Microsoft’s Forza Horizon racing video game franchise is one of the most popular series on the planet right now. Gamers and gearheads all over the world love tuning in to the top-of-the-line Forza Horizon games to race and compete in the world’s best cars against others online. The latest Horizon game was Forza Horizon 5, which came out in November 2021. An immediate and massive success, Horizon 5 continues to boast a massive player base even today. The game offers varied and highly-detailed locations and environments, with the world’s best sports carsand supercars at your disposal.
However, that doesn’t mean that the game before it, Forza Horizon 4, is now dead completely. In fact, even Horizon 4 is a pretty popular game at the moment, as many players that played the game decided to stick to it. In fact, there are even those who prefer Forza Horizon 4 over the newer, fifth entrant into the franchise. In that vein, let’s take a look at 5 reasons why gearheads still love Forza Horizon 4, and 5 ways Forza Horizon 5 is simply better.
10 Forza Horizon 4 Implemented Player Houses Better
Forza Horizon 4 was the first game in the franchise to introduce houses. Players can buy real estate in the racing game, which function as fast travel points across the map, easy starting points every time you boot up the game, and even come with Wheelspin offers for newer cars.
Horizon 5 only features seven houses to buy in the game, while Horizon 4 had thirteen houses, which was almost double. Plus, there’s a lot more personality to the houses in Horizon 4, while the ones you buy in Horizon 5 simply feel like glorified fast travel points.
9 Forza Horizon 5’s Forza Link Assistant Is The Most Polished Version Ever
Forza Horizon 5 introduced the all-new Forza LINK online assistant in the game, which was an incredibly well-done feature. The AI of the Forza LINK assistant helps you communicate with nearby drivers, put up markers on the GPS, and even challenge them to races, all while never having to take your pedal off the gas.
In fact, Forza LINK even studies each player’s driver data, learning exactly which activities they prefer to participate in the most. As such, the assistant will suggest you to invite nearby players to events they prefer, increasing the chances of invites being accepted.
8 The City Of Edinburgh In Horizon 4 Still Feels A Lot Livelier
A lot of players complained about the small size of Edinburgh, the main city, in Horizon 4. However, the size of the city turned out to be bigger than that of Guanajuato, the main city in Forza Horizon 5. Plus, there’s a case to be made about Edinburgh feeling a lot more populated and alive.
Cars are constantly moving along the roads, with cobbled path stones, historic buildings, and traffic lights all doing their bit to make Edinburgh feel as real and grounded as possible. While the choice between Horizon 4‘s UK and the sequel’s Mexico is subjective, Edinburgh is certainly livelier.
7 Horizon 5 Offers Players Newer Cars, Upgrades, And Customization Options
It wouldn’t be a new Forza game if it didn’t feature all-new cars debuting into the franchise. Forza Horizon 5 offered players all-new cars like the Mercedes-Benz AMG One, the 2021 Ford Bronco, and the new Land Rover Defender.
Plus, there are a bunch of new body kits from new manufacturers in Horizon 5, along with new upgrades for your vehicles like new transmissions, and drift and off-road-specific modifications.
6 UK-Specific Cars In Forza Horizon 4 Were A Fantastic Feature
What made Horizon 5‘s Mexico map feel lifeless for many players, especially the gearheads among them, was the lack of any Mexico-specific vehicles on the car roster. This wasn’t the case in Forza Horizon 4, which featured British sports cars.
Developers Playground Games are actually based in the United Kingdom, which made the inclusion of UK-specific cars in Horizon 4 a no-brainer. It certainly made the game feel a lot more unique and distinct in its vibe, which is a bit lacking in Horizon 5.
5 No Other Racing Game Looks Better Than Forza Horizon 5
When it comes to visual appeal, graphical fidelity, and breathtaking detail, there is simply no denying that Forza Horizon 5 is the king of the hill. The Forza franchise has always pushed graphics in racing games to their limit, with each iteration setting a new standard.
Forza Horizon 5, however, takes the cake easily. While Horizon 4 is no slouch when it comes to graphics, Horizon 5‘s inclusion of ray-tracing technology in the car viewer, along with new visuals for dirt and sand for off-roading makes for an overall better-looking game.
4 Forza Horizon 4 Players Can Access A Lot More Cars Than Horizon 5 Players
Comparing the two games is tough, since Forza Horizon 5 is just a year-and-a-half old, while Forza Horizon 4 has been around for a while. However, by the end of March 2023, both games would have the same number of released expansions, evening the playing field.
As such, Forza Horizon 4 boasts a massive number of cars on its roster, which is 752 cars. In comparison, Horizon 5 has 534 cars at the moment, with the Rally Adventure Expansion set to increase that number by a little. However, when it comes right down to it, there’s just more cars for gearheads to play around with in Forza Horizon 4.
3 Horizon 5 Allows Players To Make Their Own Races And Events
Forza Horizon 5 also introduced a new Event Lab feature for players to have fun in, apart from just driving in Mexico’s diverse locations. Event Lab allows players to create their own game modes, races, and mini-games.
Players can craft any sort of game mode to play around in with their friends, like chasing down piñatas or driving through bowling pins. You can customize anything you want in the Event Lab, including the rules for the games you make.
2 Forza Horizon 4’s Expansions Were A Lot More Interesting Than Horizon 5
Now, this might come off as a subjective opinion, but Forza Horizon 4 definitely had a lot more interesting expansion packs. The game expanded with two major DLC packs, namely the Fortune Island, and the Lego Speed Champions expansions.
Compared to that, Horizon 5‘s Hot Wheels and Rally Adventure expansion packs feel stale. Sure, the Hot Wheels pack brought something very new to the table, and we’re all for it, but the Rally Adventure DLC is pretty much the off-roading elements of the base game being made into their own expansion, with a few new game modes.
1 The Variety Of Events And Environments In Forza Horizon 5 Is Unparalleled
From the very first time you launch into Forza Horizon 5, you have the entire map at your disposal. The variety and contrast between the locations and environments in Horizon 5‘s Mexico is incredible, with no two locations sharing the same aesthetic.
Wherever you go in Horizon 5, you are met with a new environment to explore with your car. Deserts, beaches, canyons, snow-capped volcanoes, lush jungles, and a sandy city – Forza Horizon 5 has it all for you to explore and race through.
Sources: Gamespot.com, forza.fandom.com, Microsoft.com