Choose Forza Horizon 5 for a spectacular, accessible open-world racer with gorgeous Mexico, huge car variety, strong driving, and lots to do. Skip it if you need a focused story, strict competitive structure, clean menus, or dislike occasional technical and online hiccups.
Best for players who want a generous, accessible open-world racer with spectacular scenery, a huge garage, flexible difficulty, custom events, and freedom to race or roam at their own pace.
Not for players who want a focused story campaign, serious ranked competition, minimal menus, cross-save continuity from Xbox or PC, or a stripped-down racing format.
Forza Horizon 5 lands as a highly polished open-world racer built around freedom, spectacle, and constant rewards. Reviewers strongly agree that Mexico is a standout setting, the car list is enormous, the visuals are exceptional, and the driving sits in a satisfying space between arcade approachability and sim-flavored depth. The main tradeoff is focus: the same generosity that fills the map with races, boards, playlists, expansions, and community tools can also produce menu clutter, information overload, and a weaker sense of narrative purpose. Technical notes are mostly positive, especially on newer consoles, but reviews still mention online hiccups, occasional bugs, loading breaks, and some performance-mode compromises.
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
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PS5 version is cross-play, meaning you can play with PC and Xbox fans
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higher and wildly more varied than any Horizon game yet
massive, gorgeous openw world map in Mexico
mexico is one of the best regions the series has visited
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It’s the uncanny sense of place I get from the setting
game has a big focus on atmosphere and it is breathtaking
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as close to flawless as any racer has ever come
polished to a Hope-diamond sheen
another stellar open world racing experience
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lighting and texture improvements, better dust effects, and mind-blowing reflections
hugely impressive draw distance
drastically better smoke and dust effects
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Mexico is yours to explore either solo or with friends
I enjoyed just driving around and looking at stuff
exploration is as important as winning races
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a bevy of extremely enjoyable content
more races, activities, and event types than can comfortably fit
It has enough variety to keep you continually invested
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controls are slick and responsive
driving interface is so slick, so intuitive
the handling in Forza Horizon 5 supported me
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beautiful locale of Mexico, bringing back some of the exotic glamour
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strongest car list for a racing game probably ever
over 900+ cars to tune and test
that number is approaching 900 thanks to continual DLC drops
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one objective to make you as happy as you want to be
main gameplay will revolve around open world exploration
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best-in-class driving mechanics, and more
the core driving mechanics are, in a word, sublime
better handling, more granular preferences and options
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cars that now sound blatantly different to each other
The radically revamped audio is superb
the work done on the engine sounds is top notch
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even after you complete the campaign, it’s far from finished
always new places to discover and races to join
With over 500 cars to collect
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This is a game that says “yes” to everything
go pretty much anywhere you want do whatever you want
you to create your own fun in fh5
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never stops delivering on its early promise
it looks beautiful it sounds magnificent and it is glorious to play
game that brings me in as a non-racing fan
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an extremely accessible Buffet of racing spectacle open to everyone
if you have a disability, there are multiple ways
options for people who have any kind of sensory issues
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the customization stuff is just mind-blowing
everything on your car can be upgraded and customized
the sky’s the limit, and sharing your designs
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no drops or hiccups
I have come across no drops or hiccups
Performance Mode on PS5 Pro looks so good
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you always feel as though you are progressing and unlocking something interesting
always leave you feeling rewarded no matter what you're doing
everything you do – and I mean everything – advances your status
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about the stories that people in their cars can tell
the real star is Mexico itself
provides a little more depth to the characters and environments
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Rally Adventure and Hot Wheels expansions – both of which are excellent
base game and its many free content updates and numerous bug fixes
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continues the series’ legacy
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Limited visibility from the storm adds a sense of danger
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you’ll never have to play alone
transitioning from playing alone to playing with others seamless and simple
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new Event Lab, which provides players with an abundance of custom creation options
create custom events each race can be altered by players
EventLabs adds whole new customization options for creative types
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Cars feel much more “set” and natural within their respective surroundings
gives each corner of the map personality
lush with greenery and waterfalls
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best game of its kind that you can play on PS5
DualSense implementation makes driving feel better than ever
PS5-specific features like adaptive triggers and enhanced graphics
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ton of free and paid content to the game
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Expedition Mode, sitting alongside Horizon Showcases
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Linking up with players for head-to-heads and general exploration of the map is easier than ever before
Multiplayer, including entering events with others, is a large part
there's been some significant multiplayer massaging too
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DualSense’s haptic feedback and adaptive triggers
adaptive triggers to give brake “pedals” a small light section
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you would be a fool not to download this game
well worth checking out
probably worth the $59.99 Sony is asking
