Forza Horizon 5 is the latest instalment in this popular sandbox racing series. It will once again improve on its predecessor with an even larger map, improved graphics, realistic audio, even more vehicles, new game modes, and updated features.
What is Forza Horizon 5 about?
Forza Horizon 5 takes the Horizon Festival to the diverse country of Mexico. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking and Playground games confirmed it to be the largest Forza Horizon they’ve ever made. The gameplay celebrates the culture, heritage and unique geography, with a detailed representation of the surrounding roads, Cities and landscape. There is limitless driving action in the free roam mode with a giant map to explore topped off with varied seasons and localised weather patterns. Also, for the first time, there will be a story-driven campaign with new characters, exciting experiences and many races and missions to complete. Additionally, as part of the Horizon 5 package expect many new game modes. There will be Horizon Arcade to easily join up with friends and other players or EventLab where anyone can create their very own race or game mode with crazy jumps and point-scoring bowling pins.
A Horizon game wouldn’t be complete without hundreds of the world’s greatest cars all recreated in incredible detail. Forza Vista allows you to get up close and personal with every model and the raytracing compatibility ensures photo-realistic graphics. The all-important modification and customisation options have been completely redesigned with thousands more visual and performance upgrades available at launch.
Forza Horizon 5 will also have some of the most impressive car audio you’ve ever heard. The game uses hundreds of sound clips for each vehicle. Every sound has been recorded from a real car revving, performing doughnuts and high-speed cornering. The engine and exhaust note will even change with modifications and performance upgrades. Finally, with the implementation of raytraced audio, the sound will be altered with the surrounding landscape. It can bounce off tall buildings or even be distorted by trees. I bet you can’t wait to blast through a tunnel or accelerate past a deep walled canyon. It’s taken years of meticulous work by the audio team and the video below demonstrates that it was definitely worth it.
What is the release date for Forza Horizon 5?
Forza Horizon 5 was announced during the Microsoft and Bethesda showcase at E3 2021. At the end of the exciting first look, it was revealed that the game will release on the 9th of November 2021. If you don’t want to wait for the full launch there’s also the option to purchase the Premium Edition for Early Access. Early access begins on November 5th, 2021. Early Access will also be available as a separate purchase option for Xbox Game Pass members and Standard Digital or Deluxe Digital Edition owners.
What are the system requirements for Forza Horizon 5 on PC?
Forza Horizon is a motorsport title known for expansive open landscapes and stunning visuals. Forza Horizon 5 is the best yet with a stunning graphical overhaul that includes raytracing support. Fortunately, the hardware requirements for Forza Horizon 5 are still reasonable. This is likely because the fifth instalment will continue to use the same ForzaTech game engine as Horizon 4. There have been many upgrades and updates to the lighting, draw distance, and textures for this new game. However, this tried and tested engine is well optimised on older PCs and hardware.
The minimum specifications needed to play have been officially released by Playground games. They’ve not yet announced the recommended system requirements, but we’ve made an estimation based on comparisons to Horizon 4. There is no mention of the level of performance expected. Still, we know that it will run at 4K and 30FPS on the Xbox Series X. Check out the full list in the table below, and we’ll break it down in the next section.
| Component | Official Minimum Requirements | Estimated Recommended Requirements |
| OS | Windows 10 version 15063.0 or higher | Windows 10 version 15063.0 or higher |
| Processor | Intel i3-4170 @ 3.7Ghz or Intel i5 750 @ 2.67Ghz | Intel Core i5-10400F or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X |
| Memory | 8 GB RAM | 16 GB RAM |
| Graphics | NVidia GTX 760 or AMD RX 460 | GeForce RTX 3060 or Radeon RX 6700 XT |
| DirectX | Version 12 | Version 12 |
| Network | Broadband Internet Connection | Broadband Internet Connection |
| Storage | 80GB available space | 100GB of available SSD space |
Will my PC run Forza Horizon 5?
Currently, the official system requirements list only contains the minimum hardware required. A PC with similar specifications will open the game and allow play on low graphical settings. To create a full hardware requirements list, we’ve estimated the recommended requirements based on the previous Forza Horizon title. When a more extensive hardware list is officially announced, this article will be updated. So make sure to check back!
The minimum specifications reveal that for a modern title Forza Horizon 5 will be reasonably easy to run. As expected the graphical requirements are more demanding than the previous game. However, if you could easily play Horizon 4 you should have no problem with Horizon 5. Unfortunately, to play on an older PC, you will have to reduce the resolution and graphical settings. This will greatly impact the beautiful Mexican landscape. To get the best experience and ensure your PC can keep up with the high-performance cars you’ll want to aim for at least the recommended settings.
Processor and Memory:
The minimum processor is listed as an Intel i3-4170 or Intel i5 750. Additionally, an equivalent processor from AMD would be the Ryzen 3 3100. It provides similar performance and is great value for money. Our recommended CPU is the i5-10400F or Ryzen 5 5600X. We’ve estimated that these processors will be ideal for playing Forza Horizon 5. This is because of their high boost clock speed and 6 cores/12 threads which are ideal for demanding gameplay.
