6 ways Forza Horizon 5 improves on the already brilliant open-world series

Forza Horizon 5 is finally available this week (if you've paid for the premium upgrade… otherwise it's next week), and we've spent the past six days getting stuck into the Mexican world of the new Horizon Festival.

We've completed every Forza Horizon game since the first one, and it's fair to say that Playground Games has done the impossible and improved on the fourth game in nearly every respect. Here are 6 of our favourite improvements to the iconic fence-smashing simulator.

There are some properly addictive roads

Although we've always enjoyed Forza Horizon's sense of scale and detail, we've not always found roads that really set our hearts ablaze. For all the graphical splendour of the series, the actual roads can feel a bit samey, and you often spend so much time flicking off the side of the Tarmac (through hedges) that the roads themselves feel almost inconsequential. Not so in FH5 – there's been real care put into the layout of the roads, and there are so many more of them than before.

The draw distance is obscene – we played in performance mode on an Xbox Series X – 4k at 60fps gives it a proper next-gen feel

The draw distance is obscene – we played in performance mode on an Xbox Series X – 4k at 60fps gives it a proper next-gen feel

Our favourite has to be the miles of serpentine switchbacks snaking down the eastern edge of the volcano – you'll eventually progress far enough to turn it into what must be the longest drift zone in the Horizon series, where it's easy to rack up a cool 800,000 points if you're good. We're also fond of a road in the north of the map which snakes along a shallow river and winds under a railway track as it goes. It's memorable, and brilliant.

Everything about drifting is better

You'll likely have heard that the handling of cars in Forza Horizon 5 is better – and it is. It's a subtle improvement, but cars feel weightier and drifting feels more natural – using an Xbox Series X controller you can easily just the right amount of throttle to use to daintily transition from slide to slide.

Did I hold onto this? No, dear reader, I did not...

Did I hold onto this? No, dear reader, I did not...

Drift zones have also been overhauled – points accrue in one 'lump' on each run, and you never lose any points you've earned. This means that you no longer lose your point stash if you spin or run off the road. This instantly makes drift zones more addictive, chasing ever higher scores to reach the magical three-star threshold while enjoying the new thick, puffy tyre smoke graphics. Oh yes.

Barn finds have a heart-warming new social side

Barn finds have been an important part of the Horizon Festival experience since the 2012 original, and the concept remains the same in FH5. Every now and then you'll trigger a barn find rumour, which will place a large circle on the world map that you have to explore to find a hidden barn. Each dilapidated cow house contains a ruined old knacker of a car that you send away to be restored, with it joining your garage after a few more hours of game time.

No, there isn't an option to add child seats. But you do get to choose your pronouns and can decide if your character has prosthetic legs

No, there isn't an option to add child seats. But you do get to choose your pronouns and can decide if your character has prosthetic legs

New for the fifth instalment, however, is the opportunity to gift one of your garage cars to another player when you find a barn. You can pick which car to gift, and which sort of player to gift it to – choosing from new players, returning players and friends – and you can leave a message, with the chance to add your name or Gamertag to the message. It's cute, unlocks an achievement and makes you feel all warm and smug when someone reciprocates.

You can truly get lost

There has been chitter chatter online about how the world in Forza Horizon 5 is 50% larger than the one in Horizon 4. But it feels so much bigger still, without losing any of the delicately placed richness we've come to expect from the series. There are more than 500 roads to find, and with a coastline on the east and west of the map it's very easy to find yourself lost in the centre of the map with nothing to do but explore your way out.

There's something special about the way night sets in with moody skies. Tropical storms are a sight to behold, too

There's something special about the way night sets in with moody skies. Tropical storms are a sight to behold, too

Obviously you could peek at the world map, but half the joy in Forza Horizon 5 is trying to navigate by your knowledge of where things are. Turn left at the next temple, dash through the rainforest, under the ginormous motorway bridge and through the railway tunnel then sling a right to the beach at Tulum. Mexico is utterly stunning (especially on the Xbox Series X we played it on), and it's pulled the usual Forza Horizon trick of making us want to go on holiday immediately. I wonder if they rent race-prepped BMW X5s in Mexico?

The ordinary cars feel interesting again

Although Forza Horizon 5 will still throw you into some fast cars early on in the game (and you're never short of in-game money to buy ridiculous motors), the handling changes and improved engine sounds have reinvigorated our love of the more ordinary cars. Perhaps it's because we played Forza Horizon 4 for 250 hours over three years and ended up bombing around in 280mph Ferraris, but picking a more sedate car in FH5 doesn't leave you feeling short-changed.

This was my whip for the first hour or so of Forza Horizon 5 – the straight-six sound is better than ever, but still not *quite* right

This was my whip for the first hour or so of Forza Horizon 5 – the straight-six sound is better than ever, but still not *quite* right

Take the BMW Z3 M Coupe, for example. It sounds good, and with the new drift differential fitted it has a deliciously satisfying heft as you pull dainty second-gear slides under dappled sunlight in the depths of the Mexican jungle. Oh, and you can now hear the changes each engine upgrade makes from right inside the tuning menu, so you can tune for the best noise rather than maximum power.

The soundtrack absolutely slaps

There's not much to say about this really, other than that the radio stations are still packed with wonderful music, and we especially love the new Latin flavour to the classical music station. Bass Arena is as thumping as ever, and we did a little jump for joy when we heard Porter Robinson's new tune gracing the airwaves of Horizon Pulse – neatly bookending his inclusion in the original Horizon game.

Best car in the game. Fact.

Best car in the game. Fact.

What will you do first in Forza Horizon 5? Tell us in the comments!