Forza Horizon 5 Should Hit PlayStation

Put simply, there’s nothing quite like Forza Horizon 5 on the PlayStation 5.

The Crew Motorfest? It's close. By fully embracing a festival-style approach, Motorfest mirrors the Forza Horizon series more than its predecessors, embodying the philosophy of ‘if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em’.

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown? Unfortunately, no. While Forza Horizon owes much to the pioneering MMO racing style of the original Test Drive Unlimited, Solar Crown's always-online requirement without a dedicated solo mode misses the mark. The Horizon series has offered a seamless transition between offline and online play since Forza Horizon 2 in 2014!

Need for Speed Unbound? It boasts an impressive customization suite that outshines Horizon in some areas, but its focus on high-speed hot pursuits in an arcade-style setting 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 the PlayStation 5 for the first time. Its expansive and stunning Mexico map, the drift-friendly vehicle dynamics, and a garage boasting over 900 cars, including cult favorites not found in other racing games, make it a complete package. PlayStation users are diving into this experience, many for the very first time.

The reaction has been a delight to observe.

This 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. “We're welcoming brand new players, many of whom will be experiencing a Forza Horizon game for the first time. It's thrilling to think about their first impressions, reflecting on our own initial experiences with the series.”

Arceta is particularly excited about the creations PlayStation 5 players will make using Forza Horizon 5’s extensive customization tools in the Event Lab.

“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 has been mind-blowing. I can’t wait to see what PlayStation 5 users will build and the innovative ideas they'll bring to the table.”

The port to PlayStation 5 has been executed flawlessly, matching the technical excellence of its Xbox and PC versions. This is impressive given the game's size and the fact that the engine had never been used on PlayStation before.

“As you can imagine, given the series' roots in the Xbox ecosystem, there was a lot of code and engineering tailored to that environment,” explains Arceta. “Porting it to the PS5 was a significant challenge. 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. Players can now enjoy the same high-quality experience on PlayStation as they do on Xbox and PC – it’s truly remarkable work by Panic Button.”

Personally, I've always viewed 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 – vehicles they might not have encountered in other racing games.

For Playground Games lead game designer David Orton, it's the sheer variety of Forza Horizon 5 that he believes will captivate new players.

“The breadth of Horizon is quite staggering,” says Orton. “Players can dive in and find what they truly enjoy, and with so much freedom, that can be anything they want it to be.”

“Horizon is a space where everyone is welcome, and there’s something for everyone,” he continues. “We pride ourselves on giving players the freedom to explore and create, and the game responds to their choices. I’m eager for players to discover the vast array of content. Whether you're into road racing, Rivals, track racing, photography, or creating content in Event Lab, Horizon caters to all. The realization that this is more than just a racing game is what excites me the most.”

“For me, a victory would be hearing players say, ‘I can’t believe I’ve never played this game before.’ That surprise is what I’m looking for,” says Arceta. “Once they’re surprised, they’re engaged and eager to learn more. The delight and stories from players are what I’m excited about.”

Orton agrees wholeheartedly.

“Yeah, that’s it,” he adds. “Players who’ve never tried Horizon before, whether due to platform differences or time constraints, will jump into this world and find it a warm, welcoming place full of fun. Discovering Horizon and thinking, ‘Oh my goodness, how have I never played this game before? This is incredible,’ is a win for us. We’re targeting a new cohort of players who may have never played a Forza title. There’s an element of the unknown in how they’ll react, but given our history of refining our craft, we’re thrilled to bring this to PlayStation. We expect to attract a whole new audience, and that’s incredibly 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.