Forza Motorsport is speeding its way onto Xbox Series X and PC. During Microsoft's Xbox Game Showcase, Turn 10 Studios revealed a new trailer showing in-game footage of the newest Forza game that is still early in development. Celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, the staple simulation racing franchise is one of Microsoft's most valuable IPs.
Since 2012, the Forza series has bounced back and forth between the main Forza Motorsports games, a more focused simulation experience set on real-world tracks, and Forza Horizon, open-world racing games set during a fictional festival where players can freely roam and drive to the races they want to participate in. Both series share the same physics and lighting engine along with vast customization and precise tuning for cars. Forza Horizon, however, is a little more forgiving with its controls and weight of the vehicles, where Forza Motorsport takes a much more realistic approach to emulate real-life tracks and cars.
The announcement of a new Forza Motorsport always brings along an era of highly detailed realistic graphics. The newest entry coming to Xbox Series X will be one of the only racing games sporting 4K graphics, 60 frames per second, and ray tracing. Ray tracing will allow reflections to beam off cars during the race, bringing more lifelike visuals to an already stunning franchise. Players subscribed to Xbox Game Pass will be able to download the game on launch day.
Forza Motorsport Gameplay
While very little was shown of Forza Motorsport's gameplay, it's safe to assume that it will play very similar to its predecessors. Unlike Forza Horizon, the Motorsport series races are played solely on closed-circuit tarmac tracks based on real-world locations like the Daytona and Sebring International Speedways. Forza Motorsport 7 introduced dynamic weather and time of day cycles to the series, so players can expect more advanced integrations of those features. Due to licensing issues, several Toyota and Lexus vehicles weren't included in the recent Motorsport release, so hopefully, that's something Microsoft and Turn 10 are able to work out.
A huge drawing of the Forza Motorsport franchise is the deep level of customization and tuning. Forza Motorsport 7 included over 700 cars to try out, with thousands of customization options that let players build whatever type of car they want. Everything from suspension tuning to brake bias to individual gears can be finely tuned to the players liking. With the addition of ray tracing, the customization features will be even more important as players will want to flaunt their beautiful creations.
Forza Motorsport Setting
Because Forza Motorsport is based on actual race tracks from around the world, there's a vast array of locations the game will likely include. A few courses that have been in multiple iterations of Forza Motorsport include the Bernese Alps, Sebring International, and Circuit of the Americas. Fujimo Kaido is one of the most requested courses from older Forza Motorsport games that fans want to return, so there's a possibility that Turn 10 is listening to feedback and looking to surprise veteran racers. Forza Motorsport 7 came with 30 tracks in the base game, only 3 more than its predecessor, so players can expect a similar number of tracks for the next release as well.
Forza Motorsport Release Date
The Forza series tends to release on a biennial basis, with the Forza Motorsports games releasing on odd years and Forza Horizon releasing on the evens. However, this trend was recently broken as nothing from the franchise was released in 2019. This would normally indicate that Forza Motorsport should be right around the corner, but with Microsoft specifically mentioning that the game is in early development and the fact that it wasn't announced for Xbox One like other titles, it might need an extra year or two to really take advantage of the Xbox Series X. Luckily for fans looking to get a 4K racing fix quick, Forza Horizon 4 is getting optimized for Xbox Series X and will be playable in native 4K at 60 frames per second. Both Forza Horizon 4 and the new Forza Motorsport will be included for all Xbox Game Pass subscribers.