The minimum memory requirement of Forza Horizon 5 is 8GB. This is in line with other recent gaming releases. For the best experience, you will need at least 16GB. This estimate is based on the requirements for Horizon 4 and other AAA games.
Graphics and Storage:
The gameplay trailer revealed at E3 demonstrated that Forza Horizon 5 will feature incredibly realistic visuals. For example the expansive landscape, detailed vehicles, high-resolution textures, and immersive terrain. Consequently, the game will demand a powerful graphics card for the best experience as a consequence of this graphical eye candy. However, if you’re happy to reduce the resolution or lower the settings, you can get away with the 8-year-old GTX 760 or AMD’s slightly younger RX 460. This demonstrates just how well the ForzaTech engine is optimised and you should expect around 30fps at 1080p on low settings.
Our estimated recommended requirements graphics cards are the Nvidia RTX 3060 or Radeon RX 6700 XT. These are both modern GPU’s with raytracing capability, 12GB of VRAM, and powerful performance. With one of these graphics cards, you should be able to play at a high resolution, with a super smooth FPS and Ultra graphical settings.
The storage requirements for Forza Horizon 5 are identical to that of Horizon 4. You will need a minimum of 80GB but it’s great to see that playground games has managed plenty of graphical enhancements without demanding more drive space. To enjoy the Horizon 5 to its full potential and cut down on loading times you will need at least 100GB of space on an SSD. Faster storage will ensure a better gameplay experience and more space on your drive allows you to download the extra car packs and add ons.
What is the Best PC for playing Forza Horizon 5?
Overclockers UK is the home of PC enthusiasts and our expert knowledge means the wide range of prebuilt PC’s available are ideal for playing the latest and greatest games. If you want to get the best experience when Forza Horizon 5 launches check out this list of specially selected systems that meet our estimated recommended specifications. Each PC uses high-quality hardware from the manufacturers you know and love plus every one comes with a comprehensive 3-year warranty.
Additionally, because this is a driving game we’ve also picked out a couple of our favourite racing wheels and simulator chairs. If you love racing there’s nothing quite like a full set-up with a racing wheel and pedals. There’s even plenty of time to get some practice in on Forza Horizon 4 before the launch of Horizon 5.
OCUK Oxygen Gaming PC
A vital component in the internal combustion engine is oxygen and the Oxygen PC is a vital component in your Forza Horizon 5 set-up. With a water-cooled processor, high airflow case, and triple fan GPU, you’ll never lose first place to overheating.
- AMD Ryzen 5 5600X Processor
- MSI Gaming X Trio RTX 3060Ti graphics card.
- 2 x 8GB of 3600Mhz Kingston Hyper X Fury memory.
- Specification starts at £1799.99
OCUK Magnetite Mini ITX PC
This all AMD powerhouse is compact but packs a performance punch. It has the exact specification we’re estimating you’ll need for a great experience playing Forza Horizon 5.
- AMD Ryzen 5 5600X processor
- ASRock MBA style Radeon RX 6700 XT graphics.
- 2 x 8GB of 3600Mhz Kingston Hyper X Fury memory.
- Starting at £1599.95.
OCUK Pyrite Gaming PC
The Pyrite might not look like a Ferrari but it has all of the performance. This great value PC has an Intel i5 CPU and top-end Nvidia RTX graphics card all for a bargain price. It won’t hesitate or slow down as you race to beat the competition.
- Intel Core i5 10400F processor.
- Gigabyte Gefore RTX 3070 Gaming OC graphics card.
- 2 x 8GB Team Group Vulcan Z T-Force memory.
- Starting at £1379.99.
Thrustmaster T300 Ferrari Integral Wheel
If you want a truly immersive racing experience check out this officially licensed Ferrari racing wheel. This 599XX EVO replica uses real Alcantara for a premium finish that feels just like a real car. It even comes with a T3PA 3-pedal set to improve your braking and acceleration.
- 2 large wheel-mounted brushed metal sequential paddle shifters.
- Detachable wheel featuring Thrustmaster Quick Release system.
- Next-gen force feedback 1080° base.
- Available for £349.99
Next Level GT Lite Racing sim cockpit
If you don’t have space for a permanent sim set-up, don’t let that ruin your racing career! This foldable cockpit makes it easy to turn any small space into the supercar of your dreams and then back again.
- Hard mount your pedals in flat or angled positions.
- Seating area made of breathable fabric for maximum comfort.
- Made to suit everyone with full adjustability and support for up to 150KG.
- Available for only £179.99
- 9 min read
Briony Hannam
Author
Briony has been with Overclockers UK for nearly three years, starting off as a content copywriter before moving into producing videos and photos for various social media platforms. Outside of shooting and editing, she can be found racing in Forza, CTR, or even Donington circuit. Calmer endeavors include tending her jungle of houseplants & fishtanks before curling up under a blanket and watching back-to-back episodes of the latest Sci-Fi release.
Read More >>