Forza Motorsport review – an icy, luxuriant driving sim that honours raw V8 power

Microsoft; PC, Xbox
With the spin-off series eclipsing Forza's original game, Turn 10 has upped the ante with a return to Motorsport after six years that might even win over some Horizon fans

What is a studio to do when their spin-off eclipses the original? That is where Turn 10 finds themselves in 2023, as it became clear that Forza Horizon - with its crystalline vistas, relentless DayGlo positivity, and resplendent open-world approach - had left more of a mark on the culture than its staid, closed-circuit mother franchise.

It has been six years since Turn 10 put out a video game under the Forza Motorsport name, and now that they've finally returned to the well, you may be surprised that the studio has resisted weaving in those streamlined, casual-friendly ovations they discovered on their trips to Mexico and Australia. Forza Motorsport is a driving sim at its most icy and luxuriant; a sumptuous cathedral built to sanctify raw V8 power. The game may leave some Horizon vacationers cold but breath easy, grognards - it's clear that Turn 10 hasn't lost its fastball.