Microsoft Forza Horizon 5 - Information Thread, update: "Rally Adventure" expansion to release on 29 March 2023

[Brian]

 

[stepee]

17 minutes ago, ManUtdRedDevils said:

 

 

ANOTHER GOOD ONE FOR THE STEAM DECK YOLO

[stepee]

6 minutes ago, Rachel said:

Mexico isn't real

 

loveisreaL

[Boyle5150]

I can’t wait to play this with @stepee and @Rachel

[stepee]

13 minutes ago, Boyle5150 said:

I can’t wait to play this with @stepee and @Rachel

 

I guess this is my most looked forward to game this year now, can’t think of anything else off the top of my head now that Rachet is out. Only thing coming out that looks to be a good current gen showcase this year too besides Battlefield but that’s boring in comparison.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

 

[best3444]

Very boring video but it looks good. I no longer enjoy racing games but this will be impressive.

[XxEvil AshxX]

I'm officially blacking myself out for the rest of the time before launch. I'm already super-hyped for the map. Mexico is going to be such a huge breath of fresh air. I liked Forza Horizon 4, but the english countryside was soooooooo boring. It's not the fault of the developers, they were trying to keep it authentic. It just so happens that the english countryside lacks any kind of distinct personality, both culturally and geographically.

[Brian]

 

[Brian]

 

@The def star yay or nay?

[The def star]

12 minutes ago, ManUtdRedDevils said:

 

@The def star yay or nay?

Oh wow it looks like it's transparent.

 

[Brian]

 

[best3444]

Watched all 8 minutes because I'm high af right now. Looked great.

[Biggie]

20 minutes ago, best3444 said:

Watched all 8 minutes because I'm high af right now. Looked great.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Forza Horizon 5 has 426 cars and counting | PC Gamer

WWW.PCGAMER.COM

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That's a lot of cars.

 

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Playground Games has released a list of the cars confirmed for Forza Horizon 5, and it's very long indeed: 426 cars long. That's not even all, because according to a new developer update more cars will be added to that list ahead of the racer's November 9 release date, not including however many post-launch cars end up in the game.

 

[Keyser_Soze]

 

[Brian]

 

[best3444]

2 hours ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

 

Gunna look good 👍 

[Xbob42]

Good. Hope it runs smooth. 4 was plagued by technical issues on PC, in no small part thanks to it being stuck on the shitty Windows Store, I'm sure. If this one actually runs correctly (and by correctly I mean at a high framerate with no stutters at high resolutions, not where some dipshit is getting 25 FPS @ 720p on medium on his GTX 780 so he thinks it's "fine") then I'm going to really enjoy it.

[Keyser_Soze]

 

100 gigs though

[Ominous]

23 hours ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

100 gigs though

Is that a lot? 

[stepee]

2 minutes ago, Ominous said:

Is that a lot? 

 

it’s like 7

[Xbob42]

Who are these feeble women with their tiny feminine storage drives and their dainty ISP caps that keep complaining about 100 gig games anyway? Bitch get used to it, complain to your ISP and buy a bigger drive. Ain't nothing gonna shrink games back down. But you can strong-arm your ISP if you get enough people riled up about it.

[Ominous]

I've got 99 problems but a data cap ain't one. You can't turn xfintiy to a housewife. 

[Ominous]

56 minutes ago, stepee said:

 

it’s like 7

Best I can do is 5.

[Brian]

 

[best3444]

Looks gorgeous. I can't imagine what we get in a few years on both consoles. 

[AlwaysDyingX]

On 9/30/2021 at 8:48 AM, Xbob42 said:

Good. Hope it runs smooth. 4 was plagued by technical issues on PC, in no small part thanks to it being stuck on the shitty Windows Store, I'm sure. If this one actually runs correctly (and by correctly I mean at a high framerate with no stutters at high resolutions, not where some dipshit is getting 25 FPS @ 720p on medium on his GTX 780 so he thinks it's "fine") then I'm going to really enjoy it.

