The upcoming Forza Horizon 5 is the highest-rated new game release of 2021 according to review aggregator website, Metacritic. The new release is scheduled to land on November 9 and, as well as being purchasable separately, will be included with this month’s Xbox Game Pass offerings, allowing subscribers to try out the game as part of their subscription fee.
The next game in the Forza Horizon series has some big shoes to fill, with 2018’s Forza Horizon 4 widely regarded as one of the most immersive and realistic racing games of the last console generation. Forza Horizon 5 has seemingly improved on everything its predecessor has to offer, taking players to Mexico with an even larger open-world map than in previous games. The new release has been created with new-generation Xbox consoles and high-spec PCs in mind, making use of the latest technological advances with stunning visuals and ray-traced audio in Forza Horizon 5.
While Forza Horizon 5 isn’t yet out, review scores from critics have earned the Playground Games title an impressive Metacritic score of 92 (Xbox) and 91 (PC). This makes the Xbox version of the game the sixth-highest rated game of 2021, but the highest all-new release. Forza Horizon 5 has fallen short of Disco Elysium: The Final Cut (97), The House in Fata Morgana – Dreams of the Revenants Edition (97), Tetris Effect: Connected (95), and Hades (93 for both Xbox Series X and PS5), but as all of these games are definitive editions, reimaginings, re-releases, or optimized for new hardware, Forza Horizon 5 is now the highest-rated brand new console release of 2021. The game’s PC score of 91 puts it on par with Psychonauts 2, but when it comes to all-new console releases, Forza Horizon 5 has sped into first place.
Critics have praised Forza Horizon 5 for a number of reasons, with its focus on fun and exploration being a highlight for many. Forza Horizon 4 cemented itself not only as a competitive high-octane racing game, but also as a relaxing driving sim that allows players to explore the United Kingdom at a leisurely pace. This seems to have been carried over to the new game which offers multiple highly-detailed and beautiful biomes ready for exploration, and highlights the many different environments Forza Horizon 5‘s Mexico has to offer.
Forza Horizon 5 may hold the crown as highest-rated new console game of 2021 for now, but it could soon be bested by another highly-anticipated upcoming new release. Halo Infinite, launching in December, is primed and ready to become one of the Xbox’s highest-rated games, though it will have to beat Battlefield 2042, releasing later this month. Halo Infinite fans have been waiting a long time for the game, but it won’t launch with ray-tracing and will be missing some fan-favorite modes such as Forge. While these features are planned as post-launch content, their lack of inclusion could mean the game won’t see early reviews as favorable as Forza Horizon 5‘s. Fans will have to wait a few more weeks to find out.
Forza Horizon 5 will be released for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on November 9, 2021. Those who have purchased the Premium Edition or Premium Add-ons Bundle on Xbox or Windows PCs, Forza Horizon 5’s early access unlocks November 5 at 12:01 a.m.12:01 a.m. local time.
