The latest exclusive to finally untether itself from the Xbox ecosystem is none other than Microsoft’s premiere racing series. Forza Horizon 5 joins Sea of Thieves, Grounded, Hi-Fi Rush, and Pentiment in Xbox’s recent push to go multi-platform. The funny thing is PlayStation fans haven’t been wanting for quality open world racers like they used to. PlayStation was utterly devoid of a Forza Horizon-like experience since the PS4 era. But then The Crew Motorfest came around and provided a similar festival-minded open world experience filled with speed traps, seasonal trip-fed content, and a range of real-world car manufacturers. Now, with Forza Horizon 5 joining the fray, PlayStation fans have an impressive array of racing options across just about every genre imaginable.
It’s certainly an exciting time for racing fans on PS5, but there are a couple of caveats with Forza Horizon 5’s PS5 launch. First, there’s the kicker. Players have to link a Microsoft account upon starting up the game, a process that other Xbox-to-PlayStation games like Sea of Thieves has required. Unfortunately, there won’t be the added benefit of cross-progression from a PC or Xbox save to PS5. There is cross-play between PC, Xbox, and PS5 versions of the game, though, so that’s nice. On the PlayStation side of things, a PS Plus subscription is required to take part in any of the online features of FH5. When enabled, Forza Horizon 5 allows up to 16 online players at a time in the game world. The multiplayer offerings are rather extensive, ranging from a battle royale mode called The Eliminator to a large suite of mini game challenges from smashing pinatas to zipping around obstacle courses. Forza Horizon 5 has a single player offline mode too, of course, but you won’t be able to engage with the robust auction house or try out other players’ custom tracks, in addition to the aforementioned modes.
I don’t think there’s been a more ideal time to jump into Forza Horizon 5 than now. The game originally released back in 2021 and has benefited from a wealth of updates and fixes. I’m disappointed that the $59.99 base edition of the game on PS5 doesn’t go the distance with the inclusion of the Hot Wheels and Rally Adventure DLCs – those have to be bought separately in addition to the numerous Car Packs. Still, the base package here is staggering. The game includes well over 700 cars and that number goes up past the 800 range when we include DLC, so you’ll not be wanting for variety.
And there’s even more new content to look forward to. The PS5 release of Forza Horizon 5 coincides with a new free content update across the game’s various platforms. Horizon Realms has been positioned as the big central addition with the update. Realms features 11 of the most beloved environments from Forza’s Evolving Worlds seasonal rotation. A new permanent Horizon Stadium Circuit is also coming to the game in addition to the 11 seasonal returning Realms locations.
And for gearheads, there’s a total of eight new vehicles added to the game via update, though four of them (including the exhilarating Lamborghini Revuolto) are rewards for clearing Horizon Realms achievements. The other four cars are from the new Nissan Retro Rides car pack. As with all car packs, there’s a dlc sticker price of $4.99 attached to it.
For PS5 players, the most exciting ‘update’ comes in the form of DualSense support. Turn 10 has confirmed full DualSense and DualSense Edge functionality, with adaptive trigger feel for threshold braking and surface conditions. If it performs like Gran Turismo 7 or The Crew Motorfest, heavy dirt roads will amp up the vibration intensity tenfold and the accelerator and brake pedals will have a realistic tension translating to the triggers.
Luckily for PS5 players, Forza Horizon 5 isn’t the only racing game getting new updates. Gran Turismo 7 is a PlayStation exclusive well and truly anchored to the PS5 and it’s still receiving new updates three years after release. GT7 is currently on its 28th free update. Since its launch back in 2022, hundreds of additional cars and a handful of circuits have been added. The game currently features 532 vehicles and 39 tracks (not counting different configurations).
All of GT7’s content (including all updates) is available free of charge once you’ve bought the game. PlayStation racing fans suddenly find themselves with a nice advantage: access to Sony’s premier exclusive with Gran Turismo 7, as well as the recent Forza Horizon 5 port. It’s wild that in 2025 Sony players have access to one of Xbox’s flagship exclusive racers in addition to Sony’s Gran Turismo juggernaut, but here we are.
Sim racing fans have GT7 and Assetto Corsa to play on PS5, but what about the open world crowd? Well, there’s actually been quite a handful of quality open world racers within the PlayStation ecosystem even before Forza Horizon 5 joined. The Crew Motorfest, while featuring a far smaller map than the The Crew 2‘s vast United States, features the Hawaiian islands of Oahu and Maui. What’s impressive is the recently released free Maui update, which adds the new island as well as a range of new Playlist challenges and new vehicles.
Another fun open world racer is Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown, a game struggling with its online offerings despite a rich and varied Hong Kong Island map. Despite being hot off the heels of its initial release last year, TDU: SC already has a significant update which includes the Ibiza island map, smaller in scale though it may be from TDU 2‘s Ibiza. Now with Forza Horizon 5, PlayStation racing fans have three marquee open world experiences to test out the world’s fastest and most desirable cars around in.
Kart racing fans have their share of quality games to choose from too, even if Mario Kart isn’t one of them. Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled is a frenetic and fun Mario Kart alternative that uses its PlayStation branded IP to great effect. Team Sonic Racing and the upcoming Sonic Racing Crossworlds provide that same flavor of kart racing fun that the very best in the genre are known for. And then there’s the plethora of third-party arcade racers on PS5. Need for Speed has been oddly silent about a new entry, but NFS Unbound comes highly recommended if you’re into cop chases and real-life car brands with some of the most impressive exhaust sounds in gaming. Hot Wheels Unleashed 1 and 2 are also a ton of fun with the custom track creation and satisfying physics (which even let you fly off the track).
PlayStation’s racing ecosystem is perhaps the strongest in gaming at the moment. The prospect of other Microsoft exclusive racers like Forza Motorsport coming to PlayStation is now highly likely. Sony racing fans now have their pick of Xbox and PS games racing titles to choose from. And what’s more, there’s not a single racing genre underrepresented on PS5. I just wish there would be less of an emphasis on microtransactions and season passes with today’s racing games, but that is an industry-wide issue that exists regardless of console ecosystem. Between their pick of GT7, Assetto Corsa, Forza Horizon 5, The Crew Motorfest, TDU Solar Crown and a wide array of arcade racers, PlayStation players have a veritable buffet of fun driving games to enjoy.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
