Forza Horizon 4 PC Review: One Of The Finest Racing Games Of Its Generation

Editor’s Note: This review was originally published around the launch of Forza Horizon 4. The game has since been delisted from digital storefronts and Xbox Game Pass, though players who already own it can still download and play it, including its online and multiplayer features.

When Forza Horizon 4 launched, Playground Games had a tough act to follow. Forza Horizon 3 was already one of my favorite racing games, and at the time, I honestly did not think the studio could top it. Then Forza Horizon 4 arrived with a stunning take on Great Britain, dynamic seasons, a massive lineup of cars, and one of the strongest open-world racing experiences Xbox and PC players had seen.

Game Name: Forza Horizon 4
Platform(s): PC, Xbox One
Platform Reviewed: PC
Genre: Racing
Publisher: Microsoft Studios
Developer: Playground Games
Release Date: September 27, 2018, for Ultimate Edition, October 2, 2018, for Standard and Deluxe Editions

I have been a fan of the Forza Horizon series for quite some time, so when the fourth game was announced, I was already hyped. Even though the series still did not take us to Japan, which remains one of my dream locations for a future entry, I was eager to see what the virtual open world of Great Britain had to offer. After spending time with the game, it became clear that Playground Games had not only delivered another fantastic racer, but one of the strongest entries in the series.

The Seasons Change Everything

One of the biggest additions to Forza Horizon 4 is its dynamic season system. Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter are not just visual changes tossed in for variety. Each season affects the world, the races, and how you approach driving across the map.

In Spring, dirt roads turn into muddy stretches that force you to wrestle with traction. Winter covers the world in snow and ice, making even familiar routes feel different and more dangerous. Fall brings its own atmosphere, with leaves blowing across the roads and a look that makes simply cruising around feel special.

The seasonal system also gives the game a stronger sense of life and progression. You are not just racing across a static open world that looks the same every time you log in. The world changes, the events shift, and the game constantly gives you a reason to come back and see what is happening next.

As the seasons cycle, you also take on seasonal challenges that are only available during that specific window. If you miss them, you have to wait until that season returns. Once you reach the Horizon roster, the seasons cycle weekly, while the early part of the game changes seasons based on your influence, which is earned through races, events, and other activities.

There Is Always Something To Do

Outside of the seasonal content, Forza Horizon 4 is packed with events to tackle as you progress through the game. Some races put you against traditional opponents, while others throw you into wild showcase events against hovercrafts, jets, and even trains. There is also a fantastic event where you jump into the Warthog from Halo, with Cortana guiding you through the course.

The bucket list challenges from Forza Horizon 3 are not here in the same way, and I do miss them. There was something fun about finding a car on the side of the road and discovering what challenge was attached to it. Even so, Forza Horizon 4 makes up for that with a huge variety of races, seasonal events, and showcase moments that keep the game moving.

That variety is one of the game’s biggest strengths. You can spend time clearing races, chasing influence, hunting down collectibles, taking photos, testing cars, or just driving across the countryside because the world is that enjoyable to explore. It is the kind of racing game that does not punish you for playing your own way.

That Is A Lot Of Cars

Of course, the real stars of any racing game are the cars. These beasts of rage and metal are what make the entire experience work, and Forza Horizon 4 launches with more than 400 vehicles, with even more added through updates and downloadable content. The lineup offers enough variety to satisfy casual racing fans, car enthusiasts, and players who just want to find one ride and make it their own.

One of the biggest changes this time is how car progression works. Instead of having one general skill tree for everything, each car has its own skill tree. When you earn influence while driving a specific car, you can spend those points on that car’s individual skills and perks.

This system encourages you to spend more time with your favorite vehicles. It also makes each car feel like something you are building a relationship with, rather than just another collectible sitting in a garage. If you prefer not to focus heavily on skills, you can still spend points on in-game rewards, but the system gives longtime players another reason to keep experimenting.

Handling feels solid across the board. Power output, steering balance, downforce, tire pressure, and tuning all come into play, especially once you start taking performance more seriously. Thankfully, the garage gives you enough tools to tweak your favorite rides until they feel exactly how you want them to feel.

Customization is also a major part of the fun. You can adjust spoilers, rims, liveries, tints, and more, then take your finished creation out into the open world. Whether you want a clean-looking street machine or something completely ridiculous, Forza Horizon 4 gives you room to make the car yours and then drive it like you stole it.

Forza Horizon 4 is the single most beautiful racing game that I have ever laid my eyes on.

A Stunning Open World

Playground Games worked some serious magic here. The car models, landscapes, lakes, houses, roads, and weather effects all look stunning. Many of the vehicles look nearly identical to their real-life counterparts, and the level of detail throughout the world constantly impressed me.

