The Xbox & Bethesda showcase for E3 2021 was packed with game announcements, with 27 of the 30 games shown coming day one to Xbox Game Pass. Among the sea of announcements was the brand new Forza game, Forza Horizon 5.
The game is set to release later this year and, as expected from a Forza game, it looks absolutely stunning. Looking for more information? Here’s what we know about Forza Horizon 5 so far!
Forza Horizon 5 Looks Absolutely Gorgeous, Releases This November
As announced during the Xbox & Bethesda showcase, Forza Horizon 5 will release on November 9 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, Steam, Windows 10 PCs, and Xbox Cloud Gaming.
In Forza Horizon 5, players will get to drive through the beautiful landscapes of Mexico. During the E3 2021 reveal, a number of different, diverse driving locations were shown which range from expansive deserts to quaint little town roads and everything in between.
The main car on display in the trailer is the Mercedes-AMG Project One which looks very, very fast (reaching speeds up to 350 km/h) and very badass if we say so ourselves.
You won’t be limited to the Mercedes-AMG Project One alone though, as other vehicles were shown during the trailer including a Ford Bronco, Chevy Corvette C8, and our EIC’s personal favorite, a Mitsubishi Evo X.
The exact number of cars available in Forza Horizon 5 has yet to be provided, but according to the game’s FAQ page, information on the list of cars will be coming at a later date.
Over on Xbox Wire, a nice little overview of Forza Horizon 5 was provided which offers additional insight into eye-catching gameplay elements including weather events like dust storms.
“Get ready for Forza Horizon 5’s deep campaign with challenges that reward you for engaging in the activities you love.
Meet new characters and choose the outcomes of their Horizon Story missions and take on awe-inspiring weather events such as towering dust storms and intense tropical storms as Mexico’s unique, dynamic seasons change the world every week.
No two seasons will ever be the same.”
A list of game modes was provided by the FAQ page for Forza Horizon 5. The game will have a campaign and the aforementioned Horizon Arcade, but it’ll also have things like PvP through Horizon Open and a way to create your own races via EventLab.
“Horizon Story – Experience a deep and rewarding campaign, where you will meet new characters and determine the outcome of their Horizon Story missions. You will take on expeditions across the map, battling the elements in hundreds of the world’s greatest cars.
- Forza LINC: The new AI assistant that intelligently tracks your status, the people you meet online and then helps you Link Up and play together.
- Horizon Arcade: With 130 challenges spanning 11 total game themes Horizon Arcade invites players to journey to Arcade markers across the map to engage in various challenges and mini games.
- EventLab: The incredible new toolset that allows you to create your very own races, game modes and game play experiences – you customize everything – right down to the fundamental rules of the game.
- Horizon Open: Refines the traditional Forza Horizon PvP experience with an emphasis on lower friction and fun by unifying it under one banner, allowing players to seamlessly jump into sessions for Racing, Games, Drift, Eliminator and more and stay until they have had their fill.
- Horizon Tour: See players jump into races from anywhere across the world, meeting up with other players to race against Drivatars on Average difficulty. This mode captures the experiences of a car-meet, with players meeting up in the world to race and having the option to continue together to the next Tour location in the world.
- Vehicle Customization: A complete UX overhaul to bring the experience in-line with modern image manipulation software. We have also added 100 new rims, hundreds of new visual upgrades, and thousands of performance upgrades.
- Character Customizer: Improved to provide players with a more diverse cast of selectable characters. New customization options include the ability to customize hair style and color, select prosthetic limbs, choose pronouns, select from different voices and the ability to purchase clothing with credits.
- Kudos: A social currency awarded between players for positive acts, unlocking flairs that can be attached to a player’s label and visible to others.
- Gift Drops: Send and receive gifts from the community. You can take one of your cars, apply upgrades and a paint job and then drop it as a gift to another player.”
While we’re on the FAQ page for Forza Horizon 5, some other helpful information can be found there that prospective Forza Horizon 5 buyers may want to check out.
For example, while the Standard and Deluxe Digital Editions of Forza Horizon 5 release on November 9, the Premium Edition will allow those who purchase it entry to the Early Access period for Forza Horizon 5 which starts November 5.
As noted previously, Forza Horizon 5 will release on Xbox Game Pass day one. If you know you want to buy the game whether it be the Standard Edition or the Premium Edition, prices and items included for each Edition are as follows:
- Xbox Game Pass: Available day one, Xbox Game Pass can be purchased starting at $9.99 (USD) per month.
- Forza Horizon 5 Standard Edition: $59.99 (USD), includes base game
- Forza Horizon 5 Deluxe Edition: $79.99 (USD), includes base game and Car Pass
- Forza Horizon 5 Premium Edition (Digital Only): $99.99, includes base game, Car Pass, Expansion 1, Expansion 2, VIP, Welcome Pack, participating in Early Access starting November 5
If you don’t want to buy the Premium Edition, upgrades can be purchased separately.
- Premium Add-Ons Bundle (Digital Only): $49.99 (USD) for Game Pass, Standard, and Deluxe Digital owners. Includes Premium Edition items like the Car Pass, Expansion 1, Expansion 2, VIP, Welcome Pack, and participation in the game’s Early Access which begins November 5.
Performance wise, Forza Horizon 5 will offer 4K resolution at 30fps on Xbox Series X. On Xbox Series X, it’ll offer 1080p at 30fps. For both Series X and Series S, a performance mode will be available that runs at 60fps.
According to the FAQ, “Ray tracing is utilized in Forzavista to make the cars look even more true to real life.”
Forza Horizon 5 supports Smart Delivery, and it’ll be available on both Windows 10 and Steam at launch on November 9. The game will have cross-play and cross-save support across Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S, Windows 10 PCs, and Xbox Cloud Gaming.
It’ll also have cross-play support on Steam, but cross-save with Xbox isn’t supported with the Steam version. You can run through the full FAQ for Forza Horizon 5 by clicking here. You can also see Forza Horizon 5 in action in the video embedded at the bottom of this article.
After catching up with Forza Horizon 5, what are your thoughts? Are you planning to buy the game? Do you like what’s been shown for it so far? Let us know on our social media channels including Facebook and Twitter, and stay tuned for more E3 2021 coverage here at Prima Games!
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