Forza Horizon 4 Review (PC) – Perhaps one of the finest racing games of our generation.

Back for another go at it, Playground Games Forza Horizon 4 is the latest open-world racer to grace the Xbox One and Windows 10. Last year’s entry was one of my favorite racing games, and I didn’t think it could be topped. Yet here comes the fourth game in the series that looks to show us that we haven’t seen anything just yet.

Game Name: Forza Horizon 4
Platform(s): PC (reviewed), Xbox One
Publisher(s): Microsoft Studios
Developer(s): Playground Games
Release Date: September 27, 2018 (Ultimate Edition), October 2, 2018 (Standard & Deluxe)
Price: $59.99/$79.99/$99.99 (Standard/Deluxe/Ultimate)

I’ve been a fan of the Forza Horizon series for quite some time. So, when the fourth game was announced, I was already hyped. Despite the game still not taking place in Japan, I was eager to see what the virtual open world of Great Britain had to offer.

One of the biggest additions to Forza Horizon 4 is the dynamic seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. When those seasons arrive, each one has races unique to it. In Spring, dirt roads turn to mud, while Winter drops snow everywhere, making your drive more challenging. All of this forces you to drive differently unless you want to run off the course or end up last in the races. They’re also something that needs to be experienced in the game, as it’s hard to put them into words. They are a great way to prolong your gaming experience, and the dynamic seasons feel akin to real life. As much as I love driving in Summer, there’s something special about racing during Fall, with leaves blowing behind your car. Then again, Spring’s muddy tracks are fun to tear through.

As the seasons cycle through, you’ll also face seasonal challenges. These are only available during that specific season, so you’ll have to complete them before the timer runs out. If you miss them, you’ll need to wait until that season comes around again. Keep in mind, once you reach Horizon, seasons cycle weekly. Until then, the season changes depending on your influence, which you gain through events or by watching Forza Horizon 4 streams on Mixer while your game is open.

Outside of the seasons, there’s still a vast number of events to tackle as you progress through the game. These events are exciting and often pit you against unique opponents: hovercrafts, jets, or even trains. There’s even an event where you hop into the Warthog from Halo, with Cortana guiding you through the course. Sadly, the bucket challenges from Forza Horizon 3 aren’t here, replaced instead with a variety of different races and seasonal events. While there’s plenty to keep me satisfied, I really enjoyed finding a car on the side of the road and discovering what new challenge awaited me.

Of course, the main stars of any racing title are the cars — those beasts of rage and metal that propel us at speeds faster than we should drive them. Here in Forza Horizon 4, there are over 400 at the start, with many more arriving via DLC and updates.

That’s a Lot of Cars

What’s different this time? Previously, there was one skill tree for all cars. Now, each car has its own. When you earn influence driving a specific car, you spend those points on that car’s skills. This encourages you to invest in your favorite rides, unlocking abilities or rewards unique to them. If you don’t want to spend on skills, you can use the points on in-game rewards instead.

Handling feels solid overall. Power output, steering balance, downforce, and tire pressure all come into play. Thankfully, you can tweak these in the garage. If you don’t like how your favorite car handles, tune it until it feels right. While you’re there, you can customize spoilers, rims, liveries, tints, and more. Make it yours, then drive it like you stole it.

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

Playground Games has worked magic here. The car models, landscapes, lakes, and houses all look stunning. Many vehicles look nearly identical to their real-life counterparts. I even crashed into a strip of shops and noticed not just the exteriors but detailed interiors with bottles, stools, and signs. Another time, I stopped by a house and spotted a huge TV mounted inside. These little touches amazed me. It’s the level of detail I expect from an open-world RPG, not a racing game. The only thing missing is being able to get out of your car and go inside.

The music selection surpasses the previous entries, with electronic, hip-hop, bass, and more. Whoever curated this deserves praise. Classics like Eric B. & Rakim’s “Don’t Sweat the Technique” and A Tribe Called Quest’s “Award Tour” add so much atmosphere. There’s something for everyone, and it feels incredible when the right track hits mid-race or while cruising.

My only gripe is the lack of custom music options. Forza Horizon 3 had Microsoft’s Groove service, which was later shut down, but OneDrive integration could have kept that alive. At least bring it back in some form. Still, this is minor compared to how good everything else sounds. The roar of engines, gear shifts, and exhaust notes are phenomenal. The audio direction is one of the best parts of the game.

Performance issues no more.

Those who played Forza Horizon 3 on PC will remember the framerate drops, stuttering, and sluggish controls. I gave up and moved to Xbox One X because it was nearly unplayable on PC. So I worried about how Forza Horizon 4 would perform. Thankfully, it’s a different story this time. Testing across three PCs, I consistently hit 60FPS. On higher-end setups, 1440p and 4K ran at 60FPS or more with no stutter, no drops, no compromises. Playground Games clearly listened to PC gamers, delivering an experience equal to or better than the consoles.

PC Specs of Review System:

• AMD Ryzen 1800x
• EVGA GTX 1080 Ti SC2 Gaming
• G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory
• Microsoft Windows 10 Pro
• Samsung 960 EVO NVMe M.2 500GB

If you’ve built a PC within the past six years, the game should run smoothly at 1080p 60FPS. The options menu offers plenty to tweak for either visuals or performance. At the time of this review, forcing 16x anisotropic filtering caused issues, but Playground confirmed a patch was on the way.

How’s the online

I haven’t had much time with online due to features unlocking late, and I often got dropped from sessions. Forum posts show others facing the same issue. The team matches I did play were chaotic, with constant crashes between racers. I expect this will improve over time, and I’ll revisit it later. Personally, I’d prefer ghosted cars online to cut down on the collisions.

Conclusion

When I reviewed Forza Horizon 3, I didn’t think Playground Games could top it. Yet here we are with perhaps the finest racing game on Xbox One and PC. The content will keep you busy for months, the visuals are stunning, and the gameplay is addictive. Even non-racing fans could get into it. Forza Horizon 4 is the total package. Playground Games has done it again, and I couldn’t be more excited.

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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