. Forza Horizon 5 is a clear example of a critically acclaimed success.
Here are some of the factors that contributed to Forza Horizon 5's critical acclaim:
- Stunning visuals: Forza Horizon 5 is one of the most visually stunning games ever released. The game's Mexico setting is brought to life with incredible detail, from the lush jungles to the snow-capped mountains.
- Immersive gameplay: Forza Horizon 5 offers an immersive racing experience that is both challenging and rewarding. The game features a wide variety of cars to choose from, as well as a variety of racing events to compete in.
- Innovative features: Forza Horizon 5 introduces a number of innovative features that set it apart from other racing games. For example, the game features a dynamic weather system that can change the course of a race.
Forza Horizon 5 is a critical and commercial success that is sure to be enjoyed by racing fans for years to come. The game's stunning visuals, immersive gameplay, and innovative features have made it a must-have for any racing fan.