Forza Horizon 5 (PS5) Review – Hello Mexico

Forza Horizon 5 PlayStation 5 Review

Forza Horizon 5 arrives on the PlayStation 5 and is the work of Playground Games. The release carries on the recent trend of Xbox games coming to other platforms. Seeing the Xbox logo showing up on a PlayStation console is still a bit surreal. It’s great to see an open world racer on a Sony console. The big question is how much content from the original Forza release can one expect to find with this new release? We can report that it comes with all the existing content plus a lot more. You’ll find out what to expect in this review. To see what we thought of the original release on Xbox, check out our review here.

Mexico is the latest venue for this open-world arcade racer, and it sure is a pretty game. The game’s introduction literally airlifts you into the country and drops you off in different locations. These locations include the stark but high and rocky peak of Gran Caldera Volcano, the deep lushness of a jungle, and the dusty hard packed surface of Baja. This is a slick way to highlight not just the variety of locales but their breadth. There are also early glimpses of the city cobblestone streets of Guanajuato. You’ll also drive through a coastal town wedged between mangrove fields and the ocean. But that’s not it. There’s even more variety in the landscapes. Not to be outdone by the other locales is a gorgeous gorge that contrasts against gentle farmlands with their green crops and windswept grass.

PlayStation 5 Features

Forza on the PS5 features two rendering modes to choose from: Performance (60fps) and Quality (30fps) on both PlayStation 5 and PS5 Pro. On PS5 Pro, the Quality mode adds ray-traced car reflections to Races and Free Roam, while Performance mode focuses on improving rendering performance, with higher fidelity graphics at 60FPS. This review was done on a PlayStation 5 so I cannot speak to the PS5 Pro additions. As with any game dealing with fast motion that needs to respond to quick input actions from the player, the Performance mode is the preferred way to play. The difference between the quality and performance modes in visuals is minimal. Although the Quality mode provides less pop-in and richer vegetation, the player won’t notice these graphical details while concentrating on the road.

The game also supports the vibration function and trigger effect on DualSense and DualSense Edge controllers. This gives you a higher fidelity feel for wheel slip, threshold braking, and surface changes. This is a preference thing, as some find the extra functions of the PlayStation controller a distraction rather than a benefit. I love those features because of the added immersion. An added benefit is that because Forza is an arcade racer, driving with the controller is my preferred method. The best way to play the game is the behind the vehicle view. A controller feels more natural in that view than using a steering wheel.

Different Kind of Racer

This is a good time to further explore the arcade nature of the game. If you are a PlayStation gamer only and are coming from Gran Turismo 7, which takes a more realistic approach to car handling, the physics of Forza Horizon 5 will take some adjusting to. It may be a matter of spending more time fine-tuning the control settings for a steering wheel, but this game has a much looser feel in terms of car control. This is true across all vehicles. The game plays better with a controller out of the box and seems designed to do so.

To celebrate the launch of Forza on the PlayStation 5, four new reward cars can be unlocked by completing Horizon Realms accolades. These include the 2024 Lamborghini Revuelto, 2023 Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato, 2022 Hennessey Mammoth 6×6, and 2018 Lotus Exige Cup 430. Horizon Realms will be available on Xbox consoles, PC, and PS5 on April 25. This update gives players the chance to explore a hand-picked collection of some of the community’s favorite previously released Evolving World updates and a new Stadium Track!

Cross Platform Features

The Festival Playlist synchronizes across all platforms. Therefore, PlayStation 5 players will have the latest series already available on Xbox consoles and PC. The Horizon Realms and Festival Playlist Voting modes will allow players to experience previous content. The game also enables cross-play by default, which players can disable it in the game settings. Players can also adjust this in the PS5 console settings. However, it is important to note, your local profile data saves accolades unlocked in the game. So, each platform on which you play Forza has a separate accolades progression.

Forza Horizon 5 for PlayStation 5 will not carry over save files from versions of the game released on other platforms. This is also the same behavior between the Xbox and Steam versions of the game, where game files are separate and not synchronized. One weird thing to note is how large the save file is for the PlayStation. It is over 2 GB in size. Quite large when compared to those on other platforms. The PS5 version of the game allows players to earn achievements from the Xbox and Steam versions as trophies. PS5 sees the inclusion of the elusive Platinum Trophy. Xbox consoles, PS5, and PC share the same leaderboards.

Forza Horizons 5 Accounts & Editions

Besides a PSN account, you’ll need to link to a Microsoft account in order to play Forza Horizon 5 on PS5. This process begins the first time you start up the game on your console. Players can pre-purchase the Forza Horizon 5 Standard Edition, Deluxe Edition, or Premium Edition.

• Standard Edition comes with the complete base game and its free content and feature updates like Horizon Realms.
• Deluxe Edition includes access to an additional 42 cars included with the Forza Horizon 5 Car Pass.
• Premium Edition allows you to upgrade your adventure to the fullest with both Forza Horizon 5 expansions – Rally Adventure and Hot Wheels – 42 additional cars from Car Pass, VIP Membership, and extra perks that are included in the Welcome Pack.

Forza Horizon 5 offers something lacking on the PlayStation 5, an open world racer. With over 500 vehicles to customize and race in a humongous world map, along with all the various activities, there is plenty for you to do. It is an arcade racing game that emphasizes fun over reality, and there is nothing wrong with that. It makes a wonderful complementary installment alongside GT 7. The greater the variety of racing games there are for a gamer to play, the better.

***Forza Horizon 5 Review key provided by the publisher.***