Put simply, there’s nothing on PlayStation 5 quite like Forza Horizon 5.
The Crew Motorfest? It's close. By fully embracing the festival vibe, Motorfest aligns more with the Forza Horizon series than its predecessors did.
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown? Unfortunately, no. While the Forza Horizon series owes much to the pioneering MMO racing of the original Test Drive Unlimited, Solar Crown's always-online requirement without a solo mode falls short. Since Forza Horizon 2 in 2014, the Horizon series has offered seamless transitions between offline and online play.
Need for Speed Unbound? It boasts an impressive customization suite that outshines Horizon in some areas, but its focus on high-speed chases makes it less of a direct competitor.
No, the undisputed champion of modern open-world racing is Forza Horizon 5 – and it's now available on PlayStation 5 for the first time. Its expansive and stunning Mexico map, drift-friendly vehicle dynamics, and a garage boasting over 900 cars, including cult favorites not found in other racing games, offer a complete package. PlayStation users are diving into this experience, many for the first time.
The reaction has been fun to watch.
This influx of new players is something the team has eagerly anticipated.
"Yeah, I’m super excited," says Playground Games art director Don Arceta. "For many, this will be their first Forza Horizon game. It's thrilling to think about their initial experiences, just as we remember ours."
Arceta is particularly eager to see what kinds of events and races PlayStation 5 players will create using Forza Horizon 5’s extensive Event Lab tools.
"You’ll actually get some pretty good Halo content too on the PlayStation, with the event lab props!" he adds. "We now have over 800 props in the Event Lab, and the creativity of the community is mind-blowing. I’m excited to see what PlayStation 5 users will build and the creativity they'll bring."
The port to PlayStation 5 is as technically sound as its Xbox and PC versions, a remarkable achievement given the game's size and the fact that its engine was new to the PlayStation platform."As you can imagine, adapting the series from the Xbox environment to the PS5 was a significant challenge," Arceta explains. "It was a huge task, but Panic Button, in collaboration with Turn 10 and ourselves, did an amazing job. The result is a high-quality experience on PlayStation that matches the Xbox and PC versions."
Personally, I've always seen the Forza series as the ultimate collection of Hot Wheels. No other racing series offers such a diverse range of cars, from the well-known to the obscure. As a car enthusiast, I'm thrilled at the prospect of new players discovering their favorite cars in Forza Horizon 5 – cars that other racing games simply don't offer.
For Playground Games lead game designer David Orton, it's the sheer variety of Forza Horizon 5 that he believes will impress newcomers.
"The breadth of Horizon is quite staggering," Orton notes. "Players can find what they enjoy most, and with so much freedom, that can be anything they want. We pride ourselves on giving players the agency to explore and engage with the game in their own way, and the game responds accordingly. I'm excited for players to discover the wide range of content, whether it's road racing, Rivals, track racing, photography, or creating content in Event Lab. Horizon is a welcoming space where there's something for everyone. The realization that it's more than just a racing game is what excites me."
"For me, a victory would be hearing players say, 'I can’t believe I’ve never played this game before,'" says Arceta. "That surprise is what we're aiming for. Once they're surprised, they're engaged and eager to learn more. I'm looking forward to hearing their stories and their delight."Orton agrees, adding, "It's about players who've never tried Horizon before, perhaps due to platform differences or time constraints, jumping into this world and finding it a warm, welcoming place full of fun. When they realize, 'Oh my goodness, how have I never played this game before? This is incredible,' that's a win for us. We're targeting a new cohort of players who may have never played a Forza title. There's an unknown element to how they'll react, but given our history of perfecting our craft, we're excited to bring this to PlayStation and introduce a whole new group of players."
If there’s any hobby more tribal than car culture, it’s the loyalty to video game consoles. For racing game fans, however, one significant barrier has been removed.
Let’s hope it’s not the last.
