Yes, that sounds counter intuitive, yet on Xbox Series X the two graphics options are 60fps performance mode and 30fps quality mode. While 60Hz/fps has become the standard in current gen, let's not forget Forza Horizon games have all ran at 30Hz on Xbox consoles in the past and most people didn't mind, or even notice. Playground Games as developers have this ability to make 30Hz seem much more responsive than in other situations, don't ask us how.
Of course, if you select 60fps the game is noticeably nimbler and faster-looking. On Series X, both modes target 2160p or 4K, and maintain locked frame rates with no apparent dips. Quality mode looks better than performance mode, but not night and day.
You get better anti-aliasing, improved lighting, and more intricate particle effects. One might say the comparison is 4K medium settings versus 4K very high settings. We've tried both and found 4K quality mode more enjoyable and rewarding, as Forza Horizon 5 is a visual feast and performance mode does take a few shortcuts. However, Forza Horizon 5 is on another level on Xbox Series X and it's one of the few games where I prefer the 30fps quality mode to its 60fps equivalent. The increase in fidelity and the more graceful LOD transitions combined with the upgraded visuals elevate it significantly beyond performance mode. True, it's not 60fps but the motion blur is the best I've seen in bridging the gap.
Of course, it is possible to play this game at full frame-rate with Series X's mixture of high, ultra and extreme settings - and that's where the PC version comes into play. We'll be reporting back on our testing and experiences there soon. In order to replicate the Xbox Series X quality graphics mode on PC, gamers should at least have an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 Super. But in order to enjoy the PC's biggest advantage, higher frame rates, a more powerful gaming PC is required.
With reduced settings equivalent to the Xbox Series X performance mode, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super was not entirely able to hold a steady 60 fps at 4k resolution. PC gamers who would like to play Forza Horizon 5 on these settings should have at least anRTX 2080. Additional technical details, including further explanations of the hardware requirements and recommended settings of Forza Horizon 5 on PC are included in the video embedded below.
Millions of other players joined the fun when the game was officially released, resulting in the biggest launch day for an Xbox Game Studios game. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer confirmed 4.5 million players across all platforms are enjoying Forza Horizon 5. The peak concurrent player count is three times higher than Forza Horizon's 4 player count, showing just how many players have purchased or downloaded the game.
And Forza Horizon 5 takes the by-now tried and tested formula of the Horizon games and improves on it in many ways, none of which are drastic or revolutionary, but all good to have. Available on Xbox consoles and Windows PC, Forza Horizon 5 is also the best looking Forza game to date, which is what interests us the most. Again, it's not leaps and bounds visually better than Forza Horizon 4, but there's enough added that you know this is a new game. The main differences we noticed were improved lighting and particle effects like smoke, dust plumes, and debris, plus an increase in traffic density and a much more impressive draw distance with less pop-in. Forza Horizon 5 takes place in Mexico and has a huge map, by far the biggest yet in the series, and larger than most open world games regardless of genre. With 500 cars and a seemingly endless range of activities, Forza Horizon 5 offers a meaty experience, but how does it perform?
We've been playing it mostly on Xbox Series X and also a bit on PC, and have a few things to highlight. Forza Horizon 5 is also an impressive test case for Microsoft's cross-generational hardware strategy. I played the game for several hours on my Xbox One X, and it doesn't feel compromised compared to anything else on the console.
It's still a better-looking game than 3 and 4, and it looks more or less the same as the Series X version's 60fps mode — just running at half the frame rate. The One X is generally a machine designed for 4K/30fps games, and that's what you get here with Forza Horizon 5. Would the Series X game have looked even better if it didn't have to run on Xbox One consoles? Maybe, but it's hard to complain about the performance on either platform. Forza Horizon 5 is a racing video game set in an open world environment based in a fictional representation of Mexico. The game has the largest map in the entire Forza Horizon series, being 50% larger than Forza Horizon 4 while also having the highest point in the Horizon series.
The map was described by creative director Mike Brown as one of the most diverse Forza Horizon maps the team has built. The map contains an active caldera volcano, jungles and beaches, ancient Mayan temples, and towns and cities such as Guanajuato. Players can explore the open world freely, though they can also compete in multiplayer races and complete the campaign mode.
