History of Forza Horizon 5 in Timeline

Forza Horizon 5, developed by Playground Games and published by Xbox Game Studios (and later by Playstation Studios) is a racing game set in a fictionalized Mexico. Released in 2021 for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, it is the fifth Forza Horizon title and twelfth main installment in the Forza series. In 2025 it was also released on the Playstation 5, marking the first time a mainline Forza game was released on a non-Microsoft platform.

November 2021: Pre-Release Access and Launch Statistics

Before its release on November 9, 2021, over 1.2 million players had accessed Forza Horizon 5. On November 9, 2021, it was announced that over 4.5 million people played the game in less than 24 hours. By November 18, 2021, over ten million people had played the game during its first week.

November 2021: Forza Horizon 5 Release

In November 2021, Forza Horizon 5 was released for Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, marking the fifth title in the Forza Horizon series.

December 2021: Series 2 Update

In December 2021, the Series 2 update for Forza Horizon 5 was released with a Christmas theme, including new cars, collectibles, horns, and clothing.

2021: Awards and Accolades in 2021

In 2021, Forza Horizon 5 received critical acclaim, including IGN's Game of the Year award and three jury-voted awards at The Game Awards 2021, tying with It Takes Two for the most wins.

January 2022: 15 Million Player Milestone

In January 2022, two months after its release, Forza Horizon 5 surpassed 15 million players.

March 2022: Sign Language Interpreter Videos Added

On March 1, 2022, American and British Sign language interpreter videos were added in a picture-in-picture format for cinematics in Forza Horizon 5.

July 2022: Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels Expansion Release

On July 19, 2022, the Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels expansion was released, following a similar expansion for Forza Horizon 3.

October 2022: Series 13 Update: Tenth Anniversary of Forza Horizon Series

The Series 13 update, released on October 11, 2022, celebrated the Forza Horizon series' tenth anniversary with a new radio station "Horizon Mixtape", recreations of key moments of the five games' initial drive sequences in the new Horizon Story "Horizon Origins", Midnight Battles from Forza Horizon 3, and new achievements, accolades, and badges.

November 2022: Series 14 Update and Auction House Closure

In November 2022, the Series 14 update added a new Horizon Story featuring Donut Media, and the game's auction house was disabled due to a money-making exploit.

March 2023: Forza Horizon 5: Rally Adventure Expansion Release

On March 29, 2023, Forza Horizon 5: Rally Adventure was released, featuring a new map, off-road vehicles, and a new career mode.

June 2023: Barbie Film Collaboration

In June 2023, a 1956 Chevrolet Corvette and a 2022 GMC Hummer EV pickup inspired by the film Barbie were added to Forza Horizon 5 in collaboration with Xbox Game Studios and Mattel.

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