Forza Horizon 5: Why Everyone Is Still Obsessed With Xbox’s Ultimate Open-World Racer
08.02.2026 - 08:43:57
You're bored of racing games—and it's not your fault
Most racing games promise adrenaline and freedom, but somehow you end up doing the same bland laps, in the same bland cars, around the same bland tracks. You grind for credits, stare at menus, and wonder why this "thrill ride" feels more like a commute.
You want something different. Something that doesn't just simulate driving, but makes you feel like you're living inside a car-obsessed festival. A game that lets you drift through deserts, send supercars flying off volcano peaks, and race jet planes along a tropical coastline—without punishing you for not being a sim-racing pro.
This is where Forza Horizon 5 steps in and quietly ruins other racing games for you.
Forza Horizon 5: The open-world antidote to stale racing
Forza Horizon 5 is Microsoft's flagship open-world racing game for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC, developed by Playground Games and published by Xbox Game Studios under Microsoft Corp. (ISIN: US5949181045). It takes the Horizon festival formula—cars, music, and exploration—and drops it into a hyper-detailed, larger-than-ever recreation of Mexico.
In practice, that means you're not locked into tracks. You're free to blast across sand dunes, weave through a living city, thunder down jungle trails, or climb a snow-capped volcano in whatever car you want. It's not just about winning races; it's about discovering what kind of driver you want to be.
From the first minutes, Forza Horizon 5 is less "Here's a tutorial" and more "Here's a plane. Now jump out of it in a Corvette and land on top of a volcano." It's loud, cinematic, and shamelessly fun—and unlike many "live service" games, it doesn't make you wait hours to feel powerful.
Why this specific model?
There are plenty of racing games out there, but Forza Horizon 5 has become the default recommendation for one simple reason: it fits almost everyone. Here's why this specific entry in the series stands out.
- Jaw-dropping open world Mexico: From lush jungles and ancient temples to dusty deserts and modern cities, the map is extraordinarily varied. Dynamic weather and a full day–night cycle make the same road feel completely different every time you drive it.
- Massive car roster: While numbers vary by edition and DLC, you get access to hundreds of licensed cars from everyday hatchbacks to hypercars, rally monsters, classics, and off-road beasts. You're encouraged to collect, tune, and experiment rather than stick to one "meta" vehicle.
- Play how you want: Arcade-friendly handling with optional assists means beginners can have fun immediately, while more serious players can tweak difficulty, assists, and tuning to get a deeper driving experience.
- Next-gen visuals and performance: On Xbox Series X|S and a capable PC, Forza Horizon 5 delivers stunning detail, realistic lighting, and smooth frame rates. You can pick between quality- and performance-focused modes on consoles, letting you prioritize either visuals or fluidity.
- Seamless solo and multiplayer: You can play entirely solo, casually dip into online events, or join convoys with friends. Features like Forza Link and Horizon Life keep the world populated with other players without forcing you into competitive lobbies if you don't want that.
What really separates Forza Horizon 5 from the pack is its design philosophy: instead of punishing mistakes, it celebrates chaos. Hit a cactus? Style points. Launch off a dune and roll it twelve times? Style points. Smash a fence, drift a corner, survive a sandstorm—all of it feeds your progression.
At a Glance: The Facts
| Feature | User Benefit |
|---|---|
| Open-world Mexico map with diverse biomes | Gives you endless variety—coastlines, jungles, deserts, cities, and a volcano—so driving never feels repetitive. |
| Hundreds of licensed cars (base game, with more via DLC) | Lets you build a dream garage, from everyday cars to rare hypercars, tuned exactly to your style. |
| Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC support | Play on current-gen or last-gen consoles, or PC, with cross-play and cross-save within the Xbox ecosystem. |
| Dynamic weather and seasons | Storms, dust clouds, and changing conditions keep familiar roads challenging and visually dramatic. |
| Adjustable driving assists and difficulty | Makes the game welcoming for newcomers while still offering depth for experienced racers. |
| Solo, co-op, and competitive online modes | Enjoy a relaxed solo experience or jump into events, convoys, and multiplayer without switching games. |
| Included in Xbox Game Pass (availability subject to region and subscription) | Gives subscribers an affordable way to dive into the full experience without separate full-price purchase. |
What users are saying
Look at Reddit threads and community discussions and a clear pattern emerges: Forza Horizon 5 is widely loved, even if it's not perfect.
What people praise:
- Visuals and world design: Players constantly call the game "gorgeous" and "the most beautiful racer" they've ever played, with many praising the lighting, landscapes, and attention to detail.
- Accessible but deep driving: Casual players appreciate that they can turn on assists and just enjoy the ride, while experienced racers love dialing assists back and diving into tuning and skillful driving.
- Constant sense of reward: Users frequently mention that almost everything you do earns XP, credits, or cars, keeping the progression loop addictive.
- Great "chill" game: Many describe it as their go-to relaxation game—just put on a podcast or music and cruise around the map, discovering roads and smashing bonus boards.
Common criticisms:
- Online connectivity quirks: Some players report intermittent issues with online sessions, convoys, or matchmaking, especially during peak times or major events.
- Repetitive festival structure for series veterans: If you've played multiple Horizon titles, the general template—festival outposts, PR stunts, seasonal events—can feel familiar.
- Menu and UI clutter: A portion of the community feels the game sometimes overwhelms new players with icons, alerts, and overlapping systems.
Overall sentiment is strongly positive: many call Forza Horizon 5 the best entry in the series and one of the easiest games to recommend to friends who "don't usually play racing games."
Alternatives vs. Forza Horizon 5
The racing genre is crowded, but Forza Horizon 5 occupies a very specific sweet spot between arcade fun and technical driving. Here's how it stacks up conceptually against some common alternatives:
- Traditional circuit racers (for example, track-focused sims): Better if you want hardcore, laser-precise racing on real-world circuits, but they lack the open-world freedom and approachable fun of Horizon's festival vibe.
- Arcade street racers: Often deliver high-speed thrills and cop chases, but they usually can't match Horizon 5's sheer environmental variety, car roster depth, or long-term progression systems.
- Other open-world racers: Some offer big maps and flashy action, but community sentiment often leans toward Forza Horizon 5 for its handling model, visuals, and polish.
If you want realistic racing leagues, there are better simulation options. If you want a cinematic storyline, other franchises may go deeper narratively. But if you want a game that lets you decide, moment to moment, whether you're drifting through jungle mud, climbing mountains, or drag racing through a neon-lit city, Forza Horizon 5 is hard to beat.
Final Verdict
Forza Horizon 5 isn't just a racing game; it's a long-term comfort title—the digital equivalent of a weekend drive with no destination, a soundtrack you love, and a car that always starts on the first try.
It solves a very modern problem: limited free time and endless choice. You can jump in for ten minutes and knock out a race, drift a few corners, or explore one new road. Or you can sink an entire evening into fine-tuning your favorite car, hunting barn finds, and chasing every last accolade.
Backed by Microsoft Corp. and tightly integrated into the Xbox ecosystem, it feels like a flagship experience: visually spectacular, mechanically satisfying, and generous with content. Yes, online hiccups and some familiar series formulas hold it back from absolute perfection, but for most players those are minor bumps on an otherwise astonishingly smooth road.
If you've ever thought, "I'm not really into racing games," Forza Horizon 5 is the one that might change your mind. And if you're already a car enthusiast? You'll probably wonder how you ever settled for anything less.
Bottom line: if you own an Xbox or gaming PC and enjoy even the idea of cars and open worlds, Forza Horizon 5 belongs on your must-play list.