Both the cars featured in the game and the player character can be extensively customised. Players are able to create custom liveries and tunes for cars, and perform engine swaps, drivetrain swaps, or install body kits on certain vehicles. The game is the first in the franchise to support ray tracing on cars . Fans everywhere are enjoying Forza Horizon 5, Microsoft's iconic open-world racing series.
The game was released yesterday and is featured in the Xbox Game Pass, making it easier for thousands of players to enjoy the title. Die-hard fans who purchased the Premium Edition for $99 gained access to the game on Nov. 4 and the title already had almost one million players two days before its official launch. Fans of racing games will get everything they want and more from Forza Horizon 5's stunningly realistic open world.
Players are treated to unlimited gameplay opportunities thanks to the intricately detailed user customization and accessibility options. Despite this, Forza Horizon 5 has pushed the capabilities of the new Xbox consoles to its limits, offering the most stunning and varied racing experience yet. Some will prefer the expanded frame rate and see that as a necessary trade-off, but we have to say that the 30fps quality mode still plays very well indeed and you get the maximum visual effect, to boot.
Switch from 30fps to the 60fps 'Performance' mode and you'll immediately feel the difference. Playground state that this is still running at a maximum 4K resolution, but that "additional graphics settings adjusted to maintain target framerate". In practical terms motion blur is reduced significantly giving it a much more gamey feel and pop-in is now noticeable, . However, it's also just that much more responsive feeling when you play the game and, after a short time at 60fps, a switch back to 30fps feels like daggers in your eyes. Forza Horizon 5is out now on Xbox Series X, Series S, Xbox One, and PC. The brand-new racing game is getting rave reviews, which, naturally, has players on other platforms wanting to get involved.
But, is there a Forza Horizon 5 PS5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite, and OLED model release date coming up? Here's the lowdown on Playground Games' FH5 launching on additional console platforms in the future. The company's gaming head Phil Spencer has revealed that Forza Horizon 5 had the best launch day of any Xbox Game Studios title. There have been over 4.5 million people playing the arcade racer across all platforms to date, and its peak concurrent players were three times those of its predecessor. On Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S, the framerate is capped at 30fps at the highest graphical fidelity, but whether you choose graphics or performance mode the experience is equally spectacular.
Whether you're driving, photographing, or customizing them, they look pure perfection from every angle. Each vehicle reacts differently and realistically to the environment, and they also provide a contrasting driving experience dependent on the weather. The controller rumbles dynamically to match the different styles of track, immersing you in the experience of being on the road. In one of several extensive videos featuring Forza Horizon 5, Digital Foundry concluded that the quality mode on Xbox Series X mostly matches the maxed out settings on PC. But at a native 4k resolution, the Xbox Series X only manages to output 30 fps with these settings.
Therefore it looks like the PC settings in Forza Horizon 5 do not provide a lot of headroom when it comes to visual quality, also because raytracing is only active in photo mode and can't be activated for regular gameplay. If you're an arcade racing game purist, Burnout Paradise has a lot to answer for. Ever since, virtually all big-budget arcade racing games have been made in the shadow of Paradise, with most tracks consisting of lines drawn across vast, explorable maps. Firstly, there is the choice between the standard edition of the game and the premium one, which offers a plethora of early game unlocks and promised expansion packs, but costs almost twice the price. Whether you're struggling to find the rare cars hidden in various barns across the map, or you want the latest kooky sounding horn or wacky emote, Forza Horizon 5 has the in-game shop for you.
Many can be unlocked via gameplay and chance, but you're certainly encouraged to pay upfront to unlock your favorite in-game items. Through our tests we have been able to draw up three degrees of graphic fidelity on consoles. Then there's the Xbox One X with its dynamic 4K graphics profile that's roughly equivalent in quality to the Series consoles' 60fps performance mode, but each has its strengths. In some areas, the Series X's performance mode seems to stage a much better level of terrain detail than the One X version.
But in other areas the Series S's textures don't look as good as the One X's ( which also has lower dynamic resolution 810p-1080p). The Series X performance mode matches the DRS Plus 1600p-2160p profile. However, it should be noted that changes in resolution are very difficult to notice with the naked eye. And it is also impossible to find any drop in fluidity compared to the target of 60fps on Series consoles in performance mode. Last week, Forza Horizon 5 launched early for the Premium Edition owners. However, despite it being released four days before its official launch day, the open-world racer had already generated over 1 million players.
