Forza Horizon 5

Presentation

Forza Horizon 5 is an open-world racing game developed by Playground Games. It brings the Horizon Festival to Mexico, in an environment combining free driving, competition, exploration and community activities.

The map features highly varied landscapes: deserts, jungles, beaches, canyons, historic cities, ruins and mountainous areas, notably dominated by the Gran Caldera volcano.

The main progression is built around Horizon Adventure. By earning Accolades, players expand the festival and gradually unlock several outposts specialized in different forms of driving.

These branches notably include Road Racing, Dirt Racing, Cross Country, Street Racing and PR Stunts, alongside the main Horizon Festival events.

Expeditions are used to establish these new outposts and place greater emphasis on exploration and presentation. Horizon Stories, meanwhile, offer mission series focused on different characters and aspects of car culture.

The game now features more than 900 cars, ranging from historic models to modern sports cars, supercars, hypercars, off-road vehicles, race cars and more unusual creations.

Each vehicle can be upgraded and tuned through numerous mechanical parts. Visual customization also allows players to modify paint, liveries, wheels and various body elements when supported by the model.

Mexico evolves through weekly dynamic seasons. Weather conditions vary depending on the region and can notably bring tropical storms or sandstorms.

The Festival Playlist regularly refreshes activities and rewards with seasonal championships, challenges, stunts, community events and cars to unlock.

EventLab allows players to create their own races, routes, challenges and experiences using an extensive set of tools and props, then share them with other players.

Online activities notably include Horizon Open, Horizon Tour, Horizon Arcade, The Eliminator and Hide & Seek, with both cooperative and competitive play across the open world.

Key points

• An open-world racing game.
• The Horizon Festival set in Mexico.
• A map combining deserts, jungles, cities, beaches, canyons and a volcano.
• Horizon Adventure structures the main progression.
• Several specialized outposts to unlock.
• Expeditions focused on exploration and festival development.
• Horizon Stories offering different side campaigns.
• More than 900 cars available in the current version.
• Extensive mechanical and visual customization.
• Dynamic seasons and weather conditions.
• A Festival Playlist that regularly refreshes activities.
• EventLab allows players to create and share their own experiences.
• Horizon Open, Horizon Tour and Horizon Arcade for multiplayer.
• The Eliminator offers an automotive take on battle royale.
• Horizon Realms allows players to revisit several temporary environments from previous updates.

Conclusion

Forza Horizon 5 develops the series' formula around a vast version of Mexico designed equally for competition and free exploration.

Horizon Adventure gives progression a flexible structure, while the variety of disciplines, the car collection and EventLab allow players to gradually shape their own festival experience.

Several years of updates, two expansions and the addition of Horizon Realms have significantly expanded the original content. In 2026, the game also continues to offer Festival Playlists and new rewards despite preparations for the next generation of Forza Horizon.

Good to know

Forza Horizon 5 is developed by Playground Games and published by Xbox Game Studios.

The game was released on November 9, 2021 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

A PlayStation 5 version developed by Panic Button in collaboration with Playground Games and Turn 10 Studios was released on April 29, 2025.

The game supports cross-play between compatible platforms.

The main progression leads to the Horizon Hall of Fame, but this is not a true ending: races, Accolades, seasonal activities and events remain available afterward.

The catalog now includes more than 900 vehicles, following more than forty content updates.

The Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels expansion, released on July 19, 2022, adds Hot Wheels Park, a new aerial environment built around extreme tracks.

The Forza Horizon 5 Rally Adventure expansion, released on March 29, 2023, adds the Sierra Nueva region and progression centered on rally and off-road racing.

Horizon Realms, added in 2025, makes several previously temporary environments from Evolving World updates permanently accessible, along with a permanent circuit at the Horizon Stadium.

The Festival Playlist remains active in 2026, bringing back previous themes while also adding new cars, rewards and EventLab creations.

The Horizon Backstage allows players to obtain many vehicles that were previously exclusive to certain Festival Playlists by using Backstage Passes.

This entry focuses on Mexico, Horizon Adventure, the car collection, seasons, EventLab, Horizon Realms and the two major expansions, without detailing every car, race or update.