Forza Horizon 5 PS5 – Everything You Need to Know

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Thanks to Xbox’s move to share its first-party exclusives across platforms, PlayStation 5 players can anticipate a greater selection of popular titles, including the upcoming releases like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, set to debut on April 17th, and for racing enthusiasts, they can eagerly await the launch of Forza Horizon 5 on April 29th.

Regarding racing games or open-world titles in general, Forza Horizon 5 is often praised as one of the finest, garnering over 10 million players within its first week. Now, PlayStation 5 users can experience the excitement for themselves and enjoy many of the same features, regular updates post-launch, and much more. Here are 15 key points to consider about Forza Horizon 5 on PS5 before making a purchase.

Developed by Panic Button


Panic Button is responsible for the PS5 port and though the name might not be immediately familiar, it’s worked on some pretty impressive ports through the years. These include DOOM Eternal on the Nintendo Switch, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order for Xbox Series X/S and PS5, and even Forza Horizon 4 for the Xbox Series X/S. It’s still partnering with Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios for the PS5 release, so a top-notch port should be expected.

Open World Setting and Size

Unlike “Forza Motorsport”, the “Forza Horizon” franchise is set in an open world, allowing players to roam freely and uncover content in various locations (such as Speed Traps, Barn Finds, etc). In this context, “Forza Horizon 5” boasts the largest map in the series so far, and since it’s modeled after Mexico, there’s a wide variety of landscapes and weather patterns to explore. Some of these weather conditions are even novel for the series, such as massive dust storms that players can drive through.

New Horizon Adventure

Instead of starting with a single festival site in previous Forza Horizon games and gradually adding others, Forza Horizon 5 adopts a fresh strategy. The grand Horizon Adventure commences at the Main Stage, yet each Festival Site concentrates on distinct activities such as street racing, cross-country racing, and so forth. Each site provides separate Chapters featuring unique characters, missions, and rewards, allowing you to immerse yourself in a single activity for extended periods if preferred.

Accolades

To advance through each chapter, you’ll need to accomplish Accolades. These objectives cover various aspects of the game, and achieving certain Accolades grants access to extra vehicles. Your ultimate aim is to reach the Hall of Fame by completing these tasks. The route is adaptable, allowing for focus on specific gameplay elements. For those who enjoy challenging themselves, some Accolades may prove difficult to accomplish.

Expansions


Whether you’re finished with the base game or need a break from its 130 hours of content (for completionists, of course), you can engage in two expansions. Rally Adventure and Hot Wheels. The former adds new cars and rally events while the latter offers the Horizon Hot Wheels Park with fantastical tracks (complete with loop-de-loops), the ability to design your own Hot Wheels tracks, and even more new cars.

Post-Launch Updates and Changes

From November 2021 onwards, there’s a continuous flow of updates, fixes, and additional free content for Forza Horizon 5. This includes new Horizon Tour events, Horizon Stories (with co-op support), Accolades, Speed Zones, vehicles, customizable body kit presets, Midnight Battle, the Horizon Mixtape Station, and tracks – essentially, it’s a whole lot, and that’s not even mentioning all the modifications and enhancements made to existing features like EventLab.

Cross-Play (But No Cross-Save)

At the initial release, cross-platform gameplay will be enabled, uniting players from Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PC (via both the Microsoft Store and Steam), and Xbox One in a shared gaming experience. Regrettably, cross-saving functionality won’t be offered at launch, but scores on leaderboards will be synced to the same Microsoft account for comparison purposes.

Horizon Realms Update

In sync with the launch of PS5 comes the debut of Horizon Realms, an update featuring a comeback of 11 time-limited tracks. Gamers can delve into these individually via Skill Mode where you strive to accumulate the highest Skill Score and secure new Badges, or Free Mode, offering leisurely unlocking of Accolades, friendly play, and relaxation. Notably, there’s a fresh Stadium Track and Horizon Stadium Circuit, serving as a perpetual racing route.

New Accolades and Car Rewards with the new update

In Horizon Realms, you’ll soon have additional opportunities to earn Accolades as we introduce an Accolades tab with over 60 achievements to conquer. Many of these are fresh and unique! As you accomplish them, you’ll be rewarded with four new vehicles: the 2024 Lamborghini Revuelto, the 2023 Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato, the 2018 Lotus Exige Cup 430, and the 2022 Hennessey Mammoth 6×6. Enjoy the drive!

DualSense Support


What would Forza Horizon 5 on the PS5 feel like without DualSense support? Thankfully, players can look forward to Adaptive Trigger support. This offers a “higher fidelity feel of wheel slip, threshold braking, and surface changes,” according to the port’s official FAQ.

Leaderboards and Synchronized Festival Playlist

On the very same day as other versions, Horizon Realms will debut on PS5, but this isn’t the only instance of equal content; the Forza Support Team has confirmed that the Festival Playlist is harmonized across all platforms. This means you can enjoy the most recent series in sync with other platforms, just like Horizon Realms, and play all previously released content as well. Moreover, leaderboards are consistent across all platforms too.

Access to All User-Generated Content

It’s important to mention that user-generated content, no matter where it originates, is universally available. This means that users on PS5 can access and share content from EventLab 2.0, but what they create can also be played by Xbox and PC gamers. In addition to the previous updates and expansions, as well as the latest Horizon Realms update, PS5 players now have a wealth of user-generated content to explore.

Performance and Quality Modes

Just like the Xbox Series X, the PS5 offers two graphic settings: Performance and Quality. The Performance mode operates at a steady 60 frames per second, while Quality provides a more detailed visual experience at 30 frames per second. However, it’s important to note that the Xbox Series X version runs in dynamic 4K resolution at 60 FPS on Performance mode and native 4K/30 FPS on Quality mode.

PS5 Pro Support


The same two graphics modes exist on PS5 Pro and here’s where things get interesting. Quality Mode includes ray-traced reflections during Free Roam and races while Performance offers “increased visual fidelity” at 60 frames per second. Finer details like the resolutions, improved graphics, use of PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, and more have yet to be confirmed.

Mandatory Microsoft Account

When it comes to enjoying Forza Horizon 5 on your PS5, there’s one important detail to keep in mind – you’ll need a Microsoft Account. In essence, this means linking your PlayStation Network account with the same Microsoft account, much like Sea of Thieves requires. It’s worth noting that you can disconnect the accounts later, but the game will continue to be associated with the same Microsoft account throughout.

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2025-04-10 09:41