Simply put, there's nothing quite like Forza Horizon 5 on the PlayStation 5. While other racing games come close, none match the unique experience that Forza Horizon 5 offers.
The Crew Motorfest? It's close. By fully embracing the festival vibe, Motorfest aligns itself more with the Forza Horizon series than its predecessors ever did.
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown? Unfortunately, it doesn't quite hit the mark. Though 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 dedicated solo mode falls short. Since Forza Horizon 2 in 2014, Horizon has seamlessly allowed players to switch 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 and arcade-style racing makes it a different beast altogether.
No, Forza Horizon 5 stands unrivaled as the premier open-world racing game—and it's now available on PlayStation 5 for the first time. From its expansive and stunning Mexico map to its drift-friendly vehicle dynamics, and an incredible garage of over 900 cars that includes many cult favorites not found elsewhere, PlayStation users are diving into this rich experience, often for the very first time.
The reaction has been exhilarating to observe.
The influx of new players is something the team at Playground Games 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 customization tools.
"We have over 800 props now in the Event Lab, and the creativity of the community is mind-blowing," he adds. "I'm excited to see what PlayStation 5 users will build and the creativity they'll bring to the table."
"You'll actually get some pretty good Halo content too on the PlayStation, with the event lab props!"
The port to PlayStation 5 has been executed flawlessly, matching the technical prowess of its Xbox and PC versions. This is impressive given the game's size and the fact that its engine had never been used on PlayStation before.
"As you can imagine, because the series has been based around the Xbox environment and architecture, there's a lot of code and engineering that's worked with that," says Arceta. "Bringing it to the PS5 was no small feat. It was a huge task."
"The PlayStation 5 version was developed by Panic Button, in collaboration with Turn 10 and ourselves, but Panic Button did an amazing job. So you get that amazing, quality experience that you get on Xbox and PC—now you get on the PlayStation, and it's just amazing work that Panic Button has done."
As a car enthusiast, 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 ones you want to those you didn't even know you wanted. The idea of new players discovering their favorite cars in Forza Horizon 5 is thrilling.
For Playground Games lead game designer David Orton, it's the sheer breadth of Forza Horizon 5 that he believes will impress new players.
"The breadth of Horizon is quite staggering," says Orton. "Players can find what they enjoy, and with so much freedom, it can be whatever they want it to be."
"We always pride ourselves on giving the player that kind of agency and freedom to do whatever they want, and the game will reward them and react in that way. I'm really looking forward to players discovering the breadth of the content. Whether you want to focus on road racing, Rivals, track racing, taking incredible photos, or creating content in Event Lab, Horizon welcomes everyone and offers something for everyone. The realization that this is 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 they want to learn more. So I'm really looking for that. The delight from players; just hearing their surprise and their stories."
Orton agrees, adding, "Players who've never tried Horizon before, whether due to platform differences or time constraints, will jump into this world and realize it's a warm, welcoming place full of fun. Finding a home at Horizon is a win for us. We're targeting a new cohort of players who may have never played a Forza title before. 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. We believe we'll attract a whole load of new players, and that's really exciting."
If there's any hobby more tribal than car culture, it's the loyalty to one's video game console. For racing game fans, however, one significant barrier has been removed.
Let's hope it's not the last.