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frame rate never, ever wavers in either mode
solid and 60 frames per second
sticks to a solid 1080p30
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new mode filled with minigames
new mini co-op section called Horizon Arcade
collaboratively participate in with other nearby players
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Mexico is the best of all of them combined
mexico is a diverse map its elevations rise up into volcano domes
The map is quickly dotted with hundreds of activities
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Each little scrubby bush on the ground breaks
Foliage flattens under your car
NPC vehicles, for example, have a bad habit it disappearing off the map
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very little in the way of objectionable content
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environment the road conditions and even the challenges you face
small but good improvement over the system
tropical storms and dust storms
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brought with them a delicious, licensed soundtrack
track selection for this entry is great
all infused with Mexican music
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friendly Horizon is to racing novices like me
learning curve that can be quite daunting for new players
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Basic circuit races, PR stunts, Expeditions, cross-country sprints, and storylines
somewhat repetitive missions now after playing for a while
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technical issues I found were rare
my first ever bug in the game and my only bug
general small issues to work around, but don’t break the game
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hunting down experience and fast travel boards
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offer to adjust its own difficulty depending on how you’re faring
the way the game handles difficulty is great
thrilling on the tougher difficulty settings
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nor did I experience any crashes
I had a few crashes
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suggestive lyrics and bleeped-out curse words
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refinement of the racing formula rather than revolution
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throws you directly into the action with a 4-car sequence
five does offer far more quickly and facilitates experimentation
at the start it holds your hand quite a bit
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not much new it can do to impress
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a surprising amount of lag
struggled to connect to the Horizon Life server
online element is a little flaky
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has been improved is the past ai
one enemy car zooming off ahead is still occasionally apparent
belligerent rubber-banding AI feels
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more personal campaign that gives your created driver more of a voice
still a thin narrative
There is one but its barely anything
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jam packed map, tons of menus
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a grim reminder of the MTX-heavy reality of gaming today
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littering it with interruptions can make the whole game feel scatterbrained
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can fairly be described as information overload
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aren't any real competitive features in the game
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lacklustre dialogue and overly peppy voice-acting
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almost every bit of gameplay is broken up by a loading screen
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they are again tied to individual cars
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the crew you deal with look like they are missing a lot of their animations
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The Events Lab has no tutorial
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can’t use or transfer existing game saves
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Compared with other Video Games, this product is above average in family friendliness, cross-play support, below average in animation quality, tutorial quality, load times.
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| animation quality | 2.4 | 4.4 | -2.0 |
| tutorial quality | 2.0 | 3.8 | -1.8 |
| load times | 2.5 | 4.1 | -1.6 |
| skill tree depth | 2.5 | 4.0 | -1.5 |
| competitive balance | 2.5 | 3.8 | -1.3 |
| dialogue quality | 2.5 | 3.7 | -1.2 |
| family friendliness | 4.2 | 3.1 | +1.1 |
| cross-play support | 5.0 | 3.9 | +1.1 |
Yes. Reviews repeatedly describe it as accessible, forgiving, and enjoyable for newcomers, with assists, difficulty tuning, rewind, and plenty of ways to enjoy driving without mastering every system.
The open world is one of the clearest strengths. Reviewers praise Mexico’s size, biome variety, visual identity, and the simple pleasure of exploring between races.
No. Several reviews call the story thin or secondary, though some later coverage praises more personal car-focused missions and Mexico-related story touches.
Reviews describe the PS5 port as visually strong, smooth, and improved by DualSense features, but note that existing Xbox or PC saves cannot transfer.
Most reviewers report strong performance and high polish, but some mention online lag, server connection issues, bugs, PC crashes, loading screens, or performance-mode compromises.
Yes. Reviewers point to car collecting, seasonal challenges, DLC expansions, EventLab, multiplayer, custom events, and ongoing discovery as major sources of replay value.
Choose Diablo IV. It scores 4.7 vs 1.5 for cross-save support, with a 4.0 overall score.
Choose Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. It scores 5.0 vs 2.5 for load times, with a 4.3 overall score.
Choose Saros. It scores 4.5 vs 2.0 for tutorial quality, with a 4.3 overall score.
Choose Dragon Ball FighterZ. It scores 4.9 vs 2.4 for animation quality, with a 3.8 overall score.
Good if you want deeper Hades-style roguelite combat, huge build variety, polished art, and rewarding progression. Skip it if repetition, resource tracking, or a less intimate story than the original...
Pros: world interactivity, side character depth
Cons: grind level
Best for a stylish, emotional RPG with deep timed combat and exceptional music. Skip it if tight parry timing, weak maps, or awkward platforming would frustrate you.
Pros: world-building, crash stability
Cons: platforming precision, map and navigation design
Good if you want joyful 3D exploration, fluid DK movement, dense collectibles, and playful destruction. Skip it if frame drops, camera hiccups, easy or repeated bosses, or a $70 price...
Pros: load times, movement feel
Cons: enemy variety, platforming precision
Choose if you want Horizon’s best-looking open world and freer exploration. Skip if twitchy handling and a city that can still feel sparse are dealbreakers.
Pros: exploration quality, open-world design
Cons: world interactivity, learning curve