 

 

When was the last time you played 4? They fixed all that shit 

[stepee]

4 hours ago, BasemntDweller2 said:

 

 

When was the last time you played 4? They fixed all that shit 

 

I actually think Xbob has some sort of issue with his pc on forza games for some reason. His Forza 3 experience was significantly more rough than mine as well I remember. Yes, I remember that far back about Xbob’s Forza experience, that was important information for me to retain.

 

And yeah Forza 4 runs like a damn dream at 4k/120 all maxed out crazy AA with just a few “gpu is already at 100%” drops that vrr covers and no stutters for me.

 

And I’m not just running it at a high resolution, I’m a weirdo that puts graphs and counters and does slow pans and stress tests and shit for fun as I play and obsessively correct it if I notice anything. Never had to do anything fancy for Forza 4 tho.

 

My first guess would normally be to try locking higher clocks on the cpu, but I figure Bobby is already doing that so idk. Oh, maybe ram speed? 

[Xbob42]

7 hours ago, BasemntDweller2 said:

 

 

When was the last time you played 4? They fixed all that shit 

I was gonna say when the Hot Wheels pack came out, but I think I played the Forza Horizon 3 Hot Wheels pack. I think I barely played 4 for more than a handful of hours because it kept stuttering. The actual performance was totally fine in 4, super high FPS even at high settings if I remember correctly, but it just had this stutter that wouldn't go away. I see it mentioned online in some reviews, but not all, so no idea how widespread it was.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Final hands-on previews from last month that I totally forgot to post:

 

Forza Horizon 5 is a playable tourist board ad - in a good way (Eurogamer)

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What other improvements did I detect in my short time with the game? Well, audio seems noticeably richer to me, with those fulsome Forza engine notes bedded in more realistic and spacious soundscapes of mechanical and environmental noise. (I am on the fence about the decision to give the protagonist a voice, though - I am not sure their bland pronouncements, issuing haltingly from your probably wackily-dressed avatar, have any less awkward an effect than the previous game's nodding mutes.) Developer Playground Games says it has also overhauled the physics simulation of suspension and brakes in particular, and it did seem to me that the cars felt less slippery, drifts were easier to provoke and control, and cornering characteristics overall felt a bit more deliberate. (A bit - this is still no hardcore simulation, and nor should it be.)

 

There's a lot still to learn from the final build of Forza Horizon 5, not least whether it integrates multiplayer in a more successfully organic way than its predecessors - this was a strictly single-player preview - and whether it continues to just about keep its many modern live-serivce-game tics from overwhelming the experience. But at first sight, Forza Horizon 5 does not seem likely to disrupt the smooth progress of a series that has, for me, been the last word in comfort gaming for the past decade. Above all else, it still feels like a holiday, and Lord knows how much we could all use one of those.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forza Horizon 5 is Forza Horizon 4 with cacti instead of hedgerows | PC Gamer

WWW.PCGAMER.COM

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The new instalment doesn't screw with the series formula.

 

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When my quest giver said "It's not just a car, it's a lifestyle," that rang kinda true to me, though perhaps not how they meant it. Because I've played all the Horizon games, but almost as a way of not-playing. They're a gorgeous distraction, a game you can play when you're not playing a game. But they are substantial enough to become obsessed with if you choose to; there's real heft available for people who love a challenge and more importantly, a really loving approach to cars that enthusiasts can bond with. 

The studios responsible are clearly aware of this balance, because if you're wanting anything remotely new in this instalment, you're not going to get it. They've hit a great formula.

 

They know how to make computer game cars go. They know how to construct landscapes that feel good to race in. They've figured out how to make a racer satisfying but mostly resistance-free. They've shorn the annoyances out of crashing at high speed by simply making cars like tanks and trees like thistles. And they're just going to keep doing this until a lot of people decide this style sucks.

 

And since it doesn't suck—since it actually still rules—we'll probably keep getting Forzas like this for a long time, which is actually fine, though a part of me was hoping for something with the whiff of novelty. I'll sink 50 hours into it anyway.

