Forza Horizon 5 Is The Biggest And Most Diverse Game In Series History

Forza Horizon 5 was officially revealed during the Xbox and Bethesda E3 Showcase. The reveal trailer gave us plenty of information, including its Mexican setting, dynamic weather system, and the introduction of a new Horizon Arcade that lets you compete in over-the-top racing challenges. Now, we also know that Forza Horizon 5 will be the biggest and most diverse game in the series, as creative director Mike Brown explained during an interview with IGN.

"Right from the very beginning of development, we knew that we wanted to make the biggest Horizon ever," Brown says. He explains that part of this approach means doing something new rather than simply expanding the scope of the game while offering more of the same. "So it also has to be the most diverse and the most contrasting Horizon ever, as well," he continues.

Mexico stood out because of its natural diversity, with snowy mountains, historic cities, jungles, rolling hills, farm land, beaches, and mountain ranges all part of its expansive landscape. It should allow for more varied gameplay opportunities than we've seen from the series before.

This diversity doesn't just apply to the game world either. "Diversity of cars, diversity of gameplay, diversity of driving experiences; it's a world full of things to see and do," says Brown. The community that has grown around Forza Horizon 4 also had a significant impact on this diverse approach. The more hours players put into the game, the more they begin to interact with the free roam experience.

"That is the first point that led us to thinking, 'Well, you add value to those guys by giving them a bigger and more diverse world to explore,'" Brown explains. "This was, I think, the very start point of knowing that we just needed [Forza Horizon 5] to be a bigger game. We needed it to be a diverse game. We also want it to be a game that really rewards exploration. So it's now a world where there is just that much more to find."

Forza Horizon 5 is set to launch November 9 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. Preorders are live now, and Game Pass members will get the standard version with the option to upgrade with a Premium add-on.