- the cover for the new forza horizon 5 features the 1000-plus-hp mercedes-amg one and the 2021 ford bronco badlands.
- devs told us the handling physics in forza horizon 5 have been improved to better handle the open-world map based in mexico.
- forza horizon 5 will be available as early as november 5 on xbox and on pc for preorder buyers.
the cover for playground games' new forza horizon 5 game on xbox and pc has been revealed. with it will come eight minutes of gameplay from the next-generation racing game, including action from the 1000-plus-hp mercedes-amg one and the highly anticipated ford bronco badlands.
car and driver talked to mike brown, the creative director for forza horizon 5. he told us that the driving physics in forza horizon 5 will be more fun than ever: "when you make a racing game behave more like a simulation, sometimes people think it makes it more difficult to play. but now the suspension behaves like it would on a real car, and the braking is more gradual—the simulation is not only more accurate, but the experience becomes more accessible as well."
brown told us that forza horizon 5 uses an improved physics engine from previous forza games, to accommodate the title's new environment in mexico. the environment will host all sorts of different terrain, including pavement, sand, dirt, swamps, rivers, lakes, plus some serious adverse weather conditions like dust and tropical storms on top of that.
not only is the ford bronco featured on the cover, it's the opening act for forza horizon 5, the first vehicle you’ll drive through an exciting first look at the game’s new features and stunning detail. the design team with forza go to great lengths to ensure that vehicles in their game are close to the real thing, taking more than 2000 photos of each model. the details are all there, from the knurling on the climate-control knobs to the reflection of textures inside taillight housings. each vehicle is created from a combination of these reference photos and computer-aided-design models to make sure manufacturer specs like ground clearance (or lack of it, in the amg one's case) are realistic.
in the game the cars quickly end up jumping, rocking, flipping, and rolling while they pursue their adventures through mexico, so we had to ask paul wraith, the chief designer of the ford bronco, if it made his heart ache watching his off-roader getting virtually scratched up in video games. "i've spent an inordinate amount of time playing games like forza and gran turismo. i've grown up with this stuff. when we go for realism, damage is a part of it. and it teaches you to do a better job in the game. plus, you can switch it off."
forza horizon 5's entire car list isn't public yet, but if you look closely at these screenshots, we know that the ford ranger raptor and the first-generation bronco are back. it also looks like the pagani zonda r and koenigsegg jesko are hiding behind the mercedes-amg one in photos.
forza horizon 5 is set to release on november 9 for xbox series x and s and xbox one consoles, and for pc on windows 10 and steam. it will also be included in the xbox game pass subscription on launch. people who preorder the game get early access november 5.