More of the same, and that's OK.

Forza Horizon 5 review

It's the unchallenged king of arcade racers

Such is the quality and polish of its racing, Horizon's brand of thrilling vehicular playground antics has no serious rival. 

The handling is just realistic enough to give each car a unqiue feel

FH5 isn't a full sim, but nor is it simplistic. Each car has its own personality, and it's capable of offering a serious challenge if you turn off the many optional assists.

The seasonal playlist is the heart of the live service

The returning feature forces you out of your comfort zone, challenging you to overcome restrictions. We've had plenty of looter shooters, but Forza Horizon is turning into the first looter racer, giving you reasons to think about your garage and what fits your next goal.

Mexico is more varied and vibrant than FH4's UK

The new setting is stuffed with rainforests, towns, deserts and many, many cacti to bash into. The weather is more interesting too, with dust storms adding an atmospheric twist to events. 

Event Labs will take some time to make itself known

The new custom race creator lets players drive out their own route to then share with the community. It's a flexible system, but it will probably take time before Forza's fanbase gets to grips with what's fully possible.

Forza Horizon 5 has perfected the things it's most interested in 

This is what happens when a series gets to exist without competition. It gets to take the improvements made over the course of its predecessor's life and build a new game around their inclusion. 

The Verdict

Playground's singular series gets a lush new setting, but otherwise remains committed to tuning an already winning formula. But even a marginal improvement on the best racing series around is worth celebrating.

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