At one point, I crashed into a strip of shops and noticed that the detail was not limited to the outside of the buildings. There were interiors with bottles, stools, signs, and other small touches that made the world feel more believable. Another time, I stopped near a house and noticed a large TV mounted inside, which is the kind of detail I expect from an open-world RPG, not a racing game.

That attention to detail makes Great Britain feel alive, even when you are simply cruising between events. The only thing missing is the ability to get out of your car and walk around. That is not something I expected from a Forza Horizon game, but the world looks so good that it makes you wish you could step out and explore it on foot.

The Soundtrack And Audio Deliver

The music selection in Forza Horizon 4 surpasses the previous entries. There is electronic, hip-hop, bass, and plenty more, giving players a strong mix of tracks to race and cruise to. Whoever curated this soundtrack deserves praise, because the right song hitting during a race can completely change the energy of the moment.

Classics like Eric B. & Rakim’s “Don’t Sweat the Technique” and A Tribe Called Quest’s “Award Tour” add a lot of personality. There is enough variety here that most players should find at least one station they enjoy. More importantly, the music fits the vibe of the Horizon Festival perfectly.

My only real gripe is the lack of custom music options. Forza Horizon 3 had support through Microsoft’s Groove service, which was later shut down, but OneDrive integration could have helped keep that feature alive in some form. It is a minor complaint compared to how strong the rest of the audio package is, especially with the roar of engines, gear shifts, and exhaust notes sounding as good as they do.

Performance Issues No More

Anyone who played Forza Horizon 3 on PC likely remembers the framerate drops, stuttering, and sluggish controls. I eventually gave up and moved over to Xbox One X because the PC version was nearly unplayable for me at the time. Because of that, I was worried about how Forza Horizon 4 would perform on PC.

Thankfully, this is a completely different story. Testing across three PCs, I consistently hit 60FPS, and higher-end setups were able to push 1440p and 4K at 60FPS or better. There was no stutter, no major drops, and no feeling that the PC version was an afterthought.

Playground Games clearly listened to PC players this time around. The game feels smooth, responsive, and polished, which is exactly what I wanted after the rough PC experience of the previous entry. In many ways, this version feels equal to or better than the console release, depending on your hardware.

Keith’s PC Specs: AMD Ryzen 1800X, EVGA GTX 1080 Ti SC2 Gaming, G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB DDR4-3200 Memory, Microsoft Windows 10 Pro, Samsung 960 EVO NVMe M.2 500GB

If you have built a capable PC within the past several years, Forza Horizon 4 should run smoothly at 1080p and 60FPS. The options menu offers plenty to tweak, whether you want to prioritize visuals or performance. At the time of this review, forcing 16x anisotropic filtering caused some issues, though Playground Games had already confirmed that a patch was on the way.

How Is The Online?

I did not get as much time with the online portion as I would have liked, mostly because several features unlocked later in the game and I was dropped from sessions more than once. Forum posts at the time showed that other players were running into similar issues. Because of that, the online experience was the one part of the game that still felt like it needed more time to settle.

The team races I did play were chaotic, with players constantly crashing into one another. That can be fun in small doses, but it also made some events feel messier than they needed to be. Personally, I would have preferred ghosted cars in more online events to cut down on the constant collisions.

Even with those frustrations, the foundation is strong. The world is fun to drive through with other players, and the structure is there for the online side to become a major part of the experience. It just needed more polish at launch compared to the rest of the game.

Final Verdict

When I reviewed Forza Horizon 3, I did not think Playground Games could top it. Yet here we are with Forza Horizon 4, which may be one of the finest racing games released for Xbox One and PC. It improves the formula with dynamic seasons, a gorgeous open world, a huge roster of cars, strong customization, and a PC version that finally feels like it received the attention it deserved.

The amount of content here can keep players busy for months. Even if you are not usually into racing games, Forza Horizon 4 has enough freedom, style, and energy to pull you in. It is approachable without being shallow, beautiful without being empty, and packed with enough things to do that it rarely feels repetitive.

Forza Horizon 4 is the total package. Playground Games delivered another incredible open-world racing game, and at the time of release, it stood as one of the best reasons to own an Xbox One or play on Windows PC. Years later, it still remains one of the strongest entries in the entire Forza Horizon series.

If you enjoyed this review, explore more of our in-depth video game reviews across PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.

Review Disclosure Statement: The Ultimate Edition of Forza Horizon 4 was reviewed using Microsoft’s review code for review purposes. For more information on how we review video games and other media/technology, please review our Review Guideline/Scoring Policy.

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