"Forza Horizon 5 Should Hit PlayStation: A Must-Play Experience"

Put simply, there's nothing on PlayStation 5 quite like Forza Horizon 5.

The Crew Motorfest? It comes close. Embracing the 'if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em' philosophy, its festival vibe makes Motorfest more akin to the Forza Horizon series than its predecessors.

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown? Unfortunately, no. While the Forza Horizon series may have been inspired by the original Test Drive Unlimited's pioneering MMO racing, Solar Crown's always-online requirement without a solo mode falls short. Since Forza Horizon 2 in 2014, Horizon has offered seamless transitions between offline and online play!

Need for Speed Unbound? It excels in customization, but its focus on high-speed pursuits means it's not a direct competitor to Horizon.

No, the undisputed champion of modern open-world racing games is Forza Horizon 5 – and it's now available on PlayStation 5 for the first time. Its expansive and stunning Mexico map, drift-friendly vehicle dynamics, and a garage boasting over 900 cars, including cult favorites not found elsewhere, offer an unparalleled experience. PlayStation users are diving into this world, many for the first time.

The reaction has been a joy to watch.

This influx of new players is something the team at Playground Games has been eagerly anticipating.

"Yeah, I’m super excited," says Playground Games art director Don Arceta. "For many, this will be their first Forza Horizon game. It's thrilling to think about their initial experiences, just as we remember ours."

Arceta is particularly excited to see what PlayStation 5 players will create using Forza Horizon 5’s extensive Event Lab tools.

"You’ll actually get some pretty good Halo content too on the PlayStation, with the event lab props!" he adds. "We now have over 800 props in the Event Lab, and the community's creativity has been mind-blowing. I can't wait to see what PlayStation users will come up with."

"As you can imagine, since the series has been rooted in the Xbox environment, adapting it for the PS5 was a major challenge," Arceta explains. "It was a huge task. The PlayStation 5 version was developed by Panic Button, in collaboration with Turn 10 and ourselves, and they did an amazing job. The quality experience you enjoy on Xbox and PC is now available on PlayStation."

As a car enthusiast, I've always seen the Forza series as the ultimate collection of unique and desirable vehicles. The idea of a new wave of players discovering their favorite cars in Forza Horizon 5 is thrilling, especially cars not featured in other racing games.

For Playground Games lead game designer David Orton, it's the vastness of Forza Horizon 5 that he believes will captivate new players.

"The breadth of Horizon is quite staggering," Orton states. "Players can explore and enjoy whatever they want because of the freedom the game offers."

"Horizon welcomes everyone and caters to all interests," he continues. "Whether you're into road racing, Rivals, track racing, photography, or creating content with Event Lab, there’s something for everyone. The realization that this is more than just a racing game is what excites me the most."

Orton agrees, emphasizing the welcoming nature of Horizon.

"Yeah, it’s that," he adds. "Players new to Horizon, whether due to platform differences or time constraints, will find a warm, fun-filled world. Discovering Horizon and realizing its incredible nature is a win for us. We’re targeting a new group of players who may have never played a Forza title. There’s excitement in not knowing how they’ll react, but our history shows we're continually refining our craft. Bringing this to PlayStation is thrilling, and we expect to attract a whole new audience."

If there's any hobby more tribal than car culture, it's console gaming. For racing game fans, however, one significant barrier has been removed.

Let’s hope it’s not the last.