Forza Horizon 5 is an open-world racing game set in a fictional representation of Mexico. The game features the largest map in the Forza Horizon series, being 50% larger than its predecessor, Forza Horizon 4, and possessing the highest point in the Horizon series. The map is described as one of the most diverse in the franchise, incorporating an active caldera volcano, jungles, beaches, ancient Mayan temples, and cities like Guanajuato. Players can explore freely or compete in multiplayer races and campaign mode. Both cars and player characters are extensively customisable, with options for custom liveries, tunes, and engine or drivetrain swaps. The game is the first in the franchise to support ray tracing on cars.
A new local weather system allows players to observe storms on different parts of the map simultaneously, reflecting Mexico's diverse elevations and climates. The four seasons still exist but affect eleven unique biomes. For instance, dust storms occur in the dry season, and tropical storms appear during the fall storm season. The jungle environment reacts to weather, with leaves scattering during storms.
The game introduces a new Horizon Arcade, a series of mini-multiplayer games, including "Piñata pop," where players pop piñatas dropped from a cargo plane. The "EventLab" toolset allows players to create custom games and races. "Forza Link," an AI assistant, helps players connect online and play together, with the option to link GPS systems. Accolades, a new feature, allow players to earn points and prizes for completing tasks, with over 1,800 accolades available, some of which are required to unlock certain vehicles.
The Eliminator battle royale game mode returns from Forza Horizon 4, with players starting in a 1963 Volkswagen Beetle. The world is designed for this mode, unlike its predecessor. Players can purchase in-game houses, ranging from beachside cabanas to hotels, which unlock rewards like Wheelspins and Fast Travel. The game features over 800 licensed vehicles. Due to licensing issues, Alfa Romeo, Fiat (including Abarth), and Lancia vehicles were not in the base game, though these brands returned in the Series 24 update on 17 August 2023.
Forza Horizon 5 has received numerous content updates and bug fixes since its release. Monthly updates typically introduce new cars, collectibles, horns, and clothing, often with a specific theme, such as the Christmas-themed Series 2 update in December 2021. Many updates also include series-specific map changes, a first for the franchise outside of seasonal changes, such as the introduction of a stunt park in the stadium in the Series 5 update.
On 1 March 2022, interpreter videos in a picture-in-picture format were added for American Sign Language and British Sign Language.
The Series 13 update on 11 October 2022 celebrated the tenth anniversary of the Forza Horizon series. It added a new radio station, "Horizon Mixtape," featuring fifteen music tracks from previous games, with some unlockable via accolades and seasonal championships. The update also included recreations of initial drive sequences from previous games in the new Horizon Story "Horizon Origins," featuring Scott Tyler, the only character to appear in every Forza Horizon game. Midnight Battles from Forza Horizon 3 returned, alongside new achievements, accolades, and badges. Each of the previous four entries' title screens was recreated within the game world, with each week of Series 13 featuring a different title screen.
The Series 14 update on 10 November 2022 introduced a new Horizon Story featuring members of Donut Media. In November 2022, an exploit in the Super7 mode led to the auction house being disabled and later patched, remaining closed temporarily to rebalance the game's economy. In June 2023, a 1956 Chevrolet Corvette and a 2022 GMC Hummer EV pickup, inspired by the film Barbie, were added as part of a collaboration with Xbox Game Studios and Mattel.
The game's first expansion, Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels, was released on 19 July 2022. The second expansion, Forza Horizon 5: Rally Adventure, was released on 29 March 2023, featuring a new map, off-road vehicles, and a new career mode. A car pack expansion, Forza Horizon 5: Fast X – Car Pack, was released on 5 December 2023, featuring vehicles from the film Fast X.
Playground Games developed Forza Horizon 5 with the goal of creating a game with significantly larger scale than its predecessors. Mexico was chosen as the setting for its diverse landscape. The development team collaborated with Mexican artists for in-game murals and musicians for the soundtrack. A team visited Mexico to capture real-world light and sky data, and the game extensively utilized photogrammetry data to create a virtual environment similar to its real-life counterpart, evident in the detailed rocks of the caldera volcano and individual objects like cholla cactus needles.
To achieve authentic sound, Playground Games transitioned from traditional looping audio to a granular synthesis system. This involved recording over 320 unique engine sweeps, capturing every note from idle to redline. High-fidelity results were achieved using flat-response microphones with specialized padding to prevent clipping from loud exhausts, and stereo and ambisonic mics in cockpits for immersive cabin acoustics. Bespoke libraries of engines, ambient environments, and collisions were created specifically for the title. The soundtrack can be output through Dolby Atmos.
Forza Horizon 5 was announced at E3 2021. It was released for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S on 9 November 2021. A PlayStation 5 version, developed by Panic Button, was released in 2025, marking the first Forza title on a non-Xbox home console and a PlayStation console.
Forza Horizon 5 received "universal acclaim" according to Metacritic. Game Informer praised the social interactions and score comparisons. Ars Technica highlighted the game's "next-gen" visuals and impressive vistas. Rock Paper Shotgun enjoyed the EventLab creator and Super7 events, stating the formula had been perfected. Eurogamer lauded the open world of Mexico, describing the map as a "wonder" with rich, saturated environments. Polygon found the game bombarded players with too many events, while The Verge felt the progression systems were less confusing than in previous titles and praised the player's ability to choose their path. The game was selected as IGN's Game of the Year.
Prior to its 9 November release, over 1.2 million players accessed the game through premium editions or add-ons for Xbox Game Pass subscribers. Video Games Chronicle estimated gross revenue between $54 million and $118 million before release. The game topped the Steam weekly charts from 1 to 7 November 2021. Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, announced that over 4.5 million people played the game in less than 24 hours, the largest launch for an Xbox Game Studios game, with three times more concurrent players than Forza Horizon 4. By 18 November, over ten million people had played the game in its first week, the largest number of players for a game's first week in Xbox history. Erik Kain of Forbes attributed the game's success to its availability on Xbox Game Pass, cross-platform play, Xbox Cloud Gaming support, and overall quality. On 9 January 2022, two months after release, the game surpassed 15 million players, breaking the record of the previous game in less than a year. Seven months after its initial release, the game attracted more than 20 million players. Following its PlayStation 5 release, it became the second best-selling game of April 2025 in the US.
Forza Horizon 5 won IGN's Game of the Year award and three jury-voted awards at The Game Awards 2021. It also won Racing Game of the Year at the 25th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards. ```