RELATED: Forza Horizon 5: How to Find Star 27’s Mural in Mulege
With Forza Horizon 5launching on Game Pass, it’s likely that many of the 3 million players will be newcomers to the Forza Horizon series. For such players, we’ve listed a few helpful tips for the opening hours of gameplay.
Updated July 25, 2022 by Geoffrey Martin: Given the sheer and staggering breadth of content on display in Forza Horizon 5, it should come as no surprise that players are always finding new tips and tricks along the way. A massive open-world racing game like this caters to a wide variety of players and everyone is going to have a slightly different experience. For those who are new to the series as a whole and even for those who are veterans, there are some great things to keep in mind when first playing Forza Horizon 5.
12 Play The Eliminator Mode Often
One of the most unique gameplay modes in Forza Horizon 5 has to be the battle royale mode, The Eliminator. While battle royale games as a genre have remained popular, it’s arguably a bit strange seeing a racing game add a mode like this. It’s a good thing they did since it’s an absolute blast to play. For the uninitiated, The Eliminator tasks players with driving different upgraded cars through a small portion of the game’s map. Once players come into contact with another driver, a race from point A to point B begins, with the loser being eliminated, rinse and repeat, until a victor is crowned.
It seems that The Eliminator mode doesn’t quite get enough love, something that is a major bummer given how it has the ability to give players a wealth of knowledge when it comes to using different cars, navigating the map, and becoming better at racing. Be sure to hop into this battle royale mode as soon as possible since it’s an absolute thrill to play.
11 Seek Out And Smash XP Boards
Forza Horizon 5 is constantly rewarding eager drivers with XP (experience points) around each and every corner. This is a game that keeps players moving forward with a drip feed of rewards and content. Simply driving around the game world allows players to gain small portions of XP, however, this is quite minimal when compared to races, events, and the like.
Fortunately, Forza Horizon 5 encourages driving and exploring since dotted around the map are myriad XP boards. These small billboards can be smashed through and offer players a quick boost of beloved XP, something that goes toward leveling up and earning better rewards overall. Most of these are marked on the game map so be sure to keep an eye out for any and all XP boards, even if it means driving off the beaten path.
10 Drive, Drive, Drive
One of the coolest aspects of Forza Horizon 5 is that players have the freedom to drive from activity to activity, exploring the vast open world around them. It all feels incredibly immersive, and players will soon fall in love with the idea of having to sprint from location to location to start events, races, and expeditions.
RELATED: Racing Games With The Best Vehicle Customization
In fact, players should be driving around Forza Horizon 5 whenever they get the chance. When not in a race or simply traveling to a new spot, players are gaining valuable experience training in the car of their choice, as well as learning the many winding roads sprinkled throughout the area.
9 Use The Rewind Feature
In the past, some players would find racing games frustrating, as just one mistake could often cost them the entire race - forcing them to start again from the beginning. This led to the popularization of the “Rewind” mechanic in racing games.
As the name suggests, the Rewind feature allows players to turn back time to rectify any mistakes and ensure that they don’t have to start the entire race again. Understandably, some players are against using the feature as it removes much of the challenge, but it’s an excellent mechanic for new players to utilize while they’re still getting to grips with the gameplay.
8 Choose The Right Car
One of the most entertaining aspects of Forza Horizon 5 is its open world that features a wide array of different track types, roads, and locations. Players won’t just be racing along pre-made tracks, they’ll be thrust into an array of different sprints and circuits that weave through cities, across open highways, and even up winding mountains.
Because of this, it’s important for players to have an array of cars at their disposal, as one vehicle type won’t be suitable for all the terrain in Forza Horizon 5. Having access to an off-road vehicle can help players conquer dirt roads, while a car tuned for handling can beat the competition on a twisting mountain highway.
7 Don’t Just Focus On Speed When Selecting Cars
Purchasing a new car is one of the most exciting features of Forza Horizon 5, as it gives players the chance to upgrade from their current vehicle, giving them a better chance at winning races.
RELATED: Forza Horizon 5: How to Unlock Drift Zones
Considering that most of the challenges in Forza Horizon 5 relate to speed, it’s common for new players to ignore every aspect of a vehicle aside from how fast it’ll go. Instead of doing this, players should prioritize well-rounded vehicles, as their improved handling and drifting will often save the player even more time than a slight increase in speed.
6 Keep Tweaking And Testing The Settings
Those who are new to Forza Horizon 5 will be happy to know that there is a wide range of options available that are designed to help beginners. In the opening hours, players should frequently check and adjust these settings. It may get tedious, but it will be very beneficial in the long term.
Once players have found their ideal settings, it will be easier to make adjustments further down the line. Moreover, the game sometimes suggests if settings should be adjusted after some time, making for a more seamless experience.
5 Practice With New Cars Before Racing Them
Forza Horizon 5 has a multitude of cars for players to race, each with its own unique look and feel to match its real-life counterpart. Consequently, it can be quite jarring to switch vehicles, particularly if the player has been using the same car for multiple hours.
Therefore, when picking up a new car, players should give it a test drive across the beautiful open-world first to get a good sense of how it controls before diving into competitive races.
4 Tune Cars, But Only If You Know What You’re Doing
Forza Horizon 5 offers excellent depth to its customizability, particularly with vehicles. Players can customize a wide range of aspects to ensure that their vehicle is perfectly tuned for whatever biome or road they’re about to race on, giving them a great advantage.
RELATED: Forza Horizon 5: Dust In The Lens Achievement Guide
Although tuning cars is great, players should avoid it if they’re unsure what they’re doing. Thankfully, there is an alternative available to those who aren’t too knowledgeable about cars, as the game offers a range of pre-build options titled Suggested Tunes.
3 Enable The Full Driving Line To Begin With
As mentioned before, Forza Horizon 5 offers a wide range of mechanics that intend to make the game as accessible as possible for new players. Along with the aforementioned Rewind feature, the Full Driving Line is one of the best.
The Full Driving Line is a never-ending series of arrows that guide the player to their goal. The Full Driving Line isn’t just a standard waypoint, however, as it shows the player the fastest route for taking corners while also telling them when to slow down and brake.
2 Seek Out Hidden Barns
One of the most enthralling aspects of Forza Horizon 5 is locating a barn and collecting the legendary classic car hiding inside of it. There are a wide array of these barns scattered throughout the Forza Horizon 5 map, and there are quite a few strange (and powerful) cars to be discovered.
Thankfully, Forza Horizon 5 offers a new and engaging way for players to explore and locate barns, by use of a handy Drone system that can be deployed and flown around. Players should keep in mind that some Barn Finds are only opened after they complete certain events or expeditions. Finding these barns can be a great way to get some powerful cars without spending a ton of cash, especially in the early game.
1 Don’t Buy Cars Initially
As mentioned before, unlocking a new car can be of the most exciting moments in Forza Horizon 5. Consequently, many new players will likely start buying new cars as soon as possible.
This isn’t a great idea in the opening hours, however, as players will start the game with a solid range of vehicles and will also unlock new cars sporadically through Wheelspins, loyalty bonuses, and more. So, instead of splashing the cash in the early hours when it’s in short supply, focus on earning cars through other means while saving credits for later.
Forza Horizon 5 is out now for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE: Racing Games To Play Like Forza Horizon 5 (For Those Who Don’t Own An Xbox)
