Forza Horizon 5's latest update adds a new progression system to its competitive multiplayer mode.
A blog post on the Forza website detailed a number of fixes and changes including a reworking of rewards in Horizon Open, the PvP portion of Horizon 5.
"Horizon Open has been updated with a new progression system including Badges which can be unlocked through gameplay," the post said. Developer Playground Games also "added custom racing to Horizon Open, which will allow players to find races for their chosen race discipline and PI class."
General stability and performance improvements were also made in the patch, plus updated season event map pins, new Gravity Action options in EventLab that allow players to manipulate gravity in their creations, and a variety of fixes to cars.
The full patch notes can be seen below:
General
- Stability and Performance improvements
- Improved save flow for Weekly Forzathon to reduce chances of any progression loss
- Updated string for Car Voucher to be more specific about what its function is
- Updated Seasonal Event map pins to match the Seasonal PR Stunt pin
- Fixed issue where brake calipers were getting left behind from the car when changing Tunes in Freeroam
- Added HUD for cars with Race Mode type functionality to support the new Drivetrain swap mode on the Ford Mustang Mach-E
- Added low-res mesh under the world to improve the visuals when world chunks dropped out at high altitudes such as when using the new Gravity Action in EventLab (Series X/S and PC only)
Online
- Horizon Open has been updated with a new progression system including Badges which can be unlocked through gameplay
- Added Custom Racing to Horizon Open, which will allow players to find races for their chosen race discipline and PI class
- Fixed some scenarios where the player could be left waiting longer than necessary in the post-race flow
PC
- Fixed an issue where distant trees could look black or very dark on Very Low Preset
- Fixed Crash that occurred in Livery Editor when Ray Tracing was on
Cars
- Fixed dent in Jaguar XJS220s
- Fixed brake callipers being incorrectly offset on the 2014 VW Golf R
- Roll cage was incorrectly being added to the Sports Chassis reinforcement instead of the Race Chassis reinforcement on the 2016 Porsche Cayman GT4
- Fixed issue where one of the rear brake callipers on the 2020 Lamborghini Hurácan Evo wasn't paintable
- Fixed issue where passenger side rear brake calliper wasn't paintable on the 2010 Lexus LFA
- Fixed livery mapping issue with the 2018 KTM X-Bow in low LOD
- Fixed quiet superchargers on some muscle cars, in particular Dodge
- Fixed the 2012 Gallardo LP570-4 Spyder Performante hood not matching the selected colour
- Fixed broken mesh on the Work Emotion 11R Rims
- Fixed the Work Emotion M8R Rims not looking correct with certain paint options
- Fixed the shift animation on the 1968 Renault 4L
EventLab
- Added Gravity Action to Rules of Play which allows players to manipulate Gravity in EventLab creations
- Added option to preview sounds
- When using manual gears, moved Blueprint Builder off the View button to the Route Options menu as it was conflicting with Place Checkpoint
- Fixed issue where players could get soft locked after an event and loading back to Freeroam
- Fixed an issue where playing your own EventLab creation after publishing, could sometimes cause it to load without props
Accolades
- Fixed issue with "The Completionist" Accolade not unlocking under the right conditions
- Fixed description of "Showpiece" Accolade
IGN name Forza Horizon 5 its game of the year in 2021, overcoming other nominees Deathloop, Halo Infinite, Hitman 3, and more.
In our 10/10 review, IGN said: "Forza Horizon 5 is the result of a racing studio at the peak of its craft and the best open-world racing game available."
Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale.
Source: IGN.com Forza Horizon 5 Update Adds New PvP Progression System