 

 

 

 

Forza Horizon 5’s Mexico Has More Vibrancy and Variety Than Horizon 4's UK

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This year's version of Forza Horizon improves upon its predecessor with a more colorful setting and more variety in driving environments.

 

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As a long-time fan of Forza Horizon, I have to admit my dark secret: I didn’t really love driving around the United Kingdom. Forza Horizon 4 took the series home for developer Playground Games, but for me the location itself was just “okay.” The history of the region came through as I raced through the streets of Edinburgh, or tore across the lush green fields and small hamlets in my Hoonigan Ford Focus RX. 

 

But it was missing the variety I found in Forza Horizon 3’s Australia, where I’d cruise from dense forest to desert scrub, and then head to the Eastern coast to take in the pristine white sands. The weather system, taking the UK through all four seasons, did a great job of papering over this issue but it still fell short for me. I wanted more.

 

So I was overjoyed to put some hours into Forza Horizon 5 and find that Mexico offers more of the variety I was looking for. Forza Horizon 4’s opening minutes showcased the seasons, with a frozen winter lake being the more intriguing locale. Horizon 5 kicks off during the same season, with the player airdropping near a semi-active volcano in one of the showcase cars, the 2021 Ford Bronco Badlands. From there you race in dirt and cacti-laden Baja California, careen headlong into a dust storm, and splash around the muddy jungles of La Selva. This initial drive sees Playground Games throw down the gauntlet. 

 

 

 

Forza Horizon 5 Hands-On Preview - Furia Road

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Forza Horizon 5 Hands-On Preview - Furia Road

 

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Horizon is a series that knows how to, through its thrilling Initial Drive, make a sizable impression. Borrowing from something like Fast & Furious, this one decides to open with you parachuting from a cargo plane in a boxy Ford Bronco Badlands, down the sheer mountainside of La Gran Caldera. It was then onto similarly spectacular sights including Mexican farmlands, temple-hiding jungles, and the stunning beaches of Baja California. 

 

It’s a stunning introduction to the fifth game in a series that’s still about celebrating both cars and culture.

 

The game then throws us into a character creator that’s far beyond anything we’ve seen in the Horizon series so far. It takes plenty of steps to cater to a lot of sensibilities, it’s pronoun-friendly and there’s quite a range of prosthetics on offer to help gamer’s avatars mirror their real-world challenges. Though I didn’t get to plumb the depths of what’s available in terms of wardrobe due to it being locked, there doesn’t appear to be any shortage of options. That goes for both man and machine. 

 

 

 

Preview: Forza Horizon 5 | Console Creatures

WWW.CONSOLECREATURES.COM

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Forza Horizon 5’s Mexico setting is shaping up to be a fun and exciting playground for players next month. There seems to be a clearer sense of progression and the map is loaded with races, events, and stunning vistas to see.

 

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I've always found the Forza Horizon series to do two things better than other racers — providing the thrill of barreling down a street at 300KM/h and giving us the most lifelike and gorgeous car models in the industry. It’s also the one series on Xbox that regardless of what I say here, won’t come close to actually sitting down and playing through the game yourself. After spending a few days lost in Mexico, I’m confident saying that I’m ready for it to be November 9 so I can dive back into Forza Horizon 5.

 

Forza games are about building your adrenaline across multiple events and while ensuring your victory in the Horizon Festivals sidequests need to win to become the best in the world. I’ll say that that the opening race is easily my favourite out of every Forza Horizon game, if only because of the sheer spectacle that Playground Games looks to deliver this year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forza Horizon 5 leans into realism, and is more drivable as a result

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A test drive with Xbox’s racer offers much more than just postcard scenes and car cheesecake

 

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Wrapping all of this is a very welcoming presentation of Mexico, both geographically and culturally. Playground Games’ world designers have done a strong job in delivering interpreted, fictionalized locations that still have their own sense of place. Fans of the very first Forza Horizon (I am one) will really feel called home by this landscape, a close sibling of that game’s Colorado, but much better looking. Seasonal weather (introduced in 2018’s Forza Horizon 4) will again change weekly, but precipitation can happen (or not happen) anywhere, and weather is more of a landscape supplement rather than something to distinguish one area from the next.

