Simply put, there's nothing quite like Forza Horizon 5 on the PlayStation 5. While The Crew Motorfest comes close with its festival approach, embracing a similar philosophy to Forza Horizon, it's still not the same. Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown, despite its roots in pioneering MMO racing, doesn't capture the essence of Forza Horizon due to its always-online requirement without a dedicated solo mode. And while Need for Speed Unbound boasts impressive customization, its focus on high-speed pursuits sets it apart from Forza's open-world racing experience.

Forza Horizon 5 stands alone as the champion of modern open-world racing games, now available on the PlayStation 5 for the first time. Its expansive and stunning Mexico map, drift-friendly vehicle dynamics, and a garage boasting over 900 cars—including cult favorites not found elsewhere—offer an unmatched experience. PlayStation users are diving into this rich world, many experiencing it for the first time.

The reaction from the community has been exhilarating to observe. This influx of new players is something the team at Playground Games has eagerly anticipated.

“Yeah, I’m super excited,” says Playground Games art director Don Arceta. “For many, this will be their first Forza Horizon game. It’s thrilling to think about what our first Horizon experiences were like and what these new players will discover.”

Arceta is particularly excited about the creations PlayStation 5 players will make using Forza Horizon 5’s extensive Event Lab tools. “We have over 800 props now in the Event Lab, and the creativity of the community is mind-blowing,” he adds. “I can’t wait to see what PlayStation 5 users will build and the creativity that will come from that community.”

“You’ll actually get some pretty good Halo content too on the PlayStation, with the event lab props!”

The port to PlayStation 5 has been technically impeccable, matching the quality of its Xbox and PC counterparts—a significant achievement given the game's size and the fact that the engine had never been used on PlayStation before.

“As you can imagine, because the series has been based around the Xbox environment and architecture, there’s a lot of code and engineering that’s worked with that,” explains Arceta. “Bringing it to the PS5 was no small task. It was quite a huge undertaking.”

“The PlayStation 5 version was developed by Panic Button, in collaboration with Turn 10 and ourselves, but Panic Button did an amazing job. So you get that amazing, quality experience that you get on Xbox and PC—now you get on the PlayStation, and it’s just amazing work that Panic Button has done.”

As a car enthusiast, I've always seen the Forza series as the home of the most diverse and exciting car collection. No other racing series offers such a wide range of cars, from the well-known to the obscure. The idea of a new group of players discovering their favorite cars in Forza Horizon 5 is incredibly appealing.

For Playground Games lead game designer David Orton, it's the sheer breadth of Forza Horizon 5 that he believes will captivate new players.

“The breadth of Horizon is quite staggering,” says Orton. “Players can find what they enjoy, but with so much freedom, it can be whatever they want it to be.”

“We always pride ourselves on giving the player that kind of agency and freedom to do whatever they want, and the game will reward them and react accordingly. I’m really looking forward to players discovering the breadth of the content. Whether it’s road racing, Rivals and track racing, taking incredible photos, or creating content in Event Lab, Horizon is a space where everyone is welcome, and there’s something for everyone. The realization that this is more than just a racing game is what excites me.”

“For me, a victory would be hearing players say, ‘I can’t believe I’ve never played this game before.’ That surprise is what I’m looking for,” says Arceta. “Once they’re surprised, they’re engaged—and they want to learn more. Hearing their surprise and stories is what I’m after.”

Orton agrees, adding, “Players who’ve never tried Horizon before—whether due to platform differences or time constraints—to jump into this world and realize it’s a warm, welcoming place full of fun, finding a home at Horizon. That’s a win. We’re targeting players who may have never played a Forza title before. There’s an unknown to how they’ll react, but looking at our history, we’re continually perfecting our craft. We’re excited to bring this to PlayStation and introduce a whole load of new players.”

Car culture and video game console loyalty are both highly tribal hobbies. For racing game fans, however, one significant barrier has been removed with Forza Horizon 5's arrival on PlayStation 5. Let’s hope it’s not the last.