It had quality written all over it from a mile away because Playground Games have already proven their expertise multiple times over. For fans of racing games and open world fun, Forza Horizon 5 is a must-buy for holiday 2021. The game still gets its graphical intent across, but the LOD scaling really shows this console's age. As you race through jungles, you'll notice that the tree foliage stays in its blobby low level of detail until you're almost right up against it, at which point you will have whizzed on by.
At times it feels like the game engine shouldn't bother trying to pull in those higher detail assets. The gameplay still holds up though, and a steady frame rate in this situation is going to be the most important aspect. This game is set to feature the largest map yet in the Forza Horizon series. On top of this, the developer promises a new Expedition mode and a new feature called Events Lab.
This feature allows players to create their own game modes, experiences, and races. Unfortunately for PlayStation players, it seems unlikely this series will ever get across consoles. Forza Horizon 5 is the best Xbox Series X console exclusive yet, so it's a game that should be on the radar of any gamer looking to see what their next-gen console can do.
As such, you need to know when you can play Forza Horizon 5 and how much space it will take on your system's hard drive. It'll take up a lot of your system's storage space, but this is a racing game all Xbox fans can enjoy very soon. Forza Horizon 5 doesn't change the basic structure, and there's still a huge amount of stuff dotting the Mexican map. But it does do a better job of easing you into its mountain of content.
You're able to choose which specific types of events to unlock as you progress, so, for example, I preferred to focus on closed-track road races early on before delving into cross-country rallies. I feel like if I stopped playing the game and came back to it weeks later, I'd have a much better sense of what I'd been doing and where would be best for me to spend the next couple of hours. In turn, that makes me feel better about simply driving around the landscape in search of whatever esoteric quest I might come across.
Unlike with 4, I've never felt like I'm wasting my time in Forza Horizon 5, as I always have more of a sense of what I could be working toward. Crucially, there are advantages to playing Forza Horizon 5 on Series consoles that aren't just about graphics or frame-rate. Hosting the game on SSD makes for a more streamlined experience on Series consoles - and it's noticeable right from the beginning of the experience. The intro drive is a Playground staple, a spectacular preview of the action to come.
It's a glorious, seamless, load-free experience on Xbox Series machines, but Xbox One consoles simply can't deliver the data for each new stage in time, leading to second pauses from one segment to the next. It looks the part, but the loading delays interrupt the flow and don't leave the best impression. While these transitions are indeed instant on the new consoles, there is still loading in the main game but it's much faster than last-gen console equivalents - around 3x to the better in my tests. Forza Horizon 5 is now available to millions of players all over the world, and has quickly established itself as one of the best racing games you can play. The colossal and expertly engineered open-world racing title from Playground Games and Xbox Game Studios is the latest in the Forza Horizon franchise, a series that has been a staple on Xbox consoles for years. With Forza Horizon 5 taking the series and the genre to all-new heights, however, some are wondering whether FH5 will ever come to PlayStation.
Unfortunately, it appears like there's no way to actually disable cross-play within Forza Horizon 5. Cross-play is on by default, and unless you're planning on playing the game in Horizon Solo, the offline single-player mode, there's no way in-game to stop yourself from matching up with PC players. It's not a huge deal, considering Forza Horizon 5 is a racing game and not a shooting game where mouse and keyboard players would have the advantage over controller players.
For the most part, Forza Horizon 5 does support cross-saves, meaning that you can continue your progress on other platforms, which is great if you've got multiple gaming set-ups. However, it's worth noting that players on Steam will not be able to use the cross-save feature, though they'll still experience the benefits of cross-play with other platforms. A note about the two graphics modes we don't want to forget is that quality mode seems to have been designed with solo play in mind, while the more responsive and faster-refreshed performance mode applies very nicely to multiplayer. You can switch between the two at will, so there's no issue there.
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This is a series that has always aimed for 30fps, but this is probably the best that it's ever felt, thanks in part to the excellent and natural feeling motion blur. The dense foliage on trees, for example, always looks like it's being rendered at high quality. Despite the name and the hundreds of accurately modeled real-world cars, Forza Horizon has little in common with Turn 10 Studios' Forza Motorsport series, which is more of a serious racing simulator. While Horizon isn't exactly a Ridge Racer-style arcade game, it's certainly on the more accessible side of things.
