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In a move as mind-boggling as Lewis Hamilton leaving Mercedes for Ferrari, Forza Horizon 5 is on PlayStation. Until now, the idea of Microsoft’s flagship racing franchise moving to its rival platform was inconceivable.
It’s a shrewd strategy. Microsoft is now a third-party publisher, mirroring Sega in the 2000s after the Dreamcast’s demise. It started with Hi-Fi Rush, Grounded and Sea of Thieves being ported to other systems. Initially a timed Xbox and PC exclusive, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was also recently ported to PS5.
However, this is the most significant Microsoft franchise to hit Sony’s rival console yet. If the rumours are correct, ports of Halo: the Master Chief Collection and the original Gears of War trilogy will follow.
Some will lament Forza losing its exclusivity. But it means a much wider audience can now enjoy one of this generation’s most seminal racing games. It’s a landmark moment for the genre.
First time at the Horizon festival
For PS5 players new to the franchise, the Forza Horizon games centre around sprawling music festivals across different locations, with Forza Horizon 5 set in Mexico. Events are scattered around an explorable map, ranging from standard road races to stunt challenges.
Combined with speed traps, photo opportunities, and hidden car barn finds, there’s a lot to discover, to the point it can become overwhelming as the map gets cluttered with main events and side activities to check off. Whether you’re chaining skill combos, smashing billboards or performing PR stunts to earn XP and rank up, it’s a well-worn but winning formula that’s still as addictive as ever.
With a stellar soundtrack and enthusiastic characters constantly praising you, it’s an onslaught of dopamine hits. Competitors like The Crew Motorfest have tried copying this template, but Forza Horizon popularised and arguably perfected it first.
You’re in for a treat if you’ve never experienced a Horizon Festival. A spectacular intro sets the scene with cars parachuting out of a plane and dramatic set pieces that see you drive across a volcano and through a sandstorm in a race to the festival. You feel like a driving god.
Vehicles are a joy to drive, with a handling model that hits the sweet spot between realism and fun. It’s weighty and certainly more realistic than The Crew Motorfest, yet accessible. Sliding a rear-wheel drive car around a twisty road feels fantastic, with a good sense of weight transfer and momentum. Mid-engine cars, on the other hand, feel a tad too heavy and are prone to understeer.
With the PS5 port arriving over three years after the original, the car roster has ballooned since launch to nearly 900, from high-tech hypercars like the Mercedes-AMG cover star to hatchbacks and off-roaders.
A pixel-perfect port
With Forza firmly established as an Xbox and PC franchise, seeing a PlayStation controller guide pop up and hearing the ping of trophies unlock instead of achievements is surreal.
Porting duties were handled by Panic Button, the same studio responsible for the Nintendo Switch’s miracle Doom port and Forza Horizon 4’s enhanced Xbox Series X|S release. Forza Horizon 5 on PS5 is another solid port to add to its impressive portfolio.
Simply put, Forza Horizon 5 on PS5 looks and plays identically to the original. In other words, Forza Horizon 5 looks phenomenal on PlayStation, with stunning scenery and a rock-solid 60fps in Performance mode. It’s a testament to the visual quality that Forza Horizon 5 still looks like it just rolled out of the showroom, despite being over three years old.
On PS5 Pro, there’s also support for ray-traced reflections during races and free roam in Quality mode and higher fidelity graphics in Performance mode, but it isn’t easy to spot unless you play with the bonnet view.
The PS5 port also takes advantage of the DualSense controller’s adaptive triggers and haptic feedback. It’s a subtle but immersive effect, simulating the road surface and grip levels. Aside from that, nothing is new or exclusive in Forza Horizon’s PlayStation debut.
What is new on all platforms, however, is Horizon Realms. These new standalone events take place in 12 themed locations – 11 are evolving worlds from previous season updates, but one is a new circuit set in the Horizon Stadium. Skill zone sees you try to bank as many Skill Score points as you can within five minutes by drifting, jumping or driving at high speed, or you can freely explore each realm alone or with a convoy of up to eight players.
While this could have been a throwaway mode, there’s an incentive to keep returning. Racking up points across the realms unlocks four new-to-Horizon cars, including the Lamborghini Revuelto (Lamborghini’s hybrid replacement for the outgoing Aventador) and the ridiculous six-wheeled Hennessey Mammoth 6X6 based on the Dodge Ram pickup.
In the future, players will vote for their favourite playlist from past seasons that PlayStation players missed out on. Crossplay multiplayer between all platforms is also supported, so newcomers on PS5 should find plenty of players online across PC and Xbox.
Fun but flawed
Forza Horizon 5 is a thoroughly fun time, but it isn’t flawless. A few factors fall short compared to other games in the series. Sadly, expired licenses mean the older Forza Horizon games are unlikely to get ported. Let’s hope it means the next entry will be released on PS5 if we get a Forza Horizon 6, even if it’s a timed exclusive.
One of Forza Horizon 5’s main flaws is its sense of progression. Faster cars are gifted too generously. Which starter car you choose doesn’t matter, because you’ll have already unlocked a Corvette Stingray, a Toyota GR Supra and a Hoonigan Ford Escort Cosworth after only 30 minutes of playtime. Accolades and random Wheelspin prizes only exacerbate this problem, showering you with reward cars.
With lush jungles, colourful coastal towns and ancient ruins to explore, Mexico is teeming with variety. But the minimal traffic on the roads makes the world feel lifeless – even the highway is often deserted. There’s a lack of festival atmosphere compared to the original Forza Horizon.
Forza Horizon 5 also requires a Microsoft account to log in. It makes sense to make crossplay work with PC and Xbox, but it feels unnecessary to access the single-player campaign.
A lack of physical disc release is also concerning, and not only for collectors. Going by past games, don’t be surprised if Forza Horizon 5 is delisted on the digital PlayStation Store sooner rather than later.
Then there’s the steep price. The Standard Edition costs £54.99 / $59.99 / €69.99, while the top-tier Premium Edition, which includes early access from 25th April and two expansion packs (the underwhelming Hot Wheels and Rally Adventure), will set you back a whopping £84.99 / $99.99 / €99.99. There isn’t even a launch discount for PlayStation Plus subscribers.
On top of that, there’s an abundance of full-priced DLC car packs not included in the already-pricey Premium Edition. You can also buy a Car Pass, but this doesn’t include everything. If you want every extra car, you’ll need to buy separate themed car packs at £7.99 each. It’s unnecessarily convoluted and feels egregious for a port of a three+ year old game.
The high price hasn’t affected sales, though. At the time of writing, Forza Horizon 5 is sitting at number seven in the PlayStation store sales charts alongside heavy hitters like Grand Theft Auto V, Fortnite and Roblox.
Ultimately, Forza Horizon 5’s flaws are easier to forgive on PlayStation. There was a sense of fatigue when it launched over three years ago. Regular season updates and community-made EventLab circuits have kept Forza Horizon 5 alive longer than any game in the series, but it doesn’t feel fresh after five entries. That’s not the case on PS5.
For those experiencing the franchise for the first time on PlayStation, Forza Horizon 5 remains the pinnacle of open-world racers, with Panic Room delivering a pixel-perfect port. It may be synonymous with Xbox, but Forza Horizon feels at home on PlayStation.
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