Forza Horizon 5 review – a much-needed road-trip fantasy

Xbox Series S/X; Playground Games/Microsoft
Take a supercar for a beach challenge or drive into the Mexican jungle in this racing game that's exactly as fun as its last version

As we limp towards the end of 2021, I don't think I've ever needed a holiday so much, and Forza Horizon 5 is here to provide one. It is a scenic, colourful escape to a sterile and faultlessly beautiful version of Mexico, with astonishing vistas and shiny cars to drive in a seemingly endless series of races, from cross-country desert circuits to street scrambles and stunt challenges. Like any great holiday, there is nothing to think about here except which fun thing to do next.

Despite the change of setting from idealised Britain to idealised Mexico, it feels almost identical to 2018's Forza Horizon 4, and has the same overwhelming maximalist tendencies - the map is a forest of icons, an abundance of potential excitement, and you are constantly showered with rewards, perks and bonuses that quickly feel meaningless. But it also captures some of the same magic: the escapist fantasy of the open road, the freedom of driving, that gut-level satisfaction of revving a perfectly modelled supercar and feeling the controller shake in your hands. These vehicles, hundreds of them, all respond instantly to the slightest touch of the analogue stick or feathering of the brake. There is no more fun way to drive virtual cars than this.