 

Again, hauling up the side of La Gran Caldera, little jet streams of dust blowing off my hood let me know I was in a system that would later kick up a dust storm. At the top, patches of snow had sublimated in the bright sunlight, revealing a sulfurous yellow dirt beneath. It rained ever so slightly, just a few flecks from a cloudburst, and then it was back to bright skies. Like the vehicles’ braking, the weather in Forza Horizon 5 is also more subtle and gradual than on-or-off.

 

 

 

Forza Horizon 5 Preview - GameSpot

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We recently took part in a hands-on preview event for Forza Horizon 5 where we got to play the racing game's opening prologue and sample a few story missions before being set free to roam the open world of Mexico.

 

 

Forza Horizon 5 Preview - Coasting Through Costa Lacosta

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Forza Horizon 5 may not reinvent the steering wheel, but it improves upon the series' uber satisfying open-world driving.

 

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As it turns out, Mexico is pretty bloody big, so I only ended up seeing about half of what the world had to offer, but I came away very impressed. See, for as much as Forza Horizon tries to tell you that the big bombastic moments and sexy cars are the highlights, the open-world is what it’s all about for me, and it’s just as enticing here as it’s ever been.

 

While drifting across Mexico, it felt like the Horizon formula had been pretty much perfected here. Forza Horizon 5 isn’t trying to reinvent the steering wheel, and I don’t think it really needs to. Instead, what you have here is the same ultra-rewarding driving game you’ve had in Horizon games prior, but tuned up as tightly as possible and wrapped in another beautiful environment for you to slam the brakes on and stare off into the horizon every chance you get.

 

 

 

Forza Horizon 5: The Final Preview - IGN

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We played the first 90 minutes of Forza Horizon 5, the next chapter of Playground Games’ all-conquering open-world racing king. This is what our first shakedown has revealed.

 

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However, even as Horizon 5 begins to settle back into its typical Horizon groove, I’m already noticing a host of improvements beginning to surface. Visually, of course, it’s absolutely splendid (and the tyre smoke is so much better!) but there’s a lot more under the surface. The handling tweaks Playground has previously discussed are subtle but absolutely noticeable (for instance, I think the return torque on the steering seems to feel a bit more natural). The revamped car audio is wonderful, and I’m loving being able to preview the changes that performance customisation parts will make on the sound of my cars.

 

But while I’m already having a ball, there’s still so much I haven’t seen yet – and aren’t part of this slice of the game. Horizon 5’s new Expeditions, for instance, promise grand road trips across the map to expand the festival. Horizon’s Arcade minigames should be plenty of fun. Most excitingly, Horizon 5’s EventLab – a full-scale event editor with a toolkit reportedly similar to the one used by the developers at Playground Games themselves – is sounding like a drastically expanded version of Horizon 4’s Super7 mode and I can’t wait to see what I can create.

 

 

 

Forza Horizon 5 is more than just another racing game

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Forza Horizon 5 is one of Xbox's flagship titles for 2021, and highlights why Playground Games should be considered one of the greatest talents out there. What actually makes Forza Horizon 5 interesting, however, is that it can appeal to any gamer, even those who don't play racing games.

 

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On the surface, it may appear that Forza Horizon 5 is just another racing game, but the complete package on offer in Forza Horizon games manages to attract players who would normally never approach the racing genre with any amount of interest. In every early look we've gotten, it looks like Playground Games is preserving this special "something" that Forza Horizon games possess, and even manages to evolve it by making the title more accessible to and more accepting of different kinds of players.

 

I'm one of many that has found themselves drawn to Forza Horizon partially because of its openness, and Forza Horizon 5's intelligent, targeted changes and additions make me more excited for this unique racing game than practically anything else releasing this year. The ludicrous levels of creative freedom afforded to players in Forza Horizon 5 and its Mexico-bound open world practically guarantees that gamers of every variety can find something to love, even if other attempts to dive into the genre have failed to captivate.

