Forza Horizon 5 is a long-awaited racing game taking place in an ever-evolving open world. It is the fifth installment of the highly appraised Forza Horizon series and pushes through the limits of the genre.

Setting

This time you will go on a journey exploring the landscapes of Mexico, where you will enjoy thrilling and action-filled races in hundreds of cars. This title features the most extensive map of the series so far and lots of different gameplay scenarios, all of that in a vibrant and realistic open world. So come hooning around and prove to the world you are the best driver alive.

Gameplay

Cars: There are over 600 vehicles you can purchase in Forza Horizon 5 from the Autoshow and the Auction house. Note that some cars may only be available during events, expeditions, or showcases. The available types are Classic Muscle, Classic Racers, Classic Rally, Classic Sports Cars, Cult Cars, Drift Cars, Extreme Track Toys, GT Cars, Hot Hatch, Hypercars, Modern Muscle, Modern Rally, Modern Sports Cars, Modern Supercars, Offroad, Pickups & 4x4's, Rally Monsters, Rare Classics, Retro Hot Hatch, Retro Muscle, Retro Rally, Retro Saloons, Retro Sports Cars, Retro Super Cars, Rods and Customs, Sports Utility Heroes, Super GT, Super Hot Hatch, Super Saloons, Track Toys, Trucks, Unlimited Buggies, Unlimited Offroad, UTV's, Vans & Utility and Vintage Racers.
Races: Different types of races are available, including street racing, dirt racing, cross-country racing, road racing and drag racing. Each race type needs a specific kind of car, so it's essential to understand how to drive them all and have a wide range of different vehicles.

Physics: This title features way better car handling and improved physics to provide a more authentic behavior and make the suspensions and braking system behave in pretty much the same way they do in real life.
Explore: In this title, you can explore the large open world and experience epic races with your friends and other players online. Featuring lots of different game modes, it truly offers a diversified gaming experience.
Customize and upgrade: You can customize and upgrade nearly all your cars to make them look the way you want. The customization aspect is about pimping visual components such as paint color, design, or style. In contrast, the upgrade aspect allows you to modify the performance of your cars, such as better handling, higher speed, and more.

Your avatar: You can pick your own avatar and customize your look, including the ability to select your voice, modify your hairstyle and color, get prosthetic limbs, purchase clothing, and more. Additionally, you can participate in the Horizon Festival.
Real estate: Across the world, you can buy houses and make them become your home, from where you can access Buy and Sell (access to downloadable contents), Garage (where you will find your cars and tune them up), and My Festival (where you can customize your character, your stats, settings, etc.).

Graphics and sound

In a few words, Forza Horizon 5 is a graphical masterpiece that features breathtaking visuals and seamless integration of solo and multiplayer gameplay. You will be able to explore a large open world, full of diverse biomes (each one full of foliage and water effects), dynamic weather effects, beautiful lightning shaders, high-resolution textures and shadows, and gorgeous particle effects. Of course, the audio feedback is finely tuned to make your driving experience even more immersive.

Duration and game modes

Forza Horizon 5 offers solo and multiplayer experiences you can complete in about 20 hours if you just want to focus on the main objectives, but it can take over 90 hours if you're going to explore all of the aspects of the game more deeply. The different game modes are:

Horizon Story: This is the story mode where you live a tremendous journey and explore the world through the narrative.
Horizon Arcade: The Arcade mode offers up to 130 mini-game challenges categorized into 11 different themes. You can try them with your friends or random players online.
Horizon Open - Horizon Tour: If you want to jump into races no matter their location on the map, then this is the right game mode for you.
Horizon Open - The Eliminator: This is a 72-player battle royale mode where players battle against each other during epic sprint races within an ever-shrinking arena until only one is left standing.
Eventlab: This compelling mode allows you to create your own races, game modes, and gameplay experience from scratch. You can customize everything you want.

What do the reviews say?

Forza Horizon 5 has been rated 91/100 on Metacritic and is considered a must-play.

"Forza Horizon 5 is built to deliver hour after hour of glossy, beautiful fun. Hit the race mechanics as deeply as you like. Zip around the amazingly beautiful map in a Corvette for no reason at all. Find secrets. Build out your car collection. Get rich. Have a good time the way you want. Go anywhere, do anything, just don't skip this stellar game." (Gaming Nexus)