It’s been six years since the last entry in the Forza Motorsport series was released, and since then, a lot has changed in the digital racing scene. We’ve had a couple of Forza Horizon entries, Gran Turismo sped onto PlayStation consoles, and we’ve seen a few other challengers shift into gear to fill in the Forza-shaped gap in the Xbox landscape. But at long last, Forza Motorsport is back, and not only is it a gorgeous slice of sim-racing on Xbox Series X|S, it’s firing on all cylinders with slick gameplay, a feature-packed setup, and a complete rethink of what it means to be a racing game in the modern era. The end result isn’t just a showcase of power and passion that it makes it the best Xbox exclusive of 2023, but something magical to behold.

Expecto Petroleum!

There’s a lot going on under the hood of Forza Motorsport, with a new approach to career mode that aims to make the entire experience feel consistently rewarding. While other racing games primarily offer cash rewards that can be used for upgrades, Forza Motorsport offers Car Points on top of financial gains, with these skill points serving as credits that can be used to help you quickly and efficiently upgrade your current vehicle.

The more you race with that particular car, the better you’ll be behind the wheel of it as you level up and build it into an instrument of precision racing along the way. Yes folks, we’re in CaRPG territory now. Essentially, if you have enough Car Points you’ll be able to level up for the tougher events ahead of you, while leveling down will refund you with Car Points spent on the upgrades in the first place, thereby helping you avoid any penalties for respeccing your vehicle to meet certain requirements.

You’re able to get into the real nuts and bolts of this system, with the big benefit here being that you can fine-tune your vehicle for certain race tracks. Fed up with that corkscrew bastard of a turn on Laguna Sec? Throw everything into brakes, acceleration, and steering, and start weaving some burnt rubber around those tight turns. Or, if you can’t be bothered, there’s a handy instant-upgrade option available that allows you to get the best version of your car with the resources that you have before you enter a tournament.

Overall, this system cuts out the grind of racing for cash – a problem that’s far too prevalent in other games of this genre. Developer Turn 10 has clearly done its homework, especially in the wake of the Gran Turismo 7 fiasco that made cars much harder to earn, and saw huge fan backlash. In Forza Motorsport, a new car is never too far away.

With hundreds of vehicles on offer, ranging from the hottest of hatchbacks to the stuff of V8 legend that you can only dream of, Forza Motorsport’s garage is stacked with options and luxurious vehicles that’ll make any petrolhead slobber in anticipation. To its credit, Forza Motorsport’s payout for races feels incredibly well-balanced, especially with gameplay mechanics that emphasize high-risk and high-reward scenarios. In career mode, spending some time conquering the various leagues and tournaments will see your efforts handsomely rewarded with new gear, unlocks, and a fat stack of credits.

The Humvee in the room is how does Forza Motorsport handle its live service ambitions in an industry that has now become saturated with that style of video game design over the last couple of years? With this new entry in the series seeking to establish itself as more than just a racing game with a two-year lifespan, Forza Motorsport is uniquely positioned to be sustainable for the long term. It’s worthy of the expectations that come with a franchise resetting its legacy back to powerful first gear.

The driving force behind this approach–pun fully intended–is a game where you’ll be motivated to master every aspect of your vehicle, which in turn creates a deeper relationship between a player and their favorite cars. Forza Motorsport isn’t just about taking first place in every race, but more about skillfully navigating your way across treacherous turns and knowing when to put the pedal to the metal on a straight stretch of tarmac. It’s worth noting that anything tied to progression will require an online connection, which probably will have some armchair drivers upset.

Using its Segment Score system–an internal algorithm that calculates just what your car is capable of in its current configuration on a given track–Forza Motorsport monitors your performance and awards you XP throughout a race, with each twist and turn of a track acting as enemies you’ll have to overcome in this RPG-focused expression of speed. This new mentality doesn’t take long to set in, and once you’re focused on shaving precious fractions of a second off each segment, I found myself enchanted by the idea. Sure, taking first place in a race always feels fantastic. But doing so without having traded any paint in potential collisions or while sticking to a perfect line as I weaved my way through tight corners and past my opponents? Now that’s a game-changing school of thought to adopt.

So if you’ve got the framework for how you should be racing in Forza Motorsport, what can you expect in the long run from a game that wants to keep you invested? Turn 10 hasn’t shared much on what fans can expect, but for now, it looks like the game will get a steady stream of new vehicles, tracks, and events to dive into through regular content drops. The studio isn’t doing battle passes or a traditional seasonal structure with Forza Motorsport, which at this point is a breath of fresh air after years of chasing time-limited dragons in Destiny 2’s season passes. You can go your own way at your own pace and still feel rewarded.

Am I disappointed that Forza Motorsport won’t won’t have a split-screen, spectator mode, or the option to race against AI in certain multiplayer modes, at launch? Absolutely, but at the same time, I’m more than satisfied with what’s already on offer here thanks to a meaty selection of tracks, modes, and racing tournaments on offer.

On a technical level, there’s a lot going on in Forza Motorsport and I am no way smart enough to begin comprehending the mountain of digital wizardry that makes every car dash off the line. What I do know is that Forza Motorsport feels phenomenal thanks to its gameplay, as a thousand small touches all combine to create something that feels authentic when you’re behind the wheel. Enhanced wheel physics, engines guzzling several hundred laps of petroleum so that they can scream around a single corner, and collision systems that ensure your car will be an absolute junker if you drive like a Joburger during rush hour all combine to create a tight and responsive feeling of speed.

And at the same time, this is easily Forza Motorsport at its most accessible. With simulated racing games, there’s a barrier to entry for casual players when they see that a single wrong move can spell disaster. Forza Motorsport sidesteps that issue with a welcome selection of driving assists. Depending on how much of a challenge you want, you can toggle everything from braking to steering assists to help you out on some of the more lethal tracks currently available. We’re looking at you specifically, Kyalami.

Alongside the new physics simulation model, dynamic weather and a day-night cycle also add to Forza Motorsport’s glorious presentation. Short of winning the ultra-lottery, there’s no chance in hell that I’ll ever own a 1995 Ferrari F50, but at the very least, I can admire this feat of Italian engineering and so many more like it through my PC monitor.

In total, Forza Motorsport is a grand reinvention of the franchise that checks all the boxes for racing game fans. Every vehicle looks superb, hyper-accurate physics add that tangible quality of authenticity to the experience, and the selection of cars on offer makes for a collection that not even Jeff Bezos could afford in real life.

Where the game truly shines, though, is in how it overhauls itself to be more than just a quick dip into V8 territory before your short attention span is distracted by the next AAA flavour of the month. Right now, I’m itching to get back into Forza Motorsport and I cannot wait to take a spin around Silverstone in the Nissan Skyline GT-R that I’ve been pouring my heart and soul into.

Forza Motorsport comes to PC, Xbox Series X|S consoles and Game Pass from 10 October. Pre-ordering the game gets you early access from tomorrow, 5 October.


Forza Motorsport review

The new era of Forza Motorsport is firing on all cylinders, as this fast and furious incarnation combines accessible gameplay with gorgeous graphics, satisfying handling, and a brilliant balance between risk and reward.

 9
Forza Motorsport was reviewed on PC