 

Every player pursues their own path in Forza Horizon 5, and you don't have to love cars to love the endless possibilities available.

 

 

 

Forza Horizon 5 Was Developed In Three Years Instead Of Two, And It Shows - GameSpot

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We go hands-on with Microsoft's new Forza game and speak with the developers about what's new for the biggest Forza Horizon game to date.

 

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GameSpot recently took part in a hands-on preview event for Forza Horizon 5 where I got to play the racing game's opening prologue and sample a few story missions before being set free to roam the open world of Mexico. The story missions were fun and varied, taking me on journeys to help find and retrieve an old Volkswagen, for example, or help a friend ride into a sandstorm to snap a photo of an artifact. The demo also let me try a series of races involving different types of cars in a variety of settings. All of these were impressive with their attention to detail and core driving mechanics, but my favorite part of my limited time with Forza Horizon 5 was exploring the open road and experiencing the world at my own pace.

 

That being said, Forza Horizon's signature Showcase events return in Forza Horizon 5, and the one included in the demo was seriously impressive. In this multi-stage race, I zipped through city streets at breakneck speed, launched over ramps and flew through the air, and careened through trees and the wilderness. It felt like something out of a Fast & Furious movie. The variety of the missions in general that were available during the preview was impressive, and it kept me interested in heading to the next waypoint to see what type of race I might do next.

 

 

 

Forza Horizon 5 preview: This racing game can't come soon enough

WWW.WINDOWSCENTRAL.COM

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Forza Horizon 5 is an upcoming open-world racer from Playground Games, and has amassed a steady amount of hype through its regular teases and streams. After spending a week with an early build, it's safe to say the hype is deserved, and I cannot wait to play more of Forza Horizon 5.

 

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As my time with Forza Horizon 5's preview came to an end, my excitement for the full game did nothing but go up. Playground has blown me away with everything they've shown so far, and the tiny segment of FH5 I had access to offered everything I could have asked for. Forza Horizon 5 is a love letter to car lovers, racing game fans, explorers and creatives, and (most notably), the extensive Forza Horizon community.

 

Of course, Playground still has a lot to prove with the online and multiplayer half of Forza Horizon 5, how the game will be supported long term, and how polished the full game will be. FH5 was astonishingly polished for me (besides some very minor visual glitches and one audio bug), but my access was harshly limited. While I was impressed by the story content I did get to play with, I'm also curious to see how the complete campaign preserves player choice without becoming confusing.

 

 

 

Forza Horizon 5 transformed me into Count Driftula, superstar driver of Mexico | GamesRadar+

WWW.GAMESRADAR.COM

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Hands-on with Forza Motorsport 5, a true showcase of the Xbox Series X and Playground's skill behind the wheel

 

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Forza Horizon 5 works so well because it respects the heritage of racing games on Xbox. But there's no need to dwell on the past, because Forza Horizon 5 represents the future. While your mileage with the core concept of the Horizon games may vary – the idea of this roving festival of car enthusiasts overthrowing a corner of the world for a year never enamored me – there's little in the moment-to-moment play that I can complain about. As I finally drag my Corvette up the East coast of Mexico, having taken a wild and exploratory trek across a world I've only just scratched the surface of, it's comforting to know that there's still so much of it left to see. 

 

So yes, Forza Horizon 5 passes the vibe check with ease. With the November 5 release date on the near horizon, I can't wait to venture a little deeper into Forza Horizon 5 to enshrine my reputation as Count Driftula, one hungover play session at a time.

 

 

[XxEvil AshxX]

I hope they do something to refine the map and the menu. FH4 started out nice and clean but logging into it now and it's a bloated mess. Whenever I boot it up I have to back out of like, three or four menus just to drive my car. They need to minimalize the free-to-play bloat, it looks like a damn mobile game.

[AbsolutSurgen]

Makes me wish I could find a 30XX at a reasonable price...

[SoberChef]

Been thinking a lot about this title as of late, definitely stoked to download & play it on GamePass next week!