When Playground Games’ Forza Horizon 5 released in Nov. 2021, the game was highly praised for its stunning visuals, gorgeous locations and smoothly fun gameplay. Its release on Game Pass contributed to it attracting over ten million players in its first week, making it the most successful launch ever for an Xbox Game Studios game. It also won three awards at The Game Awards 2021, including Best Sports/Racing Game.
Its joyous gameplay, however, was let down by its competitive multiplayer. Despite there being a wide variety of game modes, PvP matches in Horizon Open were limited and lacked rewards compared to other games in the series. Thankfully, Forza Horizon 5‘s latest update, released on March 29, goes a long way towards addressing these issues.
One of Forza Horizon 5‘s biggest downfalls in terms of its PvP was that it had no options for players to control matchmaking types. For example, players wanting to race in a certain class of car in a specific race type, be that a drag race or a cross-country marathon, would not be able to specify these preferences in their matchmaking search. The developers also chose to remove the associated ranked progression system that had been in previous Forza Horizon games. This shift to making the multiplayer more relaxed and fun-focused may have attracted a few newer players, but it also left racers feeling unrewarded for their performances.
Thankfully, the game’s latest update seems to have found a balanced way to address these concerns. Fans of the game’s traditional PvP modes are excited as the new update introduces Custom Races in Horizon Open, where players can choose which race type and car category they want to compete in. This will allow players who have eagerly unlocked or upgraded a new car, to specifically choose to race it online in whichever race category they wish.
Additionally, the update brings a new progression system to Horizon Open without sacrificing the more relaxed approach to PvP racing that Playground Games is favoring. The new system will be based on levels and earned badges, rather than ranked game modes. With the update, Horizon Open races now contribute to both the game’s traditional player level and the new Horizon Open level, which rewards players with badges and impacts their standings in the game’s leaderboards. These badges will be visible next to players’ Gamertags in Horizon Free Roam and will also be displayed on race results and leaderboards. These additions will go some way towards satisfying fans who enjoy showing off their racing accomplishments.
The update doesn’t only address these issues with Horizon Open though. It also brings new cars, clothes, horns and a Festival Playlist (monthly challenges and rewards) to keep players entertained, as well as introducing new props to the game’s Event Lab to expand players’ scope for creation. A new six-part Drift Club story will also become available, focusing on the returning Robert Glenn and celebrating the past, present and future of drifting. Finally, the new update also addresses several bugs and minor graphical issues as Playground Games continues to respond to player concerns.
With Sony releasing its own next-gen racing game in Gran Turismo 7 and Nintendo also releasing its first wave of new tracks for Mario Kart 8, Microsoft will be keen to keep Forza at the forefront of racing fans’ minds. This new update brings significant and exciting improvements to the game’s multiplayer. It could keep fans enjoying the stunning scenery and exhilarating gameplay for a long time.
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