The Forza Horizon series may have begun as a spin-off of Forza Motorsport, but the open-world racing game is now one of Microsoft’s top franchises. Although Forza Horizon 4 received post-launch, next-gen visual updates, the $59.99 Forza Horizon 5 is the first series title to debut on the Xbox Series X/S. I played the game’s first few hours on Xbox Series S, and while the Forza formula is starting to feel too familiar, the vibrant setting and adventurous spirit make you want to stay in its lane.

Fast, Furious

Forza Horizon 5 begins with your car dropping out of a plane, and the Fast and Furious antics only ramp up from there. This year’s Horizon festival takes place in Mexico, and right away the game smacks you in the face with a new attitude befitting the new setting. I made everyone call me Big Boss, and it always felt appropriate. Forza Horizon 5’s campaign consists of adventure missions and showcase events, which are races that task you with doing stuff that's a little wilder than simply driving a car real fast. How about a competition against a team of stunt performers wearing wingsuits? Can you take a picture from the inside of a Mad Max-style dust storm? In the past, I’ve been disappointed by how relatively tame Forza Horizon is compared to, say, Burnout Paradise, but these adventure missions inject some much-need adrenaline. There’s no boost button, but it's thrilling to jump a cliff while blasting Spanish guitar riffs, classical music, or fresh remixes of fan-favorite contemporary songs from the in-game radio. 

To unlock adventure missions, you must earn accolades points by completing typical Forza events: normal races; off-road, cross-country races; and speed traps. It's the type of stuff we’ve played and enjoyed before. You can challenge random cars you pass to a head-to-head race right then and there, without exiting out to a separate mode.

It wasn’t in this demo, but the full game will let you create custom activities for you and your friends. As someone who played a lot of Forza Horizon 3 and Forza Horizon 4, the series is starting to blur together. Hopefully, Forza Horizon 5 establishes its own identity the longer you play it. The adventure missions, exciting rewards waiting for you after completing enough events, are a great start. 

As you play the game, you’ll earn experience points through skillful (and chaotic) driving. Level up to unlock cars and outfits at home bases you acquire as you uncover the map. In these first few hours, I tested cars like the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Coupe, Ford Bronco, and Toyota GR Supra. The driving itself still sits at a nice sweet spot between mainline Forza’s stodgy driving simulation and a more accessible, forgiving arcade racing game like Need for Speed—especially if you activate the assists. 

Beautiful Ride

I played Forza Horizon 5 on an Xbox Series S, the weaker of Microsoft’s two next-gen consoles. Still, it's a very capable machine. The game let me choose between a 60 frames-per-second Performance mode and 30 frames-per-second Quality mode. I opted for the Performance mode, and even without the Series X's additional power, the game looked phenomenal on my 4K TV. From detailed dirt textures to sunlight refracting off of car windows to smashed cactus debris flying past your wheels, you feel like you’re putting the pedal to the metal. 

Much of the game's visual appeal comes from the Mexican setting’s natural aesthetic. While Forza Horizon 4 looked great from a technical perspective, I never got into its rainy, United Kingdom backdrop. Forza Horizon 5 returns to the sun-bleached deserts, as well as colorful villages, temples, and jungles you might expect from an Uncharted game. You even race down a volcano. Like Horizon 4, Horizon 5's climate changes across its various biomes and elevations. Hope you’re ready for wet season. 

While Forza Horizon 5 runs beautifully on consoles, the game is also coming to PC. Fortunately, you still have time to see if your rig can handle it. 

Viva La Forza

If you already know you love Forza Horizon and are hungry for more, Forza Horizon 5 should easily satisfy you. Still, we’re curious to see if the new locale, imaginative adventure missions, custom activities, and other promised features can turn the racing game into a revolutionary sequel rather than an evolutionary one. 

Forza Horizon 5 races on to Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Windows PCs on November 5. Xbox Game Pass subscribers can play it on day one.For more in-depth video game talk, visit PCMag's Pop-Off YouTube channel.