Now Playing: Forza Horizon 5

My initial impressions of Forza Horizon 5 were very positive and, after putting another 40 or so hours into the game, that opinion hasn’t really changed. I’ve seen some criticism of FH5 from long term fans of the series in the sense that it’s largely the same game as the last one, only with a new map – and I’m not going to dismiss that criticism. Given what I’ve seen of FH4, they’re probably right.

But as I said in my FI post, I’m new to this series. I didn’t play FH4. Forza Horizon 5 is my first Forza game so all of this is new and fresh to me. And I think that’s an important context to frame before I get stuck into this review.

Forza Horizon 5 has been great and is easily one of the best games I’ve played this year. It’s visually impressive and all the more impressive considering how smoothly it runs on my old hardware. It’s a game absolutely packed with content and none of it feels like filler. There’s a massive variety of things to keep you busy – different race types, ‘story’ missions, open world challenges relating to speed, drifting and stunt jumps, multiplayer party games, co-op and pvp racing, seasonal events, community created content and even a kind of silly but fun battle royale mode.

And that’s without even mentioning the custom car tuning and cosmetic customisation which, after getting the hang of, I must have spent hours just fiddling with parts and various settings to get my cars looking and handling exactly how I want. Even after more than 40 hours of play, there’s still so much for me to do and explore.

It’s honestly hard to find much to fault in FH5. I still think there should be a little more guidance for new players – as I said in my FI post, the game doesn’t always explain certain features or modes very well. The multiplayer can take a long time to set up a game leaving you wondering if it’s actually working – but be patient, because it does eventually start.

There’s a great range of options that allow you to set up as many or as few driving aids as you want, in addition to several bot difficulty levels and the harder you make things, the greater your rewards. FH5 lets you play and progress how you want, doing the things you enjoy at whatever difficulty you feel comfortable with. It’s a game that’s extremely accessible to everyone.

Fun is really at the heart of FH5. It’s always rewarding you, even when you crash and roll your car down a volcano. It just wants you to relax and have fun. But don’t get the wrong idea – there’s real challenge here if you want it, too.

I don’t really have much more to say about Forza Horizon 5. I’ve had and continue to have a real blast with the game and I don’t see myself moving on from it anytime soon. There’s still so much for me to do and even once I do finish all the core content, those seasonal challenges will likely have me coming back for more.

Overall, if you’re like me and you’ve never played a Forza game before then I think you’ll probably enjoy this just as much as I did. If you’re a long term fan of the series I can understand why you might find FH5 a little derivative, but even then, it’s hard to deny just how impressive this game is from a visual, audio and technical point of view.

As someone who doesn’t play many racing / driving games these days, Forza Horizon 5 is perfect for me. It’s a welcome change of pace and a refreshingly positive experience.

9/10