Forza Horizon 5 Revs Up for November Release Date

Racing game Forza Horizon 5 is on track for a 2021 release date. Developer Playground Games and publisher Microsoft officially announced the game during the E3 2021 Xbox/Bethesda showcase, confirming that it will take to the track on November 9 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. It will be available on Game Pass day one. 

The announcement trailer showcases in-game 4K footage of the game’s tracks and environments in stunning detail. Racing games have always been litmus for the graphical power of any “next-gen” console, and Forza Horizon 5 continues that tradition. The game’s photorealistic backdrops highlight the diverse environments through which players will race. 

Forza Horizon 5 is set in Mexico, bringing the number of countries featured in the series so far to six. And it’s perhaps the most realized location so far, and not because of the game’s expert use of photogrammetry and ray tracing that renders environments in such great detail. The Playground Games team has worked to “authentically” recreate the game’s locations, even going so far as to add incredible street art from artists like Farid Rueda. 

The varied environments include jungles, deserts, “sea-side” villages, volcanoes, stadiums, and much more.   

Aside from its multiplayer modes, which make use of the franchise’s Horizon Live service and Forza Link to help players find and play with other racers, Forza Horizon 5 also features a single-player mode called Expeditions. This exploration mode sees players scouting out locations “for the festival to expand” to. 

Playground Games unveiled the Events Lab, which allows players to create their own races and game modes. The gameplay trailer shows players racing through a stadium full of bowling pins, obstacles, launch pads, and more. It’s unclear exactly how robust this game mode will be, but it certainly looks very compelling. 

There’s sure to be even more information on Forza Horizon 5 in the months leading up to launch this November, so stay tuned. For an even deeper dive into the game, consider heading over to the official Forza YouTube, where Playground Games’ Creative Director Mike Brown and Associate Art Director Conar Cross talk more about all things Forza